The Kingdom Established 6

Once David gives the pattern of the temple to his son Solomon, in addition to his final counsel, he now admonishes the people.

This is the sixth sermon in the series, The Kingdom Established, an exposition on the first book of the kings and the reign of King Solomon.

Our Old Covenant reading coming from 1 Chronicles, 1 Chronicles and chapter 29, 1 Chronicles chapter 29, verses 1 through 9.

As David here admonishes the people, by inspiration of God, the prophet writes,

And the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood,

onyx stones and stones to be set, glycerine stones and of diverse colors, and all manner of precious stones and marble stones in abundance.

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.

Above all that I have prepared for the holy house, even 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir,

and 7,000 talents of refined silver to overlay the walls of the house withal,

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 artifactors,

and who then is willing to consecrate this service, this day, unto the Lord?

Then the chief...

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, and gave for the service of the house of God,

of gold, 5,000 talents, and 10,000 drams, and of silver, 10,000 talents, and of brass, 18,000 talents, and 100,000 talents of iron.

And they, with whom precious stones were found,

gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord by the hand of Jehal the Gershonite.

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.

The Apostle Paul writing to the church at Philippi, Philippians chapter 2,

Philippians and chapter 2, the same spirit that moved the prophet,

Philippians chapter 2, the Apostle Paul writing to the church,

beginning in verse 12, 12 and 13 only,

of the same spirit the Apostle writes,

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,

but now much more in my absence,

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleasure.

Thus far is the reading of God's most holy, inerrant, then finally authoritative word,

the grass withers.

The flower thereof fades away, but the word of God stands forever,

and by his holy word is the gospel presented unto us again this day.

Now that David has admonished his son Solomon before the congregation of Israel,

he turns his attention to the people.

In order to set in order a number of considerations before them,

he reminds them that they too, not just the king, not just Solomon his son,

but they too have a responsibility to the kingdom.

In other words, they have a covenant obligation to be involved in the work of the temple.

So this covenant obligation is both for king and priest,

but also for Solomon and his people.

So first, David reiterates the fact that it was God, not man,

that had chosen Solomon to be king.

In other words, there was no argument.

God had spoken to David.

God had told David, Solomon will be king.

And this divine announcement that Solomon would be king,

this divinely legitimized Solomon's ordination and his calling,

to be the king.

And then here again, he reiterates.

Furthermore, verse 1 of 29,

the king said to all the congregation,

in order to remind them,

Solomon my son, whom alone God had chosen.

It was not Adonijah.

It was not Absalom.

It was not any of David's sons, but it was Solomon.

And this is an important point.

Whenever an individual seeks to be a leader,

either in the church or in the realm of the civil magistrate,

he first must be chosen by God.

In other words, no one can take to himself a leadership position

unless he is legitimately placed in that position.

That was the problem with Adonijah.

That was the problem with Absalom.

They were illegitimately seeking the position of king.

In other words, no one can take to himself a leadership position

unless he is legitimately placed in that position by God.

And this is especially true for religious leaders

and secular leaders.

But it can be applied to other realms also.

Now, there are two ways a leader is placed in a position of leadership.

One, by divine calling according to both providence and biblical requirements.

Both providence and biblical requirements.

So if someone has a biblical requirement

and providence calls him to be a leader,

then he has both providential,

legitimate,

and biblical legitimacy.

But there are others that are called to leadership,

I say that,

quote-unquote,

leadership positions

that are called by providence

without the necessity of biblical qualifications.

Now, while these are providentially legitimate,

biblically, they may not be legitimate.

Especially when God providentially calls wicked rulers

to a position of leadership.

We see that in Ahab and Jezebel.

They were both providentially brought in as leaders of Israel,

but biblically they were wicked individuals.

So they were not biblically qualified.

Now, sometimes God will call a wicked ruler

who is not biblically qualified

for the good of the people

in that he is going to bring them back to their senses,

chastising them.

We see this even in our American system of government.

