1 Chronicles 28-29

1 Chronicles 28-29
Zealous for the Lord

I. Ch 28 The temple construction.

¹ Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel: the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officials, the valiant men, and all the mighty men of valor.[^1]

1. In our last study, we noted that under the New Covenant, there is no physical building as prominent as the Temple was to the Israelites.
2. vv. 2-8 David speaks to the assembly about God’s decision to have Solomon build the Temple.
   
   ² Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it. ³ But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’ ⁴ However the Lord God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for He has chosen Judah to be the ruler. And of the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father, He was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel. ⁵ And of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. ⁶ Now He said to me, ‘It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father. ⁷ Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to observe My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.’ ⁸ Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.
   
   1. v. 8 David exhorts Israel to obey the Lord.
   2. “דָּרַשׁ dāraš: -Its most important theological meaning involves studying or inquiring into the Law of the Lord (Ezra 7:10) or inquiring of God.”^[2]
      1. The Greek ζητέω is the word the translators selected for use in the LXX.
         1. ζητέω has the idea of searching out or devoting serious effort to realize one’s desire.
      2. We can all benefit from this exhortation to discover the will, the ways, and the Word of God.
3. Vv. 9-10 David exhorts Solomon to pursue God.
   1. 1 Chronicles 28:9 – Know and experience God
      
      ⁹ As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
      
      1. Know
         1. What an amazing reality Scripture teaches us: you can know God.
         2. Do you know God?
         3. Not simply know of Him but know Him?
            
            “He did not mean head knowledge, for Solomon possessed that already, but that experimental acquaintance with God which is only to be obtained by loving and serving Him.”^[3]
            
            • Do you know the Lord?
            • You can know Him if you will seek God through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
      2. Serve with your entire person.
         1. Loyal heart and willing mind.
         2. God is the Great God to whom is owed a zealous pursuit and service.
      3. The reference to God searching our hearts uses the same word for search as was used in 1 Chronicles 28:8 to seek out.
         1. The idea is to seek God and His ways, because He will seek to know what is in your heart and mind.
      4. God knows your thoughts.
         1. Man may not know what is in your heart, but God does.
      5. Seek Him, and He will be found.
         1. God meets with us when we seek Him.
            
            Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
            
            Psalm 42:1–2 ¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
            
            Psalm 63:1–2 ¹ O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. ² So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
            
            
         2. Be careful of the dead routine we call “seeking God.”
         3. Let zeal be a part of that pursuit.
         4. Don’t let the pursuit of anything or anyone overshadow your holy pursuit of God.
   2. 1 Chronicles 28:10 Do the work.
      
      ¹⁰ Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.
      
      1. Chosen by God for ministry.
         1. How humbling it is to consider this unmerited favor and kindness.
      2. Be strong and do it.
         1. First, we must come to know God; then we must serve Him and do His bidding.
4. vv. 11-19 David is given plans by the Spirit.
   
   ¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat; ¹² and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, of all the chambers all around, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries for the dedicated things; ¹³ also for the division of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the articles of service in the house of the Lord. ¹⁴ He gave gold by weight for things of gold, for all articles used in every kind of service; also silver for all articles of silver by weight, for all articles used in every kind of service; ¹⁵ the weight for the lampstands of gold, and their lamps of gold, by weight for each lampstand and its lamps; for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand. ¹⁶ And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread, for each table, and silver for the tables of silver; ¹⁷ also pure gold for the forks, the basins, the pitchers of pure gold, and the golden bowls—he gave gold by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls, silver by weight for every bowl; ¹⁸ and refined gold by weight for the altar of incense, and for the construction of the chariot, that is, the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the Lord. ¹⁹ “All this,” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans.”
   
   1. These plans, along with the plans given to Moses, were used to build the Temple.
   2. These plans reflect the temple in heaven.
   3. The Bible teaches that Moses received divine instruction to make the tabernacle as “the copy and shadow of the heavenly things,” (Heb 8:5) instructing him to “make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain” (Heb 8:5).
   4. God showed Moses “the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings,” (Exod 25:9) and God appointed Moses “to make it according to the pattern that he had seen” (Acts 7:44).
   5. It is noteworthy that many scholars see a pattern from Heaven to Eden to the Tabernacle to the Temple.
   6. Below is a summary from Logos referencing Michael Hieser’s book, The Unseen Realm.
      
      “The temple functions as an Edenic garden through its architectural decoration—flowers, palm trees, gourds, cypress trees, cherubim, lions, and pomegranates adorn its carved features. The menorah inside the tabernacle mirrors the tree of life from Eden, fashioned in the appearance of a tree and positioned directly outside the holy of holies. The cherubim within the holy of holies connect directly to Eden’s cherubim, who guarded God’s dwelling place, and their position atop the ark of the covenant reinforces this parallel.
      
      Beyond decoration, the temple embodies Eden’s essential character. Like Eden, the tabernacle was cosmic in conception—the place where heaven and earth met, functioning as a microcosm of the Edenic creation where God first dwelt on earth. Ezekiel’s vision of the new temple depicts it built on a high mountain with palm trees and cherubim adorning its courts and interior, and like Eden, it was well-watered by a river flowing from it that supernaturally gave life to everything.
      
      The correlation runs deeper still. As Eden was the place where humanity experienced God’s presence, so too was the tabernacle. In Israel’s theology, Eden, the tabernacle, Sinai, and the temple were equally the abode of Yahweh and his council, constantly reminding the Israelites that they had the God of the cosmic mountain and cosmic garden living in their midst.  The Temple on Mount Zion functioned as the new cosmic center where Yahweh and his council served as king and administrators of the cosmos.”^[4]
      
      
      
      
   7. God’s desire has not changed since creation.
   8. He desires fellowship with us.
5. 1 Chronicles 28:20-21 Fulfill your calling.
   
   ²⁰ And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. ²¹ Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and every willing craftsman will be with you for all manner of workmanship, for every kind of service; also the leaders and all the people will be completely at your command.”
   
   1. v. 20a Do not fear failure in the work of God.
      1. God does not call us into failure.
      2. The Lord is glorified that we bear much fruit.
   2. v. 20b God gives us the help to perform the task He calls us to do.
      
      2 Corinthians 3:4–6 ⁴ And we have such trust through Christ toward God. ⁵ Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, ⁶ who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
      
      
   3. v. 21 Complete the task with those whom God has raised up.
      
      Colossians 4:17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
      
      1. The work of the Kingdom of God should hold such a priority in our hearts that we always complete the tasks given to us.

II. Ch 29 – The joy of giving and leadership changes.

1. vv. 1-9 David sets an example and calls for an offering.
   
   ¹ Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the Lord God. ² Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. ³ Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: ⁴ three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; ⁵ the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?” ⁶ Then the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king’s work, offered willingly. ⁷ They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. ⁸ And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹ Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly.
   
   1. David declared in vv. 2-3 that he prepared with all his might.
      1. David is such a great example of His zeal for the Lord and the work.
      2. We must be careful against guarding ourselves from the Lord.
      3. Paul also gave his all in service.
         
         1 Corinthians 15:10–11 (NLT) ¹⁰ But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. ¹¹ So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.
         
   2. David gave, the leadership gave, and the people gave.
      1. This should always be the pattern in giving. It is from the top down.
      2. Now I’m sorry to say I don’t have many gold bars from Ophir lying around, but the leadership of the Church does follow this example.
   3. The repeated word in this section is offered willingly.
   4. Notice, though, in v. 3, the reason why David gave the way he did.
   5. It was because He had set his affection on the house of God, where the people would come to encounter God and worship Him.
   6. What is your affection set on?
      1. David set his affection on the pleasure of serving and worshiping the Lord.
      2. There are so many things we can become enamored with in this world, but they are ALL frivolous distractions.
         
         Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
         
         
      3. Don’t let your affection be given to anyone or anything but the Lord.
2. 1 Chronicles 29:10-19 Thankful to give.
   
   ¹⁰ Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. ¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. ¹² Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. ¹³ “Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. ¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. ¹⁵ For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope. ¹⁶ “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. ¹⁷ I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. ¹⁸ O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. ¹⁹ And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.”
   
   1. vv. 14-17 are the verses we included in our presentation when we first introduced our building project.
   2. For David, giving to the Lord was never the grudging obligation that Paul warned us against in 1 Corinthians 9.
      1. The same truths that guided David and this congregation in their offering to the Lord are the same truths Paul spoke of in the New Testament.
         
         2 Corinthians 9:5-10 ⁵ Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. ⁶ But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. ⁹ As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” ¹⁰ Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness
         
3. 1 Chronicles 29:20-30 David dies, and Solomon ascends to the throne.
   
   ²⁰ Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” So all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king. ²¹ And they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. ²² So they ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before the Lord to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest. ²³ Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴ All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, submitted themselves to King Solomon. ²⁵ So the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel. ²⁶ Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. ²⁷ And the period that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. ²⁸ So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place. ²⁹ Now the acts of King David, first and last, indeed they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, ³⁰ with all his reign and his might, and the events that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the lands.
   
   1. David served the Lord for 40 years as king in Israel.
   2. He had many great victories and some very notable failures.
   3. The New Testament makes this commentary on his life.
      
      Acts 13:22 “And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’”
      
      
   4. Praise the Lord for God’s grace and forgiveness.
      1. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we can look forward to the Lord receiving us into His presence and having our sins forgiven.
   5. Although David had failures, he continued to press forward in service, worship, and devotion to the Lord.

III. Conclusion

1. We noted last week that the great building project of God’s people today is the evangelizing and equipping of people as the Lord places each of us into the Body of Christ.
2. A plan was given for the project.
   1. The building.
   2. The service.
   3. The items that would fill the Temple.
3. Solomon was exhorted to know the Lord.
4. Generous, joyful, and thankful giving marked the project.

---

^[1] All Scripture quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

^[2] Warren Baker and Eugene E. Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), 249.

^[3] Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 1 Ch 28:9–10.

^[4] Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), 174–175, 226–228.