Read 1 Chronicles 29
Gifts for Building the Temple
29 Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. 2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities.3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?”
6 Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officialsin charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 7 They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. 8 Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
David’s Prayer
10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, Lord,
the God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.
14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16 Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18 Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, statutes and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”
20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord your God.” So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves before the Lord and the king.
Solomon Acknowledged as King
21 The next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and presented burnt offerings to him: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the Lord that day.
Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok to be priest. 23 So Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officers and warriors, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their submission to King Solomon.
25 The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before.
The Death of David
26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. 27 He ruled over Israel forty years—seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.
29 As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer, 30 together with the details of his reign and power, and the circumstances that surrounded him and Israel and the kingdoms of all the other lands.
Go Deeper
We have reached the end of 1 Chronicles! We have read genealogies to David, David’s anointing as king of Israel, and David’s reign in Israel. The Lord established a covenant with David promising him a house, or a dynasty from which the future Messiah would come, an eternal kingdom, and a throne that would have ultimate authority. David is Israel’s most celebrated king and there is a strong sense of unity around him. This book recaps some of David’s triumphs and greatest moments throughout his life.
Now, we are at the end of David’s reign. David is passing the torch down to his son Solomon, who would rule over Israel. David wanted to build a temple for the Lord so that the Ark of the Covenant could have a permanent home, but this is not what God had in mind. His ways are not our ways. The Lord tells David that he will have a son that would build a house in His name. He then commissions Solomon to build the temple, just as the Lord instructed, and tells him simply to “be strong, and do it.” David reminds Solomon that the Lord is with him, even though he is young and inexperienced. The Lord won’t leave him or abandon him in this process. David gave Solomon the blueprints for the temple with very specific details regarding how it was supposed to be made.
The work of building the temple was great, and there was a great need for resources to complete it as well. This chapter goes over the contributions the people of Israel gave for building the temple. It tells us that people gave willingly for the service of God’s house. Their eagerness in giving reflects 2 Corinthians 9:7, which tells us to “give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” They had given to the Lord wholeheartedly and rejoiced greatly over it. David commissioned the Israelites to consecrate themselves to the Lord, and to wholly dedicate themselves to Him.
David then blessed the Lord in a prayer in front of the entire assembly. He said, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all (v. 10-11). David gave all the praise and glory to the Lord. He saw the greatness, power, and majesty of God. He recognized that everything we have is from Him, and we are to steward the resources that He has entrusted to us to build His Kingdom (James 1:17).
David’s dying instructions and some of his last words to Solomon are similar to those of Moses, Joshua, and Samuel. He calls Solomon to serve the Lord, fear Him, be obedient to His Word, and remain faithful to Him. He prayed Solomon would have an undivided heart to keep the Lord’s commands. We will read more about the reign of Solomon and the kings of Judah in 2 Chronicles. The chapter ends with a summary of David’s life and his reign in Israel. He is an image of future hope for Israel. Although David is a great king, he is not the king. One day there would be a messianic king that would rebuild the temple and invite all nations into the Kingdom of God (Isaiah 11). This is a reminder that the story is not over for Israel!
Questions
- What is your heart towards giving? Do you give with eagerness and cheerfulness, or reluctantly?
- What are some characteristics of God that David mentions in his prayer?
- What lessons have you learned from the life of David throughout this book? How will you apply these lessons to your life?
Keep Digging
After reading the entirety of 1 Chronicles, we know King David plays a pivotal role in the Old Testament. To dive deeper into the importance of David (with references to 1 & 2 Samuel, as well) check out this helpful blog post from The Bible Project: “David: What’s the Big Deal?”
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9 responses to “1 Chronicles 29”
The title of this chapter in my copy of scripture is “Gifts for Building the Temple”. David had a passion to commission Solomon to carry out this sacred task and goes to great lengths to see him succeed. His devotion to the temple even stirs his heart to surrender his personal treasures of gold and silver to the project(v3). David invited and engaged all the people in consecration and praise to the Lord. As I read of these events today, my heart was stirred for our Save a Seat campaign to build a new “disciple making” sanctuary. “The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord”(v1). Clearly the Lord is at work in our midst, may we joyfully engage and join in his kingdom work.
Wow! I simply wish to draw attention to that link provided by our amazing HC Bible Reading Plan folks. This article is AMAZING! Click on the link above under “KEEP DIGGING”
Yes!
Agreed!
We see David setting up Solomon’s reign of kingship with granduer. What a legacy David has completed. He loves God, he chases Him, leans into to Him, listened to Him, and it seems like he tried to teach his family about God. Freedom of choice, free will is what God has given all of us, including Solomon. For quite some time Solomon followed God, but then his flesh won. I feel his sorrow. My flesh wins way to often. BUT GOD being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us makes the way out through love and obedience.
In David’s prayer he says vs14b For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. Every thing we are, do, have, are is from God. Vs 18b keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. Vs 19 Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”
I did not set up my children with as much sucess as I would have liked BUT GOD loves them way more than I ever could. He is doing a work for certain in their lives. I am thankfull that I am getting to see part of it. Our son is still in the middle of being loved back to what he once knew. BUT GOD has promises that I stand on, even if I do not get to see the results. I believe like David that vs 1 “ Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. That God has my son in His heart, and someones words will reach his ears that helps him hear in his heart, the heart beat of JESUS.
God thank You for Your Son, His willingness to die for me. God thank You for loving me and allowing me to have chances. God help me be like David and see what greatness You have for my children. For all things come from You and I freely give them back. Direct my sons heart back to You. Grant him a whole heart so that he will keep Your commandments, Your testimonies and Your statutes, performing all so that he will be able to give You glory and honor. God thank You for the moments I have today in these minutes of this day. God may my words be glorifing and honoring to You. Blessed be You God, You are great and all power, glory and victory are Yours. Everything I have on earth is Yours including the minutes of this day and children and grands. God thank You for speaking life with the fruit of the spirit sprinkled in. God praise be to You in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.“
It seems to me that the “wealth “ to which King David is referring goes much beyond financial wealth. Oh to have true wealth AND honor as well! Such a blessing!
Here is a song to help in the memorization of verses 11 and 12!
1 Chronicles 2:11-12
https://open.spotify.com/track/5grXtQ2BP96s7uGiEoIoSs?si=EUwMBkZhQ-6oabowEPBA7Q
As longtime members of Harris Creek (26 years this month!), Brent and I have witnessed a lot of church growth — from a small country church tucked away on remote farmland, to a large, imposing structure easily visible from the highway.
In that time, along with many other HCBC members, our family has had the privilege of joining capital campaigns to help pay for new property and bigger buildings (ie, what became Harris Creek’s current campus.)
I’ll never forget watching our sanctuary undergo construction. It seemed SO BIG! “How will we fill it?” I wondered. “We’re going to feel like ‘marbles in a coffee can!’”
Fast forward a few years…
Anyone attending our church these days knows that same space is now PACKED on a weekly basis. Worshippers must be redirected regularly to the “old” sanctuary, and when that fills up, they make do with folding chairs in the lobby.
Once again, our church is facing the need for more space.
During Sunday’s message, JP made this appeal to the congregation:
“Ask God what He would have you do — and then do what God asks.”
With that directive echoing in my thoughts, I turned to today’s reading in 1 Chronicles 29.
The timing could not have been more fitting. This chapter describes what might well be called the “original capital campaign” — the gathering of resources and joyful giving that made possible the building of the temple.
Through David’s leadership and the people’s willing response, we see what makes giving both sacred and celebratory. This passage lays out distinct elements that serve as timeless lessons for any community called to build for God’s glory:
• An Inventory of Personal Giving (vv. 2-5)
David begins by listing not only what he has gathered as king (the national treasury’s resources) but also what he is giving from his own private storehouses. This models leadership by example — sacrificial giving that begins with the leader’s own heart, not a public appeal.
• Giving as Inspiration to Others (v. 5)
David’s giving isn’t a quiet, private act. He publicly dedicates his gifts and then asks, “Now, who will follow my example?” This is leadership through testimony — openhearted generosity that stirs others to participate. Giving as corporate worship can be beautifully contagious.
• Inventory of Corporate Giving (vv. 6-8)
The passage moves from David’s offering to a detailed record of the nation’s collective gifts. The Chronicler lists tons of treasure as a show of transparency and shared participation. A diverse community gives together in unified purpose. In modern “building” endeavors, this shift from “my gift” to “our gift” portrays the body of Christ coming together in common cause.
• A Celebration of Giving (v. 9)
Once the people give, they celebrate: “The people rejoiced… and King David was filled with joy.” Giving produces joy because it connects people tangibly to God’s work. Generosity is not a duty — but a sacred opportunity for celebration and thanksgiving.
• Giving as Praise and Worship (vv. 10–13)
David offers a magnificent prayer that turns giving into a liturgy of praise: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory….” (Did you know? This passage is actually the biblical root of the Doxology still sung in many churches today!)
The act of giving becomes an expression of awe: we give to God because all glory belongs to Him. Financial giving, when rightly understood, is its own act of worship.
• Acknowledgment of the Giver: All We Contribute Comes from God (v. 14)
David’s humility is striking: “Who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you.”
Such generous giving is not sacrifice, but stewardship. God is both the source and the destination of every offering. This means our contributions are not OUR wealth funding HIS work — it’s HIS wealth entrusted to us — for HIS purposes.
• Integrity and Motives in Giving (v. 17)
David says, “I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there.” God looks not at the size of the gift, but the sincerity behind it.
• Generational Vision and Prayer for Continuity (vv. 18–19)
David prays that God will “keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever.” A true campaign isn’t about one building—it’s about forming a legacy of faithfulness for the next generation.
Ask God what He would have you do — and then do what God asks.
Wow! Great history and connection to the reading!
Thank you, Erik!