We've had people,

providentially brought into the position of leadership,

whether it's local leadership

or national leadership,

who were not biblically qualified,

and yet providentially they were brought into that leadership position.

So this is something that we have to recognize,

that leaders have to be brought in

both biblically and providentially.

This is especially true,

not only for religious leaders and secular leaders,

but it can be applied to other religions,

realms of leadership as well.

Generally, as far as the position of

religious or civil leadership is concerned,

one must be called of God

and then recognized as such by the people

and then confirmed by someone

with legitimate leadership authority.

In other words, men of leadership must be called

by those who recognize them as an already proven leader.

The problem with that sometimes is that

you have a mass of people calling leaders

to be leaders who themselves are reprobate people.

And yet that is the way things work.

So men of leadership must be called

by those who recognize them as already proven leaders

and then ordained by an already established leader.

Religious leaders are to be called by the congregation

as a result of their leadership qualities

and then ordained by those

who are already recognized as legitimate leaders.

In other words, a man must be called

out of the congregation

and then ordained by a man of the clergy

who has already been ordained

and accepted as an ordained leader.

In the United States, in the civil realm,

a man must be elected

and then ordained by a legitimate judge.

Traditionally, and this is important,

traditionally, with his hand as a witness on the Bible,

that was traditionally turned to Deuteronomy 28

with the blessings and the cursings

so that that man, that leadership individual,

would know that if he violates the covenant,

there will be sanctions.

If he obeys, there will be blessings.

So he would be elected by the people,

legitimately ordained by the judge

with his hand on the Bible,

on the pages of Deuteronomy 28,

and then he would perform his office under God

according to the commandments of God.

What Absalom and what Adonijah did

by electing themselves as king

was illegitimate,

both providentially and biblically.

And so,

those that take upon themselves

the public office of leadership

must hold that office legitimately.

But here is the rub.

Even if a leader initially holds an office legitimately,

he can delegitimize that leadership

by violating his oath.

So he can start out as a legitimate leader,

but if he violates his oath of office,

if he violates the covenant obligation

that God has given to these leaders,

he then becomes illegitimate.

Those that hold positions of leadership

in the ecclesiastical realm,

in the realm of the church,

or in the civil realm,

or even in the realm of the family,

because the family has a leadership hierarchy as well.

If any of these areas become tyrannical in any way,

or if they continue to violate the commandments of God,

they can delegitimize their office,

even if it's a father.

The second point.

After David states Solomon's legitimate standing

as one who has been called of God,

he reminds the people.

Notice he turns his attention to the people

that Solomon is not yet a seasoned ruler

since he is quite young.

He even says that he's young and tender.

And the work that he is going to oversee is very great.

You have a young man with a great task,

a monumentous task before him,

and he's admonishing the people here

that his son is now undertaking such an incredible task,

both in its scope and in its influence,

because it would be an incredible influence,

so he tells them,

my son Solomon,

whom alone, and he repeats himself,

whom alone God has chosen,

is yet young and tender,

and the work is very great.

Now David's giving a plea to the congregation

for the people to come alongside of Solomon

as his support.

Now of course,

we think of Solomon as this giant of a man,

and he was, he became a giant of a man.

But even the giant of a man,

even the giant of a man,

even the giant men of scripture

needed the support of their congregations.

So David is pleading with Israel

to come alongside of Solomon to support him,

because if the work was going to be accomplished,

the people needed to be on board.

It was not a one-man deal.

It was not something that one man can accomplish.

Even with the churches today,

it's not something that just the pastor accomplishes.

The whole church must galvanize around the minister

and the minister,

and the ministry in order to accomplish the task

that God has given that church.

Furthermore,

these people were being admonished by David,

who's still the king, of course,

who's still the retiring king.

They are being admonished by David

not to make Solomon's calling burdensome

by petty trifles

or even by slothful behavior.

And that's exactly what the writer of the Hebrew epistle

warns his hearers to be aware of.

Notice in Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17.

