1 Chronicles · chapter 29 of 29
Updated on
1 Chronicles 29 closes the book with the people's freewill offerings for the temple, following David's example, and with his prayer of praise to the Lord, in which he acknowledges that everything comes from God. Solomon is proclaimed king a second time and anointed, all Israel obeys him and the Lord makes him great. The chapter ends with the death of David, after reigning forty years, full of days, riches and honor.
This is the last chapter of 1 Chronicles and it gathers three moments: the people's generosity, David's prayer and the handing over of the throne to Solomon. The book, which began with genealogies, ends with the worship of a united people and with the promise of continuity. It is also one of the clearest lessons in the Bible about giving, because it shows an offering that is born of joy and of the recognition that everything belongs to God.
David tells the whole assembly that his son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and that the work is great, for the palace is not for man but for the Lord God. He recounts that he has provided gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stones, and that, out of his delight in the house of his God, he gives from his own property three thousand talents of gold of Ophir and seven thousand talents of refined silver. He asks who is willing today to consecrate himself with an offering to the Lord.
The heads of fathers' houses, the leaders of the tribes, the commanders and the officers give willingly gold, silver, bronze, iron and precious stones, which are put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. The people rejoice because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they offered to the Lord, and King David also rejoices greatly.
Then David blesses the Lord before all the assembly. He acknowledges that greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty are the Lord's, for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is his. He asks who he is that he should be able to offer so willingly, for everything comes from God and what is given is his own, and he calls himself and the people strangers and sojourners. He declares that the Lord tests the heart and prays that God give Solomon a whole heart to keep his commandments and to build the palace.
All bless the Lord and bow down. The next day they offer a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand lambs, with drink offerings, and they eat and drink with gladness. They make Solomon king a second time, anoint him as prince for the Lord and Zadok as priest. Solomon sits on the throne, all the leaders and the sons of David pledge allegiance to him, and the Lord makes him great. David the son of Jesse reigned forty years, seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem, and died in a good old age, full of days, riches and honor.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered to the Lord, and David also rejoiced greatly. The generosity God seeks is not a burden but a joy that comes from a whole heart.
David acknowledges that greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty belong to the Lord, and that everything in heaven and on earth is his. Within the book it is a central praise: God is the owner of all and the only one who reigns over all.
David asks who he is and who his people are, to offer so willingly, because everything comes from God and what is offered is his own. This confession changes how we understand giving: we do not give from what is ours but return what we have received.
David knows that God tests the heart and delights in uprightness, and that he offered everything with integrity. An offering is worth not by its size but by the attitude of heart with which it is given, and that is why David rejoices to see the people give with joy.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Three thousand talents of gold of Ophir and seven thousand talents of refined silver. — 1 Chronicles 29:3-4
Answer: Willingly, with a whole heart, and they rejoiced at having given. — 1 Chronicles 29:6-9
Answer: That everything belongs to the Lord. — 1 Chronicles 29:11
Answer: As strangers and sojourners, with days on earth like a shadow. — 1 Chronicles 29:15
Answer: A thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings. — 1 Chronicles 29:21
Answer: Forty years: seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. — 1 Chronicles 29:27
David's prayer is one of the deepest on giving. If everything comes from God, there is no reason to boast or to hoard in fear. In a small group, talk about generosity: time, money, talents and hospitality. God does not need our things, but he invites us to take part joyfully in his work.
It also reminds us that we are sojourners with days like a shadow. That awareness does not depress but gives perspective: what we do for God outlasts our lives. David did not see the temple, but he left it prepared. Ask the group what work they are building that others will be able to enjoy, and how they can do it with a whole heart.
1 Chronicles 29 closes the book with the death of David and Solomon on the throne. The story continues in 2 Chronicles, which tells of Solomon's reign and the building of the temple, and then follows the history of the kings of Judah to the exile and the decree of Cyrus that allows the return.
The text says they made him king a second time, which many understand as a public confirmation before the whole assembly, after the hurried first anointing told in 1 Kings 1, when Adonijah tried to seize the throne. This second ceremony gave Solomon the backing of all Israel and the priests.
It teaches that God values willing and joyful generosity, not what is given under obligation. David gave first from his own, and the people followed his example. Moreover, the prayer makes clear that giving is returning what comes from God, and that conviction guards against pride.
1 and 2 Chronicles were originally a single book. The end of 1 Chronicles, with David's death and Solomon's throne, leads into 2 Chronicles, which begins with Solomon's wisdom and the building of the temple David left prepared.