1 Chronicles 29:10-20  Click here for Bible Verses

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Chronicles 29:10-20.  Let’s go!

1 Chronicles 29:10 (NIV) 
10  David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

On verse 10-13:  Having given the most personal and precious offering he has ever given, and having seen how his officials and the people respond in kind by giving willingly and generously toward the building of the temple as well, David praises God.  Notice a few things about how David praises God:

  • David is the king of Israel, the most powerful man in his country, and yet David says to God, “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor…Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.” (v11)
  • David is the richest man in his nation, who has come from the humble beginnings of working as a poor shepherd boy to ruling as the king of Israel.  Yet instead of attributing his wealth and power to his own hard work, David says to God, “Wealth and honor come from you” (v12).

What can we learn from this?  No matter how powerful you get, always remember that God is the truly powerful one and all power comes from Him.  No matter how wealthy you get, never forget that all wealth comes from God and that it is the Lord we are to thank for the blessings in our lives.

1 Chronicles 29:14-16 (NIV) 
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 aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
16  O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.

On verses 14-16:  David considers it an honour and a privilege to give toward the building of the temple.  David also realizes that everything he and his people have offered to God is only what “comes from your hand” (v14, 16).  In other words, there is no offering you can give to God which God did not originally give to you.  When you give to God, you’re simply giving back to God a small portion of what He has given you.  Tithing is kind of like a father who gives his child 10 coins and asks his child to give him back one.  In our childishness we are tempted to think, “But if I give you one, I’ll only have 9 left!”   Instead whenever we are challenged to tithe or to give, may we have this attitude, “Well, all I have is from God anyway and He is able to give me far more than anything I could ever give Him, so why not give Him everything He asks for and more.  My hope is not in wealth.  My hope is in my Heavenly Father who owns all wealth.”  Since our Heavenly Father loves us too much not to take care of us, let’s give to Him give freely, willingly, generously and wholeheartedly, knowing that all wealth is from Him and for Him anyway.

1 Chronicles 29:17-19 (NIV) 
17  I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. “

On verses 17-19:   When I read these words from David, my mind flashes back to some key moments from David’s life:

  • That time when God rejects Saul and says that He was now on the lookout for a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).
  • That time when the prophet Samuel was about to pass David by when looking for Israel’s next king, but then God says to Samuel, “Man looks at the appearance of things.  God looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
  • That time later in life when David wrongly counts the fighting men because his heart was in the wrong place (1 Chronicles 21).

Now here in these verses, we find David speaking so much about the condition of his heart and the condition of his people’s hearts.  It’s because David, after all these years, realizes how important the heart is to God.  So he says to God, “I know that You test the heart and love integrity.” (v17)   Then after seeing how his people have generously offered toward the temple, David prays to God that God would “keep this desire in the hearts of your people and keep their hearts loyal to you” (v18).  And then David prays that his son Solomon would keep God’s commands with “wholehearted devotion” (v19).

What’s going on here?  David has learned – and I hope you and I would learn too – that when it comes to loving God and leading people, the condition of your heart is the most important thing.  May you be a man or a woman after God’s own heart.  That doesn’t mean you never make mistakes.  Rather to be a man or a woman after God’s own heart is to truly want to honour God from your heart, and whenever you mess up, to never stop running back to God for mercy.

1 Chronicles 29:20 (NIV) 
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 low and fell prostrate before the LORD and the king.

On verse 20:  David and the whole assembly have just offered their wealth in worship to God.  Now they’re offering their bodies to God in worship, bowing low and falling prostrate before Him.  What can we learn from this? True worship begins with the heart, but then it quickly overflows into the way we use our wallets and our bodies.  We worship God with our wallets.  We also worship God with our bodies.  Like David and his people, may we unashamedly bow before God and offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1-2).

Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me today how much You focus on the heart and not just appearances.  May I be a person after Your own heart and may that be reflected in how I generously give to Your church (since everything I have comes from You anyway).  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!