1 Chronicles · chapter 28 of 29
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1 Chronicles 28 presents David's speech before all the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem. He explains that God did not allow him to build the temple, that he chose Solomon as king and builder, and urges the people and his son to keep the commandments and serve the Lord with a whole heart. David hands Solomon the plans of the temple, which he received by the Spirit, and encourages him to be strong and not to fear, because God will be with him.
This chapter is David's farewell speech and the formal handing over of the task of the temple. The old king gathers all the leaders of the kingdom to present Solomon and share what God gave him. The tone mixes humility and solemnity: David acknowledges that it will not be he who builds and that success depends on faithfulness to God. It is a chapter about how a work is passed on to the next generation.
David gathers in Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel: the officers of the tribes, of the divisions, the captains, the stewards and the mighty men. He stands up and speaks to them as his brothers and his people. He tells them that he had it in his heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, but God said no, because he was a man of war and had shed blood.
He then reviews God's choosing: the Lord chose him, from all his father's house, to be king over Israel forever, chose Judah as leader and, from among all his sons, chose Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. God told him that Solomon would build his house and his courts, and that he would establish him as his son if he continued steadfast in keeping his commandments. David urges the leaders and his son to keep all the commandments of the Lord, so that they may possess the good land and leave it to their children as an inheritance.
He then addresses Solomon: he must know the God of his father and serve him with a whole heart and willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts. If he seeks him, he will find him, but if he forsakes him, he will be cast off forever. David gives him the plan of the vestibule, the buildings, the chambers, the place of the mercy seat and the courts, with the weights of gold and silver for the vessels, and the model of the chariot of the cherubim. He tells him all this he received in writing from the hand of the Lord. He ends by encouraging Solomon to be strong, to act and not to fear, because the Lord God, his God, will be with him and will not leave him until all the work for the temple is finished.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
David stands and acknowledges that he had it in his heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant, and that he had made preparations. The king states his desire without complaint, and bears witness that, though he was not permitted to build, he prepared everything diligently.
David tells Solomon to know the God of his father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind, because the Lord searches all hearts. If he seeks him, he will find him; if he forsakes him, he will be cast off forever. This is the center of the speech: the success of the temple depends on faithfulness.
David hands over the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the house of the Lord. The design of the temple was not a human idea but a charge received from God, and Solomon was to follow it carefully.
David encourages Solomon to be strong and courageous, not to fear or be dismayed, because the Lord God, his God, will be with him and will not leave him until the work is finished. The promise of God's presence is the foundation of courage for a great task.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: To build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord. — 1 Chronicles 28:2
Answer: Because he was a man of war and had shed blood. — 1 Chronicles 28:3
Answer: Solomon. — 1 Chronicles 28:5-6
Answer: That if he sought him he would find him, but if he forsook him, God would cast him off forever. — 1 Chronicles 28:9
Answer: From what the Spirit had put in his mind, and in writing from the hand of the Lord. — 1 Chronicles 28:12, 19
Answer: That the Lord God would be with him and would not leave him until the work was finished. — 1 Chronicles 28:20
We all receive a work that others began and must hand ours on to those who come after. David did both with humility. He acknowledged that it was not for him to finish, prepared the way and encouraged his son. In a small group, talk about what you are receiving from the previous generation and what you are preparing for the next, and how to encourage young people to serve.
David's exhortation to serve with a whole heart and willing mind also asks about our motivation. The Lord sees the heart. We can do much for God, but what he seeks is service offered sincerely. It is good to ask God to help us serve out of love and not out of obligation or for recognition.
1 Chronicles 28 leaves Solomon with the charge, the plans and his father's encouragement. The final chapter of the book shows how David and the people respond with generous offerings, how David blesses the Lord in a prayer and how Solomon is made king a second time before David's death.
The text says David gave Solomon the design of what the Spirit had put in his mind, and that all of it was given in writing from the hand of the Lord. It is a way of saying that the design of the temple came from God, not just from human imagination, as it did earlier with the tabernacle of Moses.
David reviews God's progressive choosing: first Judah as the tribe of leadership, then his house, then himself and finally Solomon. He wants to show that his royal line is not the work of human ambition but of the Lord's decision, and that the people should accept it.
The text says God will establish his kingdom forever if Solomon continues steadfast in keeping his commandments. That is, God's promise is sure, but each king had to respond with obedience. In later history, the kings who turned from God suffered the consequences, while the promise remained.