David’s Final Words

Text: 1 Chronicles 29 (Page 420) Series: A Family Mess—The Life of David

MAIN POINT

Because everything comes from God and belongs to God, we should devote ourselves and our resources to his work while faithfully preparing others to continue it.

INTRODUCTION

Winston Churchill is widely regarded as one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century. He led Britain through World War II. He refused to surrender to Nazi Germany, even when much of Europe had already fallen. His speeches inspired an entire nation during one of its darkest hours.

And yet Churchill’s legacy is complicated. His decisions during the Bengal famine of 1943 have been heavily criticized. He was often described as arrogant, impulsive, and dismissive. His family also struggled deeply. His relationships with his children were often strained. His daughter Diana struggled with depression and alcoholism and later died by suicide. His daughter Sarah battled alcoholism for much of her life. His son Randolph became known for heavy drinking, gambling, financial irresponsibility, and damaged relationships.

How can one person demonstrate such remarkable courage and leadership while also making decisions that caused so much pain?

Human beings are not simple. We are more complicated and sinful than we often realize. When you look back over your own life, you can probably identify moments of faithfulness and moments of failure. You may remember victories for which you are grateful and decisions you deeply regret.

Over the course of this series, we have seen just how complicated David’s life was. David was the forgotten shepherd boy chosen to be king. He was the boy who trusted God while facing a giant. He was the young man who formed a faithful friendship with the king’s son. He was the fugitive who refused to kill God’s anointed king. He was the king who brought the ark of the covenant to the capital city because he wanted worship to stand at the center of Israel’s life.

But David was also the king who brought Bathsheba into his palace to commit adultery. He was the king who arranged the death of one of his most loyal soldiers because that soldier was Bathsheba’s husband. He was the father whose family was ravaged by abuse, revenge, division, and rebellion. He was the king who ordered a census because he trusted military strength more than God’s faithfulness.

David’s life included faith and failure, courage and compromise, worship and wandering. It really was a family mess.

Now we come to 1 Chronicles 29. David is old. Solomon is about to become king. The Temple David wanted to build will be built by someone else. David’s life and reign are coming to an end.

This chapter moves from David’s preparation, to David’s prayer, to Solomon’s coronation, and finally to David’s death. Through it all, we discover that David was important, but David was never the center of the story.

God was.

1. DAVID AND THE PEOPLE GIVE WILLINGLY

1 Chronicles 29:1–9 ESV

And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble. Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house, and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?” Then the leaders of fathers’ houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work. They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

In 1 Chronicles 29:1, David addresses the entire assembly:

“Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God.”

David acknowledges that Solomon is young and inexperienced. Solomon does not have David’s years of leadership. He has not fought David’s battles or endured David’s hardships. But Solomon has something more important than experience: God has chosen him.

The task is greater than Solomon, but it is not greater than God.

That takes us back to the beginning of David’s story. David was also young and inexperienced when he stood before Goliath. David did not defeat Goliath because David was enough. David defeated Goliath because God was enough. God’s work has always been greater than the people God chooses to accomplish it.

David then explains that he has prepared for the Temple with all his ability. He has gathered gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, precious stones, decorative stones, and marble. David has done everything within his power to prepare for work he knows he will never personally complete.

Then David goes even further. Because of his devotion to the house of God, he gives from his own personal treasure. This is not merely money from the government treasury. This is David’s own wealth. David does not ask Israel to make a sacrifice he is unwilling to make himself.

Earlier in his life, David sometimes used his position to take. He took Bathsheba. He took Uriah’s life. He treated the kingdom as though it existed for him.

But here, at the end of his life, David uses his position to give.

Grace has turned David’s hands from taking to giving.

David gives an enormous amount of gold and silver. He invests his treasure in something that will outlive him. Then, in verse 5, David asks the central question of this section:

“Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?”

Notice that David does not merely ask, “Who will contribute?” He asks, “Who will consecrate themselves?”

To consecrate yourself means to place yourself at God’s disposal. It means saying, “Lord, I belong to you. What I have belongs to you. Use me for your purposes.”

Before God wants the treasure in their hands, he wants the people themselves.

In verses 6–9, Israel’s leaders respond. Family leaders, tribal leaders, military commanders, and government officials bring gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones. Different people possess different resources, but each person places what God has provided into God’s work.

Then verse 9 tells us:

“The people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord.”

They are not joyful because they now possess less wealth. They are joyful because God has allowed them to participate in what he is doing.

God is not merely looking for a contribution. He is looking for consecration.

The application is larger than money:

Will I give God my time?

Will I give God my abilities?

Will I give God my plans?

Will I give God my influence?

Will I give God my future?

Will I give God myself?

When our hearts belong to God, we willingly place what we have into his hands.

In O. Henry’s short story The Gift of the Magi, there is a poor young husband and wife named Jim and Della. Christmas is approaching, and neither has enough money to purchase a meaningful gift for the other.

Della’s most prized possession is her beautiful long hair. She decides that the only way she can afford a present for Jim is to cut and sell it. Jim’s most prized possession is a gold pocket watch that had been passed down from his father and grandfather. He decides that the only way he can afford a present for Della is to sell the watch.

On Christmas Day, they exchange gifts. Della opens her gift and finds a beautiful set of combs for her hair. Jim opens his gift and finds a gold chain for his pocket watch. Each gift has been made practically useless by the other person’s sacrifice.

And yet both gifts reveal something precious. Jim and Della each loved the other more than their most treasured possession. Their willingness to sacrifice was itself the true gift.

What made the gifts memorable was not merely the amount spent. It was the heart behind them.

David and the people have given willingly. But David does not congratulate them as though they produced this wealth by themselves. He turns their attention toward the God from whom everything came.

2. DAVID GIVES GOD ALL THE GLORY

1 Chronicles 29:10–20 ESV

Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.” Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king.

Verse 10 says:

“David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly.”

David does not praise himself. He does not praise the amount collected. He does not praise the leaders.

He praises God.

David declares:

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty.”

David had experienced greatness, power, victory, and honor. He ruled a kingdom. He commanded armies. Songs were written about him. His name was known throughout the land.

But at the end of his life, David says, “None of it was ultimately mine.”

The kingdom belongs to God. The power belongs to God. The victory belongs to God. The glory belongs to God.

That statement interprets David’s entire life. God chose him. God gave him victory over Goliath. God protected him from Saul. God established him as king. God made a covenant with him. God preserved him through rebellion. God forgave him when he repented.

David’s best moments came when he said, “The battle belongs to the Lord.” David’s worst moments came when he acted as though the kingdom belonged to David.

When we recognize that everything comes from God, gratitude takes the place of pride.

Then David asks in verse 14:

“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly?”

David is amazed that God has allowed them to participate. Then he says:

“For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.”

That may be the central sentence of the entire chapter.

David says, “God, we have not enriched you. We have simply returned part of what you first placed in our hands.”

Verse 15 reminds us how temporary human life is:

“Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.”

David’s throne was temporary. David’s wealth was temporary. David’s body was temporary. David’s reputation was temporary.

But God is from everlasting to everlasting.

David says that all the abundance gathered for the Temple came from God’s hand and belongs to God. The people are not owners. They are stewards.

A steward manages something that belongs to someone else. That applies to everything God has placed in our hands: our money, homes, abilities, opportunities, influence, relationships, children, ministry, and even our next breath.

The question is not, “How much of my life should I give to God?”

The better question is, “How does God want me to use the life that already belongs to him?”

My first job, at the ripe old age of fifteen, was installing doors in commercial buildings. I showed up on my first day wearing hiking boots. I was firmly informed that I would need steel-toed boots if I wanted to come back for a second day.

After a while, I turned sixteen. One day, we were working across town, near the busiest highway in Alabama. At the end of the day, my boss threw me the keys to his brand-new Chevrolet Avalanche and told me to drive us home.

An important detail is that my parents had not yet allowed me to drive on major highways. But I was not about to tell my boss no.

So I began one of the most nerve-racking drives of my life. I was scared to death. By the grace of God, we made it home without a scratch.

I was nervous for two reasons:

I had never driven on a highway that busy.

More importantly, it was not my truck.

We tend to handle things differently when we remember that they belong to someone else. The Bible tells us that we do not ultimately own anything.

The way we handle something changes when we remember who owns it.

Verse 17 moves from the gift to the heart behind the gift. David says that God tests the heart and delights in integrity. The offering does not purchase God’s favor. It reveals what is happening within the people.

The heart has been the issue throughout David’s life. David’s heart trusted God before Goliath. His heart refused revenge against Saul. His heart longed for God’s presence.

But David’s heart also wandered toward Bathsheba. His heart became passive while his family fractured. His heart became proud when he counted the army.

Yesterday’s faithfulness does not remove today’s need to guard our hearts.

In verse 18, David prays that God will keep these desires within the people and direct their hearts toward him. David knows that one emotional moment is not enough. One generous offering is not enough. The people need God to preserve their devotion.

Then David prays for Solomon. He does not primarily ask God to make Solomon wealthy, famous, popular, successful, or comfortable. He prays that Solomon will have a whole heart, obey God’s commands, and complete the work of the Temple.

Solomon’s greatest need is not David’s throne. Solomon’s greatest need is a heart devoted to God.

Parents and grandparents, what do we want most for the next generation? We want them to be safe. We want them to receive a good education. We want them to find meaningful work. We want them to enjoy life.

Those are good desires. But none of them can substitute for a heart devoted to God.

Our most important prayer should be, “God, give them wholehearted devotion to you.”

This section begins with David praising God, and it ends with the whole congregation bowing down in worship.

The giving leads to gratitude. Gratitude leads to worship. The Temple is not ultimately about the Temple.

It is about God.

Everything comes from God.

Everything belongs to God.

Everything should be used for God’s glory.

3. GOD ESTABLISHES SOLOMON TO CONTINUE THE WORK

1 Chronicles 29:21–25 ESV

And they offered sacrifices to the Lord, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and they anointed him as prince for the Lord, and Zadok as priest. Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon. And the Lord made Solomon very great in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

In verses 21–25, the people offer sacrifices and celebrate before the Lord. Then they publicly recognize Solomon as king and Zadok as priest.

David is stepping aside. Solomon is stepping forward.

Verse 23 says:

“Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father.”

That phrase—“the throne of the Lord”—is important. The throne does not ultimately belong to David. The throne does not ultimately belong to Solomon.

It belongs to God.

Solomon is not the owner of the kingdom. He is God’s appointed servant within God’s kingdom.

David prepared, but God established. David could gather gold and silver, but he could not guarantee Solomon’s success. David could pray for Solomon’s heart, but he could not control Solomon’s heart. David could present Solomon to the people, but only God could establish him.

There is a difference between preparing the next generation and controlling the next generation.

Our responsibility is to teach, model, encourage, resource, pray, and entrust. Then we must trust God to work in the people who come after us.

A godly legacy is not making ourselves indispensable. It is preparing others to be faithful after we are gone.

George Wythe was an eighteenth-century lawyer who devoted much of his life to training younger lawyers, leaders, and thinkers. Most people today do not know his name, but many know the names of his students.

John Marshall, who became the longest-serving chief justice of the United States, studied under him. Henry Clay, who served as a congressman, senator, and secretary of state, also studied under him. His most famous student was Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson regarded Wythe as one of his most influential mentors in law, integrity, and character. George Wythe was not nearly as famous as some of his students, but he invested in the people coming behind him. His influence continued through the lives of those he prepared.

Faithfulness does not always mean getting to finish the work. Sometimes faithfulness means placing the work into someone else’s hands.

David prepared the way. Solomon received the assignment. God established the work.

No servant of God completes everything. Moses led Israel toward the Promised Land, but Joshua led them into it. David prepared the Temple, but Solomon built it. Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Some of us are planting trees beneath whose shade we will never sit. We are teaching children whose adult faithfulness we may never see. We are investing in ministries whose greatest fruit may come after we are gone. We are praying prayers that may be answered in another generation.

That does not make the work less meaningful.

It reminds us that the work belongs to God.

4. DAVID DIES, BUT GOD’S WORK CONTINUES

1 Chronicles 29:28 ESV

Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.

The chapter closes with these words:

“Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.”

The forgotten shepherd boy became the king of God’s people.

David ruled for forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. His reign was long, but it still had an ending.

Verse 28 says:

“Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.”

David dies, but God’s promise does not die. David’s reign ends, but God’s kingdom continues. David’s part in the work ends, but God’s work moves forward.

David was important, but David was never indispensable.

Scripture records the whole story. It records David’s courage and his cowardice. It records his faith and his failure. It records his worship and his wandering.

David was chosen by grace. He was courageous before Goliath. He was faithful in friendship. He showed restraint before Saul. He was passionate about worship. He received God’s covenant promise.

He was also guilty of terrible sin. He was wounded by the consequences that spread through his family. He was humbled after acting in pride. He was restored by grace. At the end of his life, he faithfully prepared the next generation.

The final testimony of David’s life is not that David never failed.

The final testimony is that God remained faithful through all of David’s mess.

Solomon succeeds David, but Solomon will eventually sin and die as well. God’s promise cannot ultimately rest on David or Solomon.

The story points forward to Jesus, David’s greater Son.

David’s reign ended. Jesus’ kingdom never ends.

David’s heart wandered. Jesus obeyed the Father perfectly.

David sometimes used his power for himself. Jesus used his power to serve and save.

David took an innocent man’s life to cover his guilt. Jesus was the innocent man who gave his life to cover our guilt.

David prepared a house for God. Jesus gave himself to make us part of God’s household.

The lesson of David’s life is not simply, “Try harder to be like David.”

The lesson is, “Trust David’s greater Son.”

Our hope is not that we will never make a mess. Our hope is that Jesus died for sinners, rose from the grave, and reigns as the faithful King.

CONCLUSION

This chapter has moved in a clear direction. In verses 1–9, David and the people consecrate themselves and give willingly. In verses 10–20, David confesses that everything comes from God and belongs to God. In verses 21–25, God establishes Solomon to continue the work. In verses 26–30, David dies, but God’s work continues.

That leaves us with four questions:

Am I placing myself and what God has given me at his disposal?

Am I living as an owner or as a steward?

Who am I preparing to carry God’s work forward?

Will my life point toward my accomplishments or toward God’s faithfulness?

David’s question in verse 5 still stands:

“Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?”

Not yesterday.

Not someday.

Today.

Maybe your story has been messy too. You can see moments of faith and moments of failure. You can see blessings you did not earn and consequences you wish you could undo.

The good news is that the mess does not have to have the final word.

Because of God’s grace, you can finish faithfully.

You can say:

“Lord, everything I have came from you. Everything I am belongs to you. Take my gifts, my resources, my plans, my family, my future, and my whole heart. Use them for your glory.”

The story was never ultimately about David, and our story is not ultimately about us.

Everything comes from God.

Everything belongs to God.

Everything should be used for the glory of God.

Let’s pray.