Now remember, he's admonishing the church,

and he tells the congregation,

Obey them that have the leadership rule over you,

and submit yourselves,

for they watch for your souls,

as they that must give an account,

that they may do it with joy and not with grief,

for that is unprofitable for you.

In other words,

don't burden the leadership

with petty trifles,

because if you grieve them,

it would then be unprofitable

for the entire body of Christ.

Then, thirdly, he adds,

for the palace is not for man,

but for the Lord God.

Now one would think that, wait a minute,

the temple here,

isn't it for the worship of the people of God?

Well, of course it was.

But this statement is stating that

it's not for the people per se.

Fundamentally, in its first inference,

we read that it's not for man,

but it's actually to glorify God.

The building of the temple that Solomon is now to undertake,

this monumentous task that Solomon is about to undertake,

is not for man, but for God.

It's for the glory of God.

It's for the honor of God.

It's to put a physical footprint

in Israel for all of the nations to see,

as we'll learn as we continue in our series.

This was going to be an incredible declaration

of the majesty, the magisterial power,

and the awesomeness of God.

Solomon's purpose as ruler and temple builder

is to be understood as a service to God.

We, as the temple of God,

are to honor and serve,

and glorify God.

We are to have that kind of a footprint in our community.

A footprint to glorify God,

to bring everyone back

to the standard of righteousness.

So that whenever we are in the marketplace,

whenever we're out and about,

and we hear this being said or that being said,

we redirect it to glorify God,

to show how God views this thing or that thing.

So if you're ever talking about taxation,

or you're talking about land rights,

or you're talking about family worship,

or you're talking about family upbringing,

or children, or whatever,

you bring it back to God.

Because the temple, the body of Christ,

is for God.

It benefits man.

But fundamentally, it's for the honor,

the glory, and the majesty of the Creator.

So David wants the people to understand

that the work that Solomon must undertake

is not only a monumentous task,

it's a divine task.

It has a divine nature attached to it

for the glory of God.

If there's any lack of unity,

and this is why David is admonishing the people,

if there's any lack of unity,

if there's any lack of diligence,

if there's sloth or grief,

the work will be stifled.

And so he stresses the point

that there must be unity

and a willingness to work together.

Now, I guess we'd have to ask the next question.

Why would David have to stress that to the people?

Obviously, they knew that

the building of the temple was a divine commission,

and he told them enough times.

But why tell them that Solomon's work for God

is a very divine undertaking?

Perhaps it was so that the people would realize

the gravity.

And I think in the churches of Jesus Christ today,

we don't understand the gravity of our commission.

I don't believe...

I don't believe that we understand the gravity

of what we represent the body of Christ

to the world, to the nations.

So David is underlining and underscoring

the gravity of the work

that is a very divine undertaking.

And so that the people might support Solomon in the work,

or at least not make his commission more difficult

by bringing trivial matters to him

or criticizing him without cause.

And I find this point quite interesting

since it seems to be the nature of common man,

especially church folk in our modern day,

to think that they know better

than those God-fearing men in authority

who have been called both providentially

and qualified biblically,

who are righteous in their leadership,

biblically qualified with a track record

of consistency and fidelity.

You find today people come and go forth

from one church to another for trivial matters

or for the amenities that suit the carnal nature

instead of abiding to their covenant obligations

to submit to righteous rulers

as Paul cautions the church at Rome to do

to many people

because of some trivial matter

they go from church to church to church.

And so long as a leader has been properly called

and ordained and has shown,

and this is important,

and has shown a consistency

in the execution of his office faithfully,

whether he is a religious ruler

or a secular ruler,

or a father or a mother,

he is to be honored and obeyed.

And this is what Paul meant

when he wrote to the church in Romans chapter 13.

Notice verse 1 and following.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers,

for there is no power but of God.

The powers that are ordained providentially are of God.

Whoso therefore resisteth the power,

the authority of that leadership,

resisteth the ordinance of God.

And they that resist

shall receive to themselves damnation.

Paul is prescribing here

a righteous leadership scenario.

Notice,

for rulers are not a terror to good works.

That would presuppose that they are righteous.

But to the evil

wilt thou then not be afraid of the power.

Do that which is good,

and thou shalt have praise of the same,

for he is the master,

the minister of God to thee for good.

But if thou do that which is evil,

be afraid,

for he beareth not the sword in vain,

for he is the minister of God,

a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

Verse 5 and following.

Wherefore, ye must needs be subject,

not only for wrath,

but also for conscience sake.

For for this cause,

ye pay tribute also,

for they are God's ministers,

attending continually upon this very thing,

render therefore to all their dues,

tribute to whom tribute is due,

provided they remain there in their legitimacy,

custom to whom custom,

fear to whom fear,

honor to whom honor.

And so David is saying

that the people ought to be mindful

of the gravity of Solomon's commission,

his providential orchestration of his kingship,

and the qualities that he showed

in his youth to David,

and that's why God had chosen him,

and not to be overly critical of him

while he rules in that position in the fear of God.

And of course,

we know if we're in churches at all

in our tenure of life,

we know that this could be a real problem,

being overcritical.

And this is why I believe David insists

that it was God who called Solomon to the throne

and not someone else to that position of leadership.

Now again,

if we think about it in light of Christ building his temple,

the eternal church,

we are,

we are warned not to make his task,

not to make Christ's task,

more difficult by our sloth,

or by our rebellion,

or by our lack of unity.

David is actually telling the church,

don't make the king,

the Lord Jesus,

grieve by our lack of obedience,

lack of unity,

or lack of fidelity.

So just imagine,

just imagine this.

How much advancement

that the church could accomplish,

how much could the church accomplish?

Just think about Christendom,

not just this church,

not just the church down the street,

Christendom itself.

How much would Christendom itself accomplish

if the people would adhere to the admonition of David

to unify under the covenant of grace?

It almost boggles your mind.

We could change the course of history.

David then reiterates the tools

that Solomon would have to complete his task.

Notice what he says,

verse 2 and following.

Now I have prepared with all my might.

In other words,

I was not slothful.

I'm a man who prepares.

I'm not dealing with day,

and then the next day,

and the next day.

I'm looking in the future.

I'm a man who prepares.

With all my might for the house of my God,

the gold for things to be made of gold,

silver for silver,

brass for brass,

iron for iron,

wood for wood,

stones for stones,

and so on and so forth.

It seems that these particular items of wealth

at this point were taken from the king's treasury

as opposed to David's personal possessions.

And so he's using everything that he had as a king,

to devote it to the building of the temple.

However,

in order to show David's love for God,

and to show his total commitment,

and that's a word we don't hear today,

a universal and total commitment

to the building of the temple,

the preaching of the gospel,

the admonition to other people,

the building of the temple,

the advent of the kingdom,

he tells the people

that not only,

not only did he prepare out of the king's treasury,

but he prepared out of his own personal wealth

in order to support the work.

And he says this in verse 3,

notice,

Moreover,

because I have set my affection,

in other words,

I've set my passion

to the house of my God.

And notice how

he doesn't say to the house of God.

Now he could,

it would be right.

But he owns God.

He says he's my God.

We have a relationship.

I am his and he is mine.

The house of my God.

And because I have set my passions,

my affections

to the house of my God,

I have my own proper good,

my own wealth

of gold and silver,

which I have given to the house of my God

over and above all that I've prepared

for the holy house

out of the king's treasury.

So out of David's,

out of David's deep affection for God,

he pledges everything he personally owns.

That shows so much about the man.

We have already seen how he had

offered his entire life

to the work of the Lord,

how his passion wanted to build the temple.

But now,

not being able to build it himself,

he hands off everything

that he had ever accumulated,

not only of the king's treasury,

but his own wealth

to the work of the kingdom.

And he gives it to Solomon.

Which shows us

that his unwavering trust

for his son,

that he would build a temple,

that he would do

as his father hoped to do,

to build a temple

for the glory of God.

He gives it all

to a trustworthy man.

Would to God

we would have trustworthy men

to give it all to.

Consider the list.

The list is unbelievable.

Moreover, because I have set my affection

to the house of my God,

I have of mine own 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.

Even, here's what he gives,

3,000 talents of gold,

of the gold of Ophir,

7,000 talents of refined silver

to overlay the walls of the houses withal,

of gold for the things of gold,

of silver for the things of silver,

and for all the manner of the work

to be made by the hands of the artificers.

This is an incredible list.

And this was compiled by David

throughout his life

for one purpose.

Not to go on a cruise.

Not to go on vacations

or see the world.

I love those commercials.

The commercials where you can

sell your life insurance policy

and get cash.

And then you have the person

in the commercial say,

we went on a,

long desired vacation.

Now, I'm not saying

you should never recreate.

You should.

But David,

look at the example of David.

An incredible list

to give it all to his son

for the work of the advancement of the kingdom.

Now, Solomon had to be moved

by this act of love and devotion

by his father as well.

And because of that devotion

and passion that David had,

it was infectious.

He infected his son.

And this is why Solomon

perhaps writes in 13.22 of the Proverbs,

a good man leaveth an inheritance

to his children's children.

This was the inheritance

that David had accumulated

for the work of the kingdom.

And once again,

we see David's commitment

to the future.

And what must be also understood

is not so much that David left wealth,

tangible wealth,

to Solomon as an inheritance,

but rather that David left

the inheritance of his love for God

and the passion that he had for God

and the affection that he had for God

and he imparted it to his son.

And by his life,

his life was infectious.

That was the inheritance

that really mattered.

And this is an admonition

to each of us fathers,

or those that would be fathers.

We must leave an example

like David did.

We must leave,

an inheritance of love

and passion for God

to our sons and our daughters

by our example.

You know,

it's been said so many times,

preach the gospel,

but sometimes use words.

Because we shout

with what we do,

with what we are focused upon.

So we must leave

an inheritance of passion

and love for God,

for our sons and for our daughters,

by our example,

and then equip them

with the necessary tools

to build God's kingdom,

be it wealth

or other necessary items.

Now, this requires diligence

in teaching them

and diligence

in financial stewardship.

But that means self-sacrifice

because it takes a future thinker

to be consistent

in this endeavor

of future thinking.

But now, perhaps,

you might have some objections.

Objection number one.

Well, now, pastor,

my wife and I

are living hand-to-mouth financially

and cannot begin

to even think about savings

as our future inheritance.

My answer to that is this.

It takes no money

to sit with your children

and teach them the things of God.

All it takes is time.

That time,

that investment

is the most essential component

of the inheritance.

You know, many fathers

have left tons of money

to their ungodly children.

What has it profited them?

To some,

it even sealed their condemnation.

But I hear another objection.

Objection number two.

Well, pastor,

I have to work too many hours

to meet the financial needs

of the home

and don't have time

to devote to the training

of my children,

especially in a day

in which we live

with grocery prices

the way they are

and inflation

and the dollar tanking.

My answer to that

is mothers and fathers

must work together

as a team

if there are financial burdens

that require the father

to work long hours.

In other words,

when fathers cannot be there

as often as they like,

the mothers must fill the gap.

However,

one must ask

some real honest questions

that are sometimes

probing and uncomfortable.

Can I rethink

my spending habits?

Can I rethink

my spending habits

in order to free up

more time for my children?

Perhaps I need some help.

Perhaps I need to seek counsel

from someone

who is economically

savvy according to

the economic wisdom

of the scriptures.

How can I make things better?

Now, I know this.

Sacrifices certainly

can be made in certain areas.

Instead of having

that cappuccino every day,

you'll save $4.

Well, it depends where you go.

Maybe you'll save $5.

That's $20 a week.

20 times 4

equals $4.

That's $4.

That's quite a substantial

amount of money.

At the end of life,

no father ever said

that he wished he had

more time spent

at the office.

Objection number three.

I have many children.

How can I possibly

give a suitable

inheritance to them all?

Look, an inheritance

goes to the firstborn.

You don't have to give

an inheritance to everyone.

It has to go to the firstborn

provided he has

the stamp of Christ

upon his heart

and is counted

worthy of the commission.

But the inheritance,

that spiritual inheritance,

the inheritance of the gospel passion

has to go to every one of them.

David had many sons.

Solomon was not his firstborn,

yet Solomon was counted worthy

because he was able to show

an honest love

and consistent devotion to God.

So while you're going to give

an inheritance of gospel fidelity

to your whole family,

you're going to focus

on the firstborn

as far as any kind

of substantial wealth inheritance.

If, however,

a family's firstborn son

shows a reprobate heart,

he is to be disinherited.

And the son that is faithful

should be blessed

with the inheritance

simply because he has embraced

the gospel inheritance

that his father and mother

had given him

through their training.

However, let's say

in certain situations

there are no sons

but only daughters.

The Scriptures are very clear.

According to the Law of Moses

in Deuteronomy 27.7,

the faithful of the daughters

should receive the inheritance.

Deuteronomy 27.7. The faithful of the daughters should receive the inheritance.

Objection number four.

I am a single parent

and have neither time

or money

to train my children

or ever hope

to leave them

a financial inheritance.

Once again,

it is that spiritual inheritance

that is essential.

Everything else follows.

So, first,

be sure to teach them

when you are with them.

Do not let the few hours

that you have with your children

go to waste.

Be mindful of time.

time. Follow the Deuteronomy 6 pattern. Teach your children while you're on the way. Secondly,

ask a Christian family member or a Christian family to share the load or seek counsel from

the elders of the church. Also, be sure, and this is so important, especially for a single mom or

single dad that has children that has this time constraint upon them, be sure you're diligent in

attending church. Consistency goes a long way. Move mountains to be in whatever studies or Bible

programs which are provided by the church and the worship hour with your children.

Calvin, in the days of the Reformation, every Thursday, he and some of the elders during that

period, they called themselves the Venerable Council

and company of pastors. They would meet to adjudicate certain things in Geneva at that time.

So every Thursday afternoon throughout the day, they would sit and they would counsel. It was a

rotational schedule. Sometimes it was Calvin V. Ray and others. Sometimes Calvin wasn't there

and there were others. But invariably, when someone came with a problem, Calvin's counsel to them

was, you need to be in church more often. Now during the days of Geneva, there were services

almost every day. There were Bible studies almost every day. So no one had any excuse

to be in the Lord's house when the word of God was being expounded. But that was his counsel.

And I'm saying to you, be consistent. The simple consistency of honoring the Lord's day will

prove it.

It will prove to be a blessing in the future. Christ gave everything that he had to provide us

with an inheritance that is both temporal and eternal, but he had to sacrifice for it. You see,

everything takes sacrifice. If you want something bad enough, you will sacrifice for it.

We must do likewise. As Jesus said, as my father hath sent me, so send I you. In other words,

my father has sent me to sacrifice for my people.

For my children, for my bride, for my kingdom.

David then admonishes the entire congregation in light of his offering to devote all of his goods

to the work of God. Notice what he said in the last part of verse five. And who then is willing

to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord? Look, here's what I'm doing. I'm doing it. I'm

showing you what I'm willing to do. Who among you is willing to do it? I'm showing you what I'm willing to do.

I'm willing to do what I'm just doing. So David is saying, in light of what I have given for the

work of God, who among you is willing to do likewise? This was quite a challenge. In fact,

this was a test to see of those people of Israel who was really committed to the work.

So David is essentially saying that if you are serious about building the kingdom of God,

if you're serious about advancing the crown rights of King Jesus, as it is now under the leadership

of my son Solomon, put your money where your mouth is and let's work together. What so many

professing Christians do not understand is that if they do not work together, the work of God will

not advance. So David puts it out there. He doesn't want them to just worship at the margin or serve

at the margin. Just do just as much as...

I'll get by so I'm not called into the council room and chastised. He wants to see where their

heart is. Even as Solomon said to his sons, my son, give me thine heart. I don't want anything

else. I just want your heart because if I have your heart, everything follows. So he puts it

out there. He puts out this challenge and it is met with glorious,

glorious results.

Then the chief of the fathers, verse six and following, 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 and gave for the service of the house of God of gold, 5,000 talents

and 10,000 drams and of silver, 10,000 talents and of brass, 18,000 talents and of 100,000 talents

of iron. And they with whom precious stones were found gave to them. In other words, the wealthy,

those who had the precious stones, they were willing to give too.

No, however, the people gave willingly. No one said, well, wait a minute. Oh, wait. Um, well,

you know, I gave my command to tithe. Um, and that should be enough. Or I'm really not satisfied with

everything David did in the past. So I'm going to just hold back a little bit, or I'm not sure

Solomon's going to do the right thing in the future. Or maybe they thought, well, someone else

would pick up the phone. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I'm too busy.

I'm too old. I'm too tired. I really don't like the challenge. So maybe because that

pulpit challenges me too much, I'll go elsewhere where the challenge is not as great. We don't

read anything like that here. Not only didn't anyone make any excuses, there was no hesitation.

And you ask yourself, why?

And the reason is simple, because they loved the Lord.

And they knew that they had been given a great and glorious task.

It was a great honor for them to have such a task,

to stand alongside of Solomon.

For them it was a blessing to be involved in the work,

because when you're involved in the work, that is the glory.

The glory is in the work.

But they also knew that if they did that which was right,

if they were involved in the work,

God would bless them in the work.

And they would be a people most prosperous.

But what is so fascinating about this event

is the response to the challenge.

They didn't just give.

They said, okay, you need, okay, yeah, we're going to help,

we're going to do, we're going to do this and that.

They rejoiced that they were counted worthy for the work.

Verse 9, then the people rejoiced.

For that they offered willingly,

because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to Yahweh, to the Lord.

And David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

Notice, with a perfect heart they offered willingly.

You see, theirs was a heart which cleaved to the Lord.

They had the stamp of Christ on their hearts.

They had hearts that panted after the glorious Lord

that had blessed them with so great a leader as Solomon

and a greater leader as David and a future leader.

This young man who was tender,

this young man who was tender,

they had a stand alongside who would build the temple of the great king.

And these people, some of them were noblemen, of course,

but most of them were common Israelites.

And they rejoiced in that they were counted worthy

to give back to the Lord what he had given them.

And so there's a joy and a blessing in giving to the things of God.

And that's what the apostle Paul tells those elders

as he was departing from the temple.

As he was departing from them at Ephesus,

he told them this.

Acts chapter 20, verse 33 and following.

Notice what he tells them.

And you have to understand here,

he is leaving these people who he loves.

And I'm sure Timothy was part of this assembly of men

because he was the elder at Ephesus.

He's not going to see these people ever again.

These men who he loved.

And here's his last words to them.

He says,

I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel.

Yet ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered

unto my necessities and to them that were with me.

I have showed you all things,

how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak

and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus,

how he said,

it is more blessed to give than to receive.

And then the last few verses here

just has to choke you up.

And when he had thus spoken,

he kneeled down and prayed with them.

And they all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him.

Sorry most of all for the words which he spake

that they should see his face no more.

And they accompanied him unto the ship.

David did not give the challenge of giving to the work

out of a sense of covetousness.

Nor did he give the challenge out of a sense of self-gratification

or self-glory,

but out of a desire to see the work prosper.

He had already given all of his wealth

as an example to the people of Israel

so that they might willingly follow his lead.

And they did.

And that moved the king to such joy.

But now you ask the question,

why was he so happy?

What moved him?

What really gave him such joy?

Well, certainly it was the fact that

there would be enough resources now

and enough support to complete the work.

But was that really why he was so moved?

I think it was more than that.

I think he was moved to such great joy

as a result of seeing the passion

and the commitment and the willingness

that his people had for the future work.

It was that passion and commitment

that to David was worth far more than any precious stones.

Far more.

Far more than any money.

And I believe that that is what every faithful minister,

father and mother,

wants to see just before their death to their children.

Ministers want to see a people under their charge

passionately committed.

Fathers and mothers want to see

sons and daughters passionately committed.

And that is exactly what David saw.

God blessed David

that he would see such a thing in his day

before his death.

And so moved was David

that,

he breaks out into a testimony

of the magnificence of the Lord

as his last public testimony.

Now we will consider that in our next sermon.

But before we leave off,

I want to turn your attention to verse 14.

David says this,

But who am I

and what is my people

that we should be able to offer so willingly

after this sort?

Who am I?

That I,

I,

I'm allowed,

that I'm even allowed

to be part of this.

And then he says this,

For all things come of thee

and of thine own

have we given thee.

So David confesses that

before the great and glorious holy king,

he and his people are nothing.

Then how is it that

they are given such a great,

grand opportunity

to give to the work of the Lord?

And nobody's saying

all the wealth that was given by the people

was really not even theirs.

It was actually given to them first by God.

Of thine own have we given thee.

Of thine own,

you were the owners of our wherewithal.

Whether it was skill,

whether it was precious gems,

whether it was iron,

silver, gold,

whatever it was,

wood, hay or stubble,

this was given to us by you, Lord.

And David is reminding the people

that the only way that they have any wealth at all,

the only way that they have any skill,

the only way that they can digest solid food,

the only way they can have any willingness

is as a result of God's intervention.

David is saying without God,

we're nothing and we have nothing.

God had already warned Israel

that he would give them everything they needed

to the point of being full.

But if they forgot God,

he would chasten them

to the point of stripping them of everything.

One of the problems of being full and rich and fat,

whether it's money, skill, beauty or knowledge,

is pride.

Too many people think that what they have,

whether it's money, beauty, skill, knowledge,

is a result of their own doing.

But they're dead wrong.

Whatever a person has,

be it money, beauty, skill,

knowledge,

comes directly from God.

If you know something,

God gave it to you.

If you can do something,

God gave it to you.

If you have something,

God gave it to you.

Moses makes this point

as it concerns wealth

and the self-conceited pride that comes with it.

Notice Deuteronomy 8.10 and following.

When thou hast eaten and art full,

then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God

for the good land which he hath given thee.

But beware,

that thou forget not the Lord thy God

in not keeping his commandments

and his judgments and his statutes

which I command thee this day,

lest when thou hast eaten and art full

and hast built goodly houses

and dwelt therein,

and when thy herds and flocks multiply

and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied

and all that thou hast is multiplied,

then thine heart be lifted up

and thou forget the Lord thy God

which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt

from the house of bondage

who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness

wherein were fiery,

serpents and scorpions in drought

where there was no water

who brought thee forth water

out of the rock of Flint

who fed thee in the wilderness with manna

which thy fathers knew not

that he might humble thee

and that he might prove thee

to do thee good at thy latter end.

And thou say in thine heart,

My power and the might of mine hand

hath gotten me this wealth.

But note the next verse.

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God

for it is true.

It is he that giveth thee power to get wealth

so that he may establish his covenant

which he sware unto thy fathers

as it is this day.

And so according to verse 18,

the only reason God gives us any kind of wherewithal

and the power to get it

is so that we might willingly give to the work

in order to establish his holy covenant

which he swore to our fathers and to us.

And while we are blessed with wealth

to bring us,

to provide for our families

and the things that are needed,

even those things which are identified

as entertainment and recreational,

we are still called not to forget

the needs of the kingdom of God.

And so the people respond to the call of God

unto David and Solomon

and willingly, with passion,

with devotion, support the work

with rejoicing and great joy.

And this is what prompts David

to openly bless God

in the public venue

with one of the most moving testimonies

of God's goodness and his majesty.

We will consider that next

when we return to our exposition of

1 Kings and the reign of King Solomon.

This we shall do, God helping us

unto the praise of the glory of his grace.

Amen.