Introduction

Gill, in his commentary, gives us a useful summary of this final chapter.

‘This chapter relates how largely and liberally David, besides what he had before done, and his princes, offered towards defraying the expenses of building the temple, 1 Chronicles 29:1, and the joy and thankfulness that he and his people expressed on that account, attended with prayers for Solomon, and offering sacrifices unto the Lord, 1 Chronicles 29:9, and the chapter is closed, and so the book, with an account of the second unction of Solomon, the placing him on the throne, and the submission of all ranks of men unto him, and of the death of David, 1 Chronicles 29:22.’

GIFTS FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE

‘Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colours, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the LORD today?” Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the LORD in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.’ 1 Chronicles 29:1-9

David begins addressing the nation by telling them that Solomon, whom God chose, 1 Chronicles 28:4-6, will do the preparation work for the temple, 1 Chronicles 29:1. The reason is because Solomon is young and inexperienced, 1 Chronicles 29:1 / 1 Chronicles 22:5. No one knows how old Solomon was at this point but Jewish tradition says he was between twelve and fourteen years of age.

David had provided gold, silver, iron, and wood, 1 Chronicles 29:2, as well as onyx stone, Exodus 25:7 / Exodus 35:9 / Job 28:16 / Ezekiel 28:13, and other precious stones. He also provided fine stone, Song of Songs 5:15, and marble, Esther 1:6. In 1 Chronicles 29:3-5, we read about the items David took from war, some personal gifts, and some money from taxes, 1 Chronicles 22:3-5 / 1 Chronicles 22:14.

Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.

‘What David gave and urged others to give to the house of the worship of God was, in the last analysis, unto Jehovah. How much more is it true that what men freely give to the holy Church of Jesus Christ is actually the consecration of the giver unto God in Christ. Honestly mistaken as David certainly was about some things, his sincere love of God was the central passion of his life and, in that light, there can be no wonder that God accepted his loving gift of the temple and continued to use it throughout Israel’s history.’

It appears that David wants to encourage and inspire others to give towards the construction of the temple, by giving greatly from his own wealth, 1 Chronicles 29:5 / Matthew 6:21 / 1 Corinthians 16:2.

It also appears that his generosity inspired others to give of their wealth too, in fact, they gave willingly, 1 Chronicles 29:5-9 / 2 Corinthians 9:7. The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD and David the king also rejoiced greatly, 1 Chronicles 29:9.

DAVID’S PRAYER

‘David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, LORD, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. LORD, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes, and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.” Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the LORD your God.” So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the LORD and the king.’ 1 Chronicles 29:10-20

Because Israel gave so generously, David immediately offered a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to God, 1 Chronicles 29:10. He calls God the father of Israel, 1 Chronicles 29:10 / Matthew 6:9-13, and he acknowledges that all riches and hours come from Him, 1 Chronicles 29:10.

Notice that he says, ‘Yours, LORD is the kingdom, you are exalted as head over all’, 1 Chronicles 29:11. Before Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father after His ascension, Acts 1:9-11, the Father was King and head over all things. But now, Jesus is King of kings and head over all things, Ephesians 1:22 / 1 Timothy 6:15. When Jesus comes again, however, He will return all authority to the Father that God may be all in all, 1 Corinthians 15:26-28.

He acknowledges that God is the provider of everything, 1 Chronicles 29:12, and gives thanks to God and praises His glorious name, 1 Chronicles 29:13. Once again he acknowledges that God that everything comes from God, 1 Chronicles 29:14 / Psalm 50:9-12 / 1 Corinthians 4:7 / James 1:17, and everything they give comes from Him, 1 Chronicles 29:14.

David says that all mankind are just foreigners and strangers in God’s sight, 1 Chronicles 29:15. In other words, God is eternal but mankind is only here on earth for a little while, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9.

He acknowledges that our days on earth are like a shadow, and without hope, 1 Chronicles 29:15 / Job 14:1-2 / Psalm 90:5-6 / Psalm 102:11 / Psalm 103:15-16 / Isaiah 40:6-8 / 1 Peter 1:24-25, but God is great because He gives hope, 1 Chronicles 29:15 / 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

He acknowledges that all the free will offerings came from God, 1 Chronicles 29:16 / 1 Chronicles 29:11. He knows that is God who tests the heart and are pleased with integrity, 1 Chronicles 29:17 / Job 7:18 / Job 23:10 / Psalm 7:9 / Psalm 139:1 / Psalm 139:23.

Abraham, Isaac and Israel, kept these desires and thoughts in the hearts of God’s people forever, and kept their hearts loyal to Him, 1 Chronicles 29:18. If Solomon was to reign well over Israel, he must have a heart which seeks to keep God’s commandments, 1 Chronicles 29:19.

Coffman, in his commentary, says the following, concerning the word ‘palatial’, 1 Chronicles 29:19, ‘palace’ KJV.

‘The palace, 1 Chronicles 29:1 / 1 Chronicles 29:19. Only in these two verses is this term applied to the temple. It is the Hebrew form of a Persian word used generally to designate the residence of the Persian monarch, as in Esther 1:2 / Esther 1:5 / Esther 2:3 / Esther 2:8 / Nehemiah 1:1 and Daniel 8:2.’

Barnes, in his commentary, says the following, concerning worshipping the Lord and the king, 1 Chronicles 29:20.

‘The same outward signs of reverence were accorded by the customs of the Jews (as of the Oriental nations generally) to God and to their monarchs, 1 Kings 1:31. But the application of the terms to both in the same passage, which occurs nowhere in Scripture but here, is thought to indicate a time when a long servitude under despotic lords had orientalised men’s mode of speech.’

SOLOMON ACKNOWLEDGED AS KING

‘The next day they made sacrifices to the LORD and presented burnt offerings to him: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD that day. Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the LORD to be ruler and Zadok to be priest. So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him. All the officers and warriors, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their submission to King Solomon. The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendour such as no king over Israel ever had before.’ 1 Chronicles 29:21-25

After praising God, all the people go on to worship Him, 1 Kings 1:28-53. Three-thousand animals were given as an offering in total, 1 Chronicles 29:21. The offerings were animals given for human consumption and the offering was from individuals who gave the animals, but the meat of the offering was consumed by everyone, 1 Chronicles 29:22. This tells us that their worship involved eating and drinking in joyous fellowship with one another and praise of God, 1 Chronicles 29:21-22.

Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.

‘With their drink offerings i.e., with the drink offerings appropriate to each kind of burnt offering, and required by the Law to accompany them, Numbers 15:5 / Numbers 15:7 /Numbers 15:10, etc. Sacrifices or, ‘thank-offerings’, as the same word is translated in 2 Chronicles 29:31 / 2 Chronicles 33:16. Of ‘peace offerings for thanksgivings’ only a small part was the priest’s, the sacrificer and his friends feasted on the remainder, Leviticus 7:15 / Leviticus 7:29 / Leviticus 7:34.’

Solomon’s first appointment as king was at the time of Adonijah’s rebellion, 1 Kings 1:5-53 / 1 Chronicles 23:1. As that appointment was hurried and, comparatively speaking, private, David now thought it best formally to invest Solomon a second time with the sovereignty, in the face of all of Israel.

For a similar reason, a second and public appointment of Zadok alone to the high priest’s office took place, 1 Chronicles 29:22. Abiathar was not as yet absolutely thrust out, but it may be doubtful whether he was ever allowed to perform high priestly functions after his rebellion, 1 Kings 1:7 / 1 Kings 2:27.

Notice that Solomon sat on the throne of David, 1 Chronicles 29:23 / 1 Samuel 8:7 / 1 Chronicles 28:5. David was the emblem of the authority of God on earth and so, when Solomon sat on the throne of David, he was sitting on the throne of the Lord, 1 Chronicles 29:23.

The Old Testament prophets spoke of a time in the future when One would sit on the throne of David, that is, Jesus, Acts 2:25-28. Jesus was on the throne of David, and so, all the prophecies concerning One sitting on the throne of David were fulfilled.

All the officers and warriors, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their submission to King Solomon, 1 Chronicles 29:24. The pledging involved placing a hand under Solomon, Ezra 10:19 / Lamentations 5:6 / Ezekiel 17:18. God highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendour such as no king over Israel ever had before, 1 Chronicles 29:25 / Luke 11:31.

THE DEATH OF DAVID

‘David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. He ruled over Israel for forty years—seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honour. His son Solomon succeeded him as king. As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer, together with the details of his reign and power, and the circumstances that surrounded him and Israel and the kingdoms of all the other lands.’ 1 Chronicles 29:26-30

David reigned for forty years, 1 Chronicles 29:26, and died at a good old age, 1 Chronicles 29:28 / 1 Kings 2:10-12, then Solomon takes over as king of Israel, 1 Chronicles 29:28. There is no doubt that David wasn’t perfect as a king, he sinned a few times, but he was certainly a great king. The Messiah in years to come would be called the Son of David, Matthew 1:1 / Mark 12:35.

The records of Gad are no longer in exist existence today, obviously because they weren’t inspired by God, 1 Chronicles 29:29-30.

Barnes, in his commentary, says the following, concerning Gad, 1 Chronicles 29:29-30.

‘Gad is not given here the same title as Samuel. Samuel’s title is one, apparently, of higher dignity, applied only to him and to Hanani, 2 Chronicles 16:7 / 2 Chronicles 16:10. Gad’s is a far commoner title, it is applied to his contemporaries Asaph, 2 Chronicles 29:30, Heman, 1 Chronicles 25:5, and Jeduthun, 2 Chronicles 35:15, to Iddo, 2 Chronicles 9:29 / 2 Chronicles 12:15, to Jehu, the son of Hanani, 2 Chronicles 19:2, and the prophet Amos, Amos 7:12. When ‘seers’ are spoken of in the plural, it is the term almost universally used, only one instance, Isaiah 30:10, occurring to the contrary.’

Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.

‘This is an appropriate place indeed to separate 1 Chronicles from 2 Chronicles, since 2 Chronicles, deals with the reign of Solomon, the rebellion of the ten northern tribes, the affairs of the divided kingdom, the rapid corruption of Israel that led to their captivity, and with their history until Cyrus’ decree for the rebuilding of the temple.’