Month: January 2024

2 Chronicles 2:1, 4-5 And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord, and an house for his kingdom….Behold, I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him…And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.

David planned the Temple, made elaborate preparations for it, and charged his son Solomon to build it. Solomon then determined to build a house for the name (the presence) of the Lord, and dedicate it to Him for worship and sacrifice. The House he built was great, wonderful, awesome, and beautiful. Chronicles describes in elaborate detail the materials and craftsmanship of the temple’s building.

The great, almighty Creator of the universe loved His people so much that He desired to humble Himself to live among them, to be with them always on the earth. There will be a place where God is present with us, where He will receive worship and develop a relationship with us. Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of David, became God with us in a human body. He lived, died, and rose to buy us back and bring us to God. He pointed to His physical body and called it a temple that would be destroyed and raised up in three days. Then He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in the bodies of believers, who would become the temple, the name, the presence, of God on earth.

We are humbly grateful and joyful that the God of the universe has chosen to dwell on earth in our bodies as a Temple. That very thought gives us pregnant pause: we say, “Jesus is my Lord,” we worship, thank, praise, glorify, and honor Him, and we die to self that we may love and serve others. Thus our response is to pray, “Hallowed be Thy name.” The name, the presence, of God is in us to renew us and energize us to live a godly and loving life.

2 Chronicles 1:11 And God said to Solomon, because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life, but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king.

God gave Solomon a blank check to ask for anything he wanted. He did not ask for money or worldly goods, but he asked for wisdom to wisely rule the people of God. This was a wise ask, so God gave him worldly riches and power in addition. This event reveals a Biblical principle for all of us to follow as well.

”Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.” When God is the first and only thing that matters in your life, then He makes sure to take care of all the worries we struggle with. Our prayer life needs to include asking for godly wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously without reproach, and it will be given to him [James 1:5].” And then our Lord adds the other things.

Our response to the promise “ask and it will be given” is to pray for God’s wisdom to faithfully fulfill the vocation to which God has called us. Solomon received the calling to be king. Each of us has received a unique calling, different than anyone else’s, whether parent, child, employer, employee, etc. We ask God for the wisdom to carry out that vocation to the glory of God and for the good of others with the wisdom and knowledge God gives for our mission in life.

We admit that we do not always know what to do and when and how to do it, so we humbly and in faith ask for wisdom, help, and guidance. God grants what is needed to do the job. We live out our calling in trust. Ask for wisdom!

1 Chronicles 29:21-22 And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings unto the Lord, on the morrow after that day, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. and did eat and drink before the Lord on that day with great gladness, and they made Solomon the son of David king.

After David consolidated the kingdom, ruled wisely, wrote Psalms, and completed preparations for the temple, the people anointed Solomon and made him king with a great festival celebration. The feasting included thousands of sacrifices and offerings. Worship and thanksgiving to God knows no bounds. The anointing of Solomon was a big deal, for it assured the continuation of the Davidic dynasty, and for us, the Promise of the Davidic Covenant fulfilled in the person of the Son of David, the King of kings, the Messiah, our Eternal Savior.

The coronation of our King at the cross, the resurrection, and the ascension calls us to a great Feast, a celebratory party. Our sacrifice of praise and offering of self responds to the eternal sacrifice of Christ and to the subsequent crowning of the King of our lives. We celebrate His sacrifice with a great party every week in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Holy Communion is both a remembrance of Jesus’ victory and coronation and an anticipation of the Feast to Come.

Every time we die to self in the service and blessing of others we are responding to the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. And every time we eat and drink of Christ in the Lord’s Supper Feast we proclaim His death and celebrate the wonderful gift of Salvation from our King. And all of our life is a celebratory response of praise and thanksgiving. Life is good; our King is ruling.

1 Chronicles 29:20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. and all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the king.

When all the preparations had been made for the building of the temple, the coming of God to dwell among His people, David and the congregation blessed the Lord. The Lord is the big blesser. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. The spiritual and physical blessings we have received from God are actually much more than we can appreciate or can even be aware of. It strains our mind to even count our blessings, for they are too numerous to mention.

God blesses us, not because we are good, but because He is good. He even comes to dwell in our hearts and bodies, as a temple. We receive and enjoy His blessings, many of which are eternal. We respond by blessing the Lord. How can we bless the God who has everything and gives every blessing? To bless is to say good things about and do good things to someone. To bless is to make others feel better. We can’t make God feel better than He already is, but we feel better for giving a blessing.

We respond to the blessing and the presence of God in our life with worship, prayer, singing, praise, thanks. We spend our lives blessing the Lord. The more we respond in faith, the more we bless God, and the more thankful we are, the better our life is. When blessing is mutual everyone benefits.

1 Chronicles 29:16-17 O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own. I know also, my God that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

David prayed after he and the people had gathered everything needed for the building of a glorious temple for the presence of God on earth. He told God that they offered it all willingly. He said that all the store they prepared came from God and belonged to Him anyway. They gave what was God’s. And they did so with glad and cheerful hearts.

When we bring our offerings to the Lord we sing: “We give Thee but Thine own, Whate’er the gift may be; All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee.” God gives money, jobs, good things, and blessings so that we may use it in His service and give back to Him what belongs to Him. We respond to the Gospel by giving our tithes and offerings willingly to God for His service and mission and ministry. We acknowledge that everything we have comes from Him, and we live our lives in thanks and praise. Our giving expresses that faith. We belong to Him.

1 Chronicles 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart the offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

When all the plans for the temple were in place, the people rejoiced, and David also rejoiced with great joy. And they offered willingly to the Lord with perfect heart. The writer of Chronicles makes the preparing and building of the temple a really big deal, for God was coming to dwell on earth with His people. This truth is a cause of great joy, which led them to offer to the Lord willingly and gladly.

Cheerful Offering is a practical way of expressing the joy of the Lord that overtakes us when we hear, receive, and believe the Gospel. For the great God of the universe has come to dwell in our hearts, as in a temple. God is in us and with us. When we sense and realize that wