Bible Commentaries
1 Chronicles 29

Verse 2

Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.

My might — Work for God must be done with all our might, or we shall bring nothing to pass in it.

Verse 4

Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:

Of Ophir — The best and purest gold.

The walls — The walls of the temple with God, and of the rooms adjoining to it, with silver beaten out into plates.

Verse 5

The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?

To consecrate — To offer an offering, as I have done. Heb. To fill his hand unto the Lord. They that engage themselves in the service of God, will have their hands full: there is work enough for the whole man in that service.

Verse 9

Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

Rejoiced — Because this was both an effect of God’s grace in them, an eminent token of God’s favour to them, and a pledge that this long-desired work, would receive a certain and speedy accomplishment.

Great joy — To see the work, which his heart was so much set upon, likely to go on. It is a great reviving to good men when they are leaving the world, to see those they leave behind zealous for the work of God.

Verse 10

Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

Blessed, … — David was now full of days, and near his end, and it well becomes the aged children of God, to have their hearts much enlarged in praise and thanksgiving. The nearer we come to the land of everlasting praise, the more we should speak the language, and do the work of that world.

Verse 14

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

To offer — That thou shouldest give us both riches to make such an offering, and a willing heart to offer them, both which are the gifts and the fruits of thy good grace and mercy to us.

Of thine — We return only what we have received, and therefore only pay a debt to thee. The more we do for God, the more we are indebted to him; for the honour of being employed in his service, and for grace enabling us in any measure to serve him.

Verse 15

For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

Strangers — For the land which we possess is thine, not ours; we are not the proprietors but only thy tenants: and as our fathers once were mere strangers in it, even before men, so we at this day are no better before thee, having no absolute right in it, but only to travel through it, and sojourn in it for the short time that we live in the world.

None abiding — We only give thee what we must shortly leave, and what we cannot keep to ourselves: and therefore it is a great favour that thou wilt accept such offerings. David’s days had as much of substance in them as most men: for he was upon the whole a good man, an useful man, and now an old man. And yet he puts himself in the front of those who must acknowledge, that their days on the earth are as a shadow: which speaks of our life as a vain life, a dark life, a transient life, and a life that will have its period, either in perfect light or perfect darkness.

Verse 16

O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.

All thine own — In like manner we ought to acknowledge God in all spiritual things: referring every good thought, good desire, and good work to his grace.

Verse 18

O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:

Of Abraham, … — A God in covenant with them, and with us for their sakes.

Keep forever — Since it is from thy grace that thy people have such willing minds, continue that grace to them, that they may persist in the same generous disposition towards thee and thy worship.

Prepare — Or, rather, confirm, thou who hast begun a good work, confirm and carry it on by thy grace.

Verse 20

And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD, and the king.

Worshipped — The Lord with religious, and the king with civil worship.

Verse 22

And did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the LORD to be the chief governor, and Zadok to be priest.

The second time — The first time, was when he was made king during Adonijah’s conspiracy.

And Zadok — It must be remembered that the high-priest had his viceregent who might officiate in his stead. So that this action of theirs, the anointing Zadok, did not, actually constitute him high-priest, but only settled the reversion of it upon him and his line after Abiathar’s death; even as David’s making Solomon king, and their anointing Solomon to be the chief governor here, did not put him into actual possession of the kingdom, but only gave him a right to it after the present king’s death: hence, notwithstanding this anointing, Abiathar continued to exercise his office ’till Solomon thrust him out, 1 Kings 2:27.

Verse 24

And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.

Of the Lord — On the throne of Israel, which is called the throne of the Lord, because the Lord himself was in a peculiar manner the king and governor of Israel. He had the founding, he had the filling of their throne, by immediate direction.

Verse 26

Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

Thus, … — This sacred writer having mentioned the anointing of Solomon and upon that occasion proceeded to give a farther account of Solomon’s actual settlement in his kingdom, returns to his main business, to give an account of the close of David’s reign and life. He here brings him to the end of his day, leaves him asleep, and draws the curtains about him.

Verse 28

And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.

Riches and honour — That is, he had enough of this world, and of the riches of and honour of it; and he knew when he had enough. He was satisfied with it, and very willing to go to a better place.

Verse 29

Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,

The book — In the chronicles of the kingdom, which were written by Nathan and Gad, who were not only prophets, but historiographers out of which either they or some other prophets took by the direction of God’s spirit such passages, as were most important and useful for the church in succeeding ages.

Verse 30

With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.

The times — The changes which befel him; both his troubles, and his successes, the word time or times being often put for things done or happening in them.

The countries — Bordering upon the land of Canaan.