King David has spent the last few chapters of 1 Chronicles putting things in order so that Solomon has everything he needs to build the temple for the Lord. We see this wrapped up in chapters 26 and 27 today. David presents Solomon to the leaders and people of Israel as heir to the throne and charges Solomon to know and serve God with his whole heart and a willing mind (28:9); to seek Him and to do what the Lord has chosen him to do (28:10); and to be strong and courageous (28:20).
In the opening verses of Chapter 29, we read of David’s gold and silver offerings to the temple, and his invitation to the leaders of Israel to do the same. We then see how the “people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD” (29:9).
We then read this blessing from David:
Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
Psalm 29:10-13
David had just finished putting into place all the things that Solomon would need to build this mighty temple for the Lord. He had conquered the enemies of Israel so that his son could rule in peace. He had given the treasure of gold and silver for the things of the temple and had inspired others to do the same. Yet in the verses above, we see that David knew that he wasn’t the one who had done it – and these things had not come from him – but from the Lord himself. He recognizes the Lord as all-powerful, the Creator of all things, and the giver of all things. And he praises the LORD for who He is. We then see in the following verses the acknowledgment that “all things come from you, and your own have we given you” (29:14).
The Lord had blessed David and all of Israel abundantly and everything they gave for the building of the temple was an offering back to Him. An acknowledgment that they were simply stewards of the blessings given to them by God.
What a great reminder. Everything we have – riches, possessions, family, talents, gifts, abilities, skills, and health – is given to us by the grace of God. If we go back to the foundational truth that our main purpose in life is the glorify God and enjoy him forever, then it is obvious that the way we glorify him is to use all things that he has given for his glory and remind ourselves that we are simply stewards. It should cause us to desire to steward well everything that we have. Raising our children in the knowledge of the Lord; using our wealth to further the kingdom; applying our God-given talents, gifts, abilities, and skills to serve others in His name, and taking care of our bodies in such a way, not for vanity, but for being strengthened to carry on what He has called us to do. Everything is to be God-centered, directed toward him as an offering.
We have nothing outside the grace of God. All things belong to Him. We glorify Him by being good stewards of those blessings and holding all things with an open hand, willingly and joyfully offering them to Him to use as He desires. He is good. He is faithful. He is perfect and just. And He is worthy.
Sola Deo Gloria!
Leave a Reply