First Chronicles 28:9

The Bible says in First Chronicles 28:9, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.” You cannot get any better advice than this from anyone, let alone a father to the son. First David said, “know thou the God of thy father.” The key word in this phrase is “know.” Everyone can know God personally. True Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus. That is why it is a valid question to ask: do you know Jesus? Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Once you come to know Jesus, then you must serve Him. We belong to Jesus because He paid His precious blood for us. The only right thing to do is to serve the Lord. We were born to serve the Lord. He died for us so that we would serve Him. Hopefully, you view yourself as a servant of God. Your life is not your own. What does the Lord want, not what do you want: that should be all that counts.

Notice that David said to “serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind.” We serve the Lord with our hearts and our minds. It is what goes on inside of us that counts. And we are told to serve Him with a “perfect” heart. Christianity is a great challenge. We are told to serve Him with a perfect heart. That is the same standard that Jesus gave. Jesus said n Mark 12:30, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” How well are you doing at obeying this commandment? It is one of the reasons that every Christian should be confessing their sins every day.

David also said in verse nine, “the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts.” This truth is very important to remember. It is not only what we do, but why we do it. God is looking for those who love Him and who seek Him. God will guide, and help, and use for His glory those who have the right thoughts in their heart. “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.”

The Bible says in First Chronicles 28:10-18, “Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.[11] Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,[12] And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:[13] Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD.[14] He gave of gold by weight for things of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service; silver also for all instruments of silver by weight, for all instruments of every kind of service:[15] Even the weight for the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps of gold, by weight for every candlestick, and for the lamps thereof: and for the candlesticks of silver by weight, both for the candlestick, and also for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick.[16] And by weight he gave gold for the tables of shewbread, for every table; and likewise silver for the tables of silver:[17] Also pure gold for the fleshhooks, and the bowls, and the cups: and for the golden basons he gave gold by weight for every bason; and likewise silver by weight for every bason of silver:[18] And for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.” Verse ten is a great verse. It tells how to accomplish something for God. First you must know what God wants you to do. That comes by following the Jesus, praying to Him, and being surrendered to Him. If He wants you to do something different for Him, He will let you know. Once you know what the Lord wants you to do, notice that it says at the start of verse ten, “Take heed now.” Be careful. Make sure that you give the right attention to what you are called to do. Do not get taken off the path that you must now take to get there. And then at the end of verse ten, it says, “be strong, and do it.” You can be strong through faith in the Lord. It says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Just do it. Have a plan and get it done. The time to pray about it will lead to the time to do it.

Notice verse eleven. Here is the first part of it: “Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof…” Even though David did not build the temple, he helped to prepare for the building of the temple. In order to do a work for God, it takes more than one person. Each believer can do something according to the gifts and the opportunities that God has given to him or her. We are all members of the body of Christ. It pleases God when we work together with love for each other to do the work that God has called us all to be a part of.

The Bible says in First Chronicles 28:19-21, “All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.[20] And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.[21] And, behold, the courses of the priests and the Levites, even they shall be with thee for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with thee for all manner of workmanship every willing skilful man, for any manner of service: also the princes and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment.” David continues to encourage Solomon and to remind Solomon of how God works. God will give you something to do, and it may not be easy, but God will make it happen if you do your part. Do not be weak: be strong. Do not fear: be encouraged at how good things will turn out if you keep the faith. Do it: finish the job. Get to work. There is nothing to fear because Almighty God is with you. God does not fail. God does not give up on His plans. God does not go away from those whom He loves. God uses people. God uses believers to get something done. And God will give you others to help you. That is what verse twenty-one is all about. God has called you to the work, and He will call the others that He wants to be part of the work.

The Bible says in First Chronicles 29:1-5, “Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.[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.[3] Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,[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:[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?” Verse one starts with the words, “Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen…” When choosing a leader for God’s congregation, there is one thing that is important above all else: God’s choice. David was close to the Lord, and David was a man of prayer, and therefore, he knew God’s will. David knew that of all his sons, Solomon was to be the leader. Normally, a good leader is an older man. That is why pastors are called elders in the New Testament. But there are exceptions whenever God wants to make an exception. David himself was an exception. Timothy in the New Testament was an exception. And Solomon was an exception here. David said in verse one that Solomon was “young and tender.” David also said in verse one that “the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.” The work is great. Building something for God is the most important work in the world. One of the things that the above verses show us is how much David had dedicated to building the temple. David gathered gold and silver from every source that he could. And David said in verse three, “I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house.” Of course, he gave his own money and his own wealth also. Someone who is truly surrendered to God has everything at God’s disposal. Yes, save as much as you can, and then the day will come when you can use what you have saved for God’s glory.

The Bible says in First Chronicles 29:6-9, “Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly,[7] And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.[8] And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the LORD, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.[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.” Because King David gave of his personal resources, others followed his example. Notice verse nine. It states very well what is actually the New Testament principle for giving. There is no percentage listed here. What is emphasized is the attitude of those who give. Twice it says that “they offered willingly.” It is not the amount, but the attitude. It says the same thing in the New Testament in Second Corinthians 9:6-7, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.[7] Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

The Bible says in First Chronicles 29:10-13, “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.[11] Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.[12] Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.[13] Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” David spoke before the people, and he spoke about the greatness and goodness of God. David gave honor and glory to the name of God. He praised God for who God is. Verse eleven seems to have ideas in it that are similar to things that are said in what we call the Lord’s Prayer as given by Jesus. Jesus told us to pray in Matthew 6:9-13, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.[10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.[11] Give us this day our daily bread.[12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.[13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

In verse eleven of the Lord’s prayer Jesus spoke of God’s “kingdom.” David also spoke of God’s kingdom. If you are a true believer in the Lord, then you are a member of God’s kingdom too. We look forward to a revelation of His kingdom: to the coming of His kingdom. That is where we will be happy: happier than we are now. We are only passing through this world. David and the others had just given much of their riches to the building of the temple, but David wants to make it clear that he knows that all of their wealth came from God and therefore, belonged to God. They were giving to God what was already His.

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