Articles
“I Have Prepared With All My Might” (1 Chronicles 29:1-9)
It was an ambitious dream of David’s to move the “ark of the covenant” from the tabernacle into a permanent temple (1 Chronicles 17:1). However, God wanted Solomon, not David, to build the temple (17:2-14). So, as the aged David plans to hand over the succession of the throne to his son, we read these words about the fulfillment of this planned project in 1 Chronicles 29:1-9:
“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 the 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 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” (NKJV).
This text is full of key lessons about our giving. First of all, David created a budget for the costs involved in the temple and had “prepared with all my might” to meet the expected needs (1 Chronicles 29:1-2). Great work takes great preparation. Secondly, David gave God the very best he had to offer even taking from his “own special treasure of gold and silver” (29:3-4). Thirdly, David’s generous attitude toward this project became contagious among other “leaders” in Israel (29:5-8). Finally, the generous attitudes of all involved led to the “rejoicing” of both David and the people (29:9). How wonderful it is when a vision for good work is met with the proper amount of loyalty and sacrifice to see it accomplished. So many dreams die because they are not funded. So many funds lie dormant because there is no vision or plan. Yet, good works coupled with generosity can thrive and, when this happens, the feeling of success and accomplishment is inspiring!
