1 Chronicles 29:10-22 Gift Blessed
David is moved by the generosity of the assembly for the House of the Lord. He gives thanks to God for the people’s hearts and the blessings of God that have made their gifts possible.
I can certainly identify with David’s words today! He is expressing his thanks for ALL that the Lord has done for his people. These people are not just his but God’s. God has granted them prosperity. God has given them victory in battle. God has given them peace. And God has given them a generous heart.
But before ALL else David acknowledges who God is and why He is worthy to be praised. God, the maker of the universe, is who David is addressing. The same God that made the sun and the moon. The God who hung the stars. The God who created the world and populated it with life. The God who personally called Abram out from among the nations. And the God who still sees Israel as they stand before Him that day (and today).
This same God gave the people the ability to give in the first place. They are not giving Him anything He had not first given them. From the name He bestowed on them to the items of wealth they held in their hands, to the very land they stood upon, ALL were gifts from God. And the greatest gift God has given them is a heart towards Him; a heart to willingly give back to Him with joy! I want to stand beside him in front of the assembly as he praises God for these people.
♥ ♦ ♥
The tally has been taken. The sums calculated. And the people are rejoicing. The whole assembly is stunned by the magnitude of what just transpired. David had asked the people to give to the House of the Lord and they DID. Not one person held back. Each heart opened freely and joyfully as they offered up what they had to the Lord.
David’s feet danced in response to the hearts of the people. He knew his people and their history. He knew they were a stubborn people and that they had struggled with their commitment to their God. God had NEVER struggled with His commitment to them. Right now, there was no struggle. There was no divide. There was gratitude and generosity flowing through the assembly like a mighty river, washing away all else.
David’s heart could contain it no longer. With full voice and tears streaming down his face, he offered up thanks to the Lord. The acoustics inherent in his position carried his words to the farthest corners of those assembled and beyond.
“Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of Israel our Father, forever and ever…” David punctuated this pronouncement with upraised hands.
The people quieted their own praises and listened to their king interceding on their behalf.
David fell to his knees to continue his prayer. “…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…” David’s voice rose in timber as he listed the might of the Lord. David took a deep breath before continuing.
“…Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head above all…”
David dropped his arms into his lap and raised his face towards heaven as if conversing with the Lord personally. “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…”
David put his hand to his breast as he continued, “But who am I,…” then he swept his hand out to indicate the assembly, “…and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly?…”
David stood to his feet and began to walk back and forth as he continued to pour his heart out to the Lord. “For all things come from You, and of Your own have we given You. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all of our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like shadow, and there is no abiding…”
David swept his arm towards the bags with the jewels and the tally, “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 all Your own…”
David stopped pacing and faced Heaven, speaking as if directly face to face again, “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…” David raised up on his toes while speaking of the people’s generosity to the Lord.
David again clasp his hands to his breast as he poured out his plea for his people’s future. “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 towards You…”
David stepped over to Solomon and put his hand on his shoulder once again before continuing. “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 provisions” (verses 10b-19, emphasis added).
David threw his hands into the air and wept then cried out for the people to join him in his praise, “Bless the Lord Your God” (verse 20a).
The people bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king. They were moved by David’s prayer and they wholly agreed with him. Their actions were the ‘Amen’ the Lord deserved.
Before dismissing the people David had one more thing he wanted to put forth.
“Tomorrow we will gather and offer sacrifice to the Lord. A celebration for the work He has started in our midst.”
The next day the priests were kept busy from dawn to dusk as a day of rejoicing took place. Burnt offerings totaled “1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel” (verse 21b). ALL ate and drank before the Lord with glad hearts.
♥ ♦ ♥
Father God I thank You for ALL the blessings You have poured into my life and the ability to pour into others’ lives. PLEASE keep my heart sensitive and open to the needs You bring before me. Let me be Your instrument and keep my heart wholly in Your hands.
