Read 1 Chronicles 22
22 Then David said, “The house of the Lord God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
Preparations for the Temple
2 So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. 3 He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. 4 He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.
5 David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.
6 Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God. 8 But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name.He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. 12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
14 “I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them. 15 You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as those skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”
17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon.18 He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people.19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”
Go Deeper
We read yesterday about David building an altar and offering sacrifices on the threshing floor of Aruanah the Jebusite. Then today we see his declaration that “The house of the Lord God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” This was an honorable idea! He wanted a place set aside for his God and to help in any way he could to accomplish it. However, as we read, we realize this is not what the Lord has in mind. The Lord told him that his son, Solomon, would be the one who builds His temple.
Imagine being faithful to the Lord your God. You have gone through life described as a man after God’s own heart…out of the outpouring of God’s love for you, you want to honor Him by creating a space set apart…and God says “not you.” That could feel like rejection. That could cause confusion. But God was clear with His reason (and David still served his God faithfully)! Even though it seemed like God was telling him no, he did not pout or become passive because he did not get the glory of building God’s temple. Instead, he did all he could to set Solomon up well.
Now, why did God tell David no? The passage says it is because David was a mighty warrior who fought intense battles for God. He was a man of war. In this next season, God wanted to show his people a man of rest. God loves Easter eggs hinting towards His son in the Old Testament. While Solomon and this temple he is building will usher in rest, he was also preparing the way for another son of rest from the line of David. Spoilers: it’s Jesus! Solomon is an imperfect man and his temple will crumble and fall just like all other things on earth, but the everlasting temple found in Jesus Christ will bring rest now and into eternity!
Questions
- What stuck out to you the most the first time you read through this chapter? Why?
- When was a time that God has told you no before?
- Why do you think he told you no? How did you react?
Did You Know?
We can see both are attributes of Solomon and David in the Bible’s descriptions of God?
- Exodus 15:3: “The Lord is a Warrior”
- Romans 16:20 “The God of peace”
These are just a couple of examples! It just shows that we are made in His image and we get to use the gifts and attributes he has given us to glorify Him here on earth. Whether that is being a mighty warrior, doing behind the scenes work so someone else can flourish (or build a temple), being a peaceful presence, and so much more.
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4 thoughts on “1 Chronicles 22”
For me verse 5 stuck out. As David prepares to conclude his earthly pilgrimage, his attention is directed towards leaving a spiritual legacy. How can he ensure that God will receive honor worthy of His greatness? How can he ensure that God’s glory is proclaimed far and wide? May God’s glory be my focus today and every day.
What stuck out to me as I read this chapter were the closing verses 17-19. David has accepted God’s “no” with grace and dignity as he orders all the leaders of Israel to assist Solomon in the project. There’s not even a hint of jealousy as David graciously accepts what will be and gathers the materials for Solomon’s success. He instructs Solomon to “seek the Lord your God with all your heart.” Perhaps his mistakes still weighed heavily on him, and he wanted better for his son. As we parent and grandparent our children, we, too, are leaving a legacy for them. Psalm 78:5-7 says, “He commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know these truths, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.”
What stuck out to me was the prayer or prophecy that David spoke over Solomon but particularly vs 12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. David wants Solomon to keep the law of the Lord, observe the decrees and laws for great success. David already knows how rocky of a road it is when you disobey. I read somewhere else we need to think in terms of David representing Jesus and Solomon representing us. Through Christ the victory is won, we have to have the discretion and understanding to observe commandments Jesus gave us. It is not about us but about God. Worshipping, fearing the Lord, doing right things when no one is looking or knowing, loving the unlovable, doing your/mine/our part in the bigger picture for Christ sake.
God thank You for wisdom and a mentality that this world does not revolve around me. Thank You for helping, guiding, and loving me into seeing the bigger picture of the lost. God I am so thankful for details from Your word that helps direct my path. Continue to open the eyes of my understanding with Your love goggles to see others as You see them in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!
I love how the “go deeper” always helps to point out the correlation between the old and new. I’ve never thought of it this way, but David was a man of war and Solomon a man of peace. John the Baptist preached hell fire and brimstone, Jesus peace. Each happily paved the way for the next. No jealousy because they knew Gods plan was better than theirs. So cool. .