1 Chronicles 22

David “served his own generation by the will of God” (Acts 13: nkjv). When you serve your own generation faithfully, you also serve future generations. “He who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2: nkjv). The legacy of David enriched God’s people Israel for centuries. Not only did David provide all that was needed for the building of the temple, he also wrote songs and designed musical instruments to be used in the worship services (23:5). Even more, it was through David’s family that the Savior came into the world, “the Root and Offspring of David” (Rev. 22:16), so David still enriches the church today.

When we hear David’s name, we may think first of Bathsheba and David’s sins, but these chapters present David the builder, the man who risked his life to gather wealth for the building of a temple to the glory of God. He’s a great example for believers of every age who want to make their lives count for Christ and leave behind their own legacy of spiritual blessing.

Spiritual motivation Some Bible readers today might be tempted to scan these chapters, skip all the lists of names, and go on to read about the reign of Solomon in 2 Chronicles, but to do so would be a great mistake. Think of the encouragement and guidance these chapters must have given to the Jewish remnant that returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. (See the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah.) These courageous people had to rebuild the temple and organize its ministry, and reading these chapters would remind them that they were doing God’s work. God gave each detail of the original temple and its ministry to David, who then gave it to Solomon. Those “lists of names” helped Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest examine the credentials of those who wanted to serve in the temple (Ezra 2:59–64), and refuse those who were not qualified.

These chapters encouraged the Jews in their labors centuries ago, and they can encourage us today as we seek to build the church (Eph. 2:19–22). When you read 1 Corinthians 3:9–23 and compare it with 1 Chronicles 22, 28, and 29, you see parallels that ought to encourage us to build the church the way God’s Word commands. David knew that God’s temple had to be built with gold, silver, and costly stones (22:14; 29:1–5), and Paul took these materials and applied them spiritually to the local church. They stand for the wisdom of God as found in the Word of God (Prov. 2:1–10; 3:13–15; 8:10–21). Wood, hay, and straw can be picked up on the surface, but if you want gold, silver, and jewels, you have to dig for them. We don’t build the local church on clever human ideas or by imitating the world; we build by teaching and obeying the precious truths of the Word of God. (See 1 Cor. 3:18–20 for Paul’s view of the wisdom of this world.)

Solomon didn’t have to draw his own plans for the temple, because the Lord gave the plans to David (28:11–12). As we read the Word and pray, the Lord shows us His plans for each local church. “Work out your own salvation [Christian ministry] with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12–13 nkjv) was written to a congregation of believers in Philippi, and though it has personal application for all believers, the emphasis is primarily on the ministry of the congregation collectively. Some local church leaders run from one seminar to another, seeking to learn how to build the church, when they probably ought to stay home, call the church to prayer, and seek the mind of God in His Word. God has different plans for each church, and we’re not supposed to blindly imitate each other.

The temple was built to display the glory of God, and our task in the local church is to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31; 14:25). When Solomon dedicated the temple, God’s glory moved in (1 Kings 8:6–11), but when Israel sinned, the glory moved out (Ezek. 10:4, 18–19; 11:22–23). We wonder how many local churches go through the motions of worship Sunday after Sunday, yet there’s no evidence of the glory of God.

The temple was to be “a house of prayer for all nations” (Isa. 56:7), but the religious leaders in Jesus’ day had made it into a den of thieves (Matt. 21:13; Luke 19:46; Jer. 7:11). A den of thieves is the place where thieves run to hide after they’ve done their wicked deeds, which suggests that a service in a local church can be a good place to go to pretend to be spiritual (1 John 1:5–10). How many local churches are known for their effective ministry of prayer? They may be houses of music, education, and even social activities, but are they houses of prayer?

The temple was built and God honored it with His presence because the leaders and people gave their best to the Lord, sacrificed, and followed His directions. This is a good example for us to follow today. We are privileged to assist in the building of the church, and our motive must be only the glory of God.

The Lord didn’t permit David to build the temple, but He did honor the preparation David made for his son Solomon to do the job. “Well begun is half done” says the old proverb, and David was careful to have Solomon, the people, and the materials prepared for the great project. (See vv. 3, 5 and 14.)

The site, materials, and workers (vv. 1–4). We’re not sure when the Lord began to give David the plans for the temple and its personnel, but the purchase of Ornan’s property seemed to be the signal for action. When God sent fire from heaven to consume David’s offerings (21:26), David knew that his sin was forgiven and that he was back in fellowship with the Lord. But David also perceived that his altar was now very special to the Lord and he continued to sacrifice there instead of going to the tabernacle at Gibeon. The Lord let him know that Mount Moriah was the place where He wanted the temple to be built. It’s possible that David wrote Psalm 30 at this time, even though as yet there was no actual building to dedicate. By faith, he dedicated to the Lord the property he had purchased and the building that would one day stand on it.

David enlisted both Jews and resident aliens (1 Kings 5:13–18) to help construct the temple. This division of David’s government was under Adoram (2 Sam. 20:24), also called Adoniram (1 Kings 4:6). The 30,000 Jewish workers cut timber in Lebanon for a month and then returned home for two months, while the 150,000 “alien” laborers cut and delivered massive stones from the hills, supervised by Jewish foremen (1 Kings 5:13–18, and see 9:15–19; 2 Chron. 2:17–18). The fact that Gentiles worked along with the Jews suggests that the temple was indeed a house for all nations. We must not think that these resident aliens were treated as slaves, because the law of Moses clearly prohibited such practices (Ex. 22:21; 23:9; Lev. 19:33).

For years, David had been amassing the materials for the temple, the total value of which was beyond calculation. Much of it came from the spoils of the battles David had fought and won (18:9–11; 26:26–28). David the warrior had defeated Israel’s enemies and taken their wealth so that Solomon his son would have the peace and provisions necessary to build the house of God.

Solomon the builder (vv. 5–16). Some biblical chronologists believe David was about sixty years old when he inaugurated the temple building program, but we don’t know how old Solomon was. David said his son was “young and inexperienced” (22:5; 29: niv), and after his accession to the throne, Solomon called himself “a little child” (1 Kings 3:7). This explains why David admonished and encouraged his son several times to obey the Lord and finish the work God had assigned to him (22:6–16; 28:9–10, 20–21). David also admonished the leaders to encourage and assist their new king in this great project. David wanted everything to be prepared before his own death so that Solomon would have everything he needed to build the house of God.

David encouraged Solomon by assuring him that the temple project was the will of God; therefore, the Lord would help him finish it (vv. 6–10). God had enabled his father to fight the Lord’s battles and bring about peace for Israel, and now it was time to build God’s house (2 Sam. 7:9). The Lord had told David that a son would be born to him to accomplish this task (7:12–16; 1 Chron. 17:11; see Deut. 12:8–14). The emphasis David made was that the temple was to be built, not for the glory of the name of David or even of Solomon, but the name of the Lord (vv. 7, 8, 10, 19). David wanted to be sure that Solomon would honor the Lord and not build a monument to honor himself.

David further encouraged his son by reminding him of the faithfulness of God (vv. 11–13). If he would trust the Lord and obey Him fully, the Lord would maintain the peace and security of Israel and enable him to complete the project (see 28:7–9, 20). The words “Be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed” remind us of how Moses encouraged Joshua his successor (Deut. 31:5–8, 23); the Lord repeated that encouragement after Moses died (Josh. 1:6, 9). Moses and Joshua were faithful men, and God saw them through all their trials and enabled them to complete their work. He would do the same for Solomon.

The third encouragement David gave his son was the great amount of wealth the king had accumulated for the project, along with the large number of workers who were conscripted (vv. 14–16). It seems incredible, but the king said he had amassed 3,750 tons of gold and 37,500 tons of silver, and that there was so much bronze and iron that it couldn’t be weighed. At least Solomon wouldn’t have to take up any collections!

The leaders of Israel (vv. 17–19). David ordered the leaders to cooperate with Solomon and help him complete the project. He reminded them that the peace and rest they enjoyed was only because God had used David to defeat Israel’s foes and expand her borders. (Note the mention of “rest” in vv. 9 and 18 and in 23:25.) But the temple was for the Lord, so it was imperative that the leaders seek Him and have their hearts right before Him. David had his throne in Jerusalem and he wanted the ark—the throne of God—to be there also. His only concern was that the name of the Lord be glorified.