Like, really good.
The highlights and underlines are my own notes, and favorite parts of the passage.
I am not sure why, but when I read this passage last week, I knew I had to share it with others.
1 Chronicles kinda gets a bad wrap. Actually both Chronicles kinda do. But if you can make it through the crazy detailed descriptions of the generations and genealogies and tribes and such, you will end the book with this passage. Totally worth trudging through. But for now, I'm just pasting the last chapter.
David is providing for the temple that his son Solomon will build.
Can you just read how excited he is to give to the Lord out of the joy of his heart?
And then the people. They are so excited too. They rejoiced, because they gave out of their whole heart.
It's all God's anyway.
But he allowed David and His people to give from their own hearts - and they blessed God for that.
Everything we have is our Great God's.
Every dollar, every gem, every possession, even every ability that we have.
Do I give out of the freewill of my heart?
If I do, do I do it joyfully?
Probably not enough.
Just read it. It's impossible to miss the excitement and joy in the giving.
I hope it is as contagious to me and you as it was for David and the people.
29 And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is pyoung and inexperienced, and the work is great, for qthe palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. 2 So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of ronyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble.3 Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: 4 s3,000 talents1 of gold, of the gold of tOphir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,25 and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself3 today to the Lord?”
6 Then uthe leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and vthe officers over the king's work. 7 They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 wdarics4 of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron. 8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of xJehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a ywhole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
David Prays in the Assembly (Listen)
10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: z“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 aYours, 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 aboveall. 12 bBoth riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. cIn your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 dFor we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth areelike a shadow, and there is no abiding.5 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, fthat you test the heart and ghave pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19 hGrant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may ibuild the palace jfor which I have made provision.”
20 Then David said to all the assembly, k“Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, land bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king. 21 And they offered sacrifices to the Lord, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with their mdrink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 And they ate and drank before theLord on that day with great gladness.
Solomon Anointed King
And they made Solomon the son of David king nthe second time, and they oanointed him as prince for the Lord, and pZadok as priest.
23 qThen Solomon sat on the rthrone of the Lord as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. 25 And theLord made Solomon very sgreat in the sight of all Israel andtbestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
The Death of David
26 Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 Theutime that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 Then he died vat a good age, wfull of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29 Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles xof Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of yNathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of zGad the seer, 30 with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances athat came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries.
Linking up with Jami, who happened to blog her We Encourage Tuesday on a similar topic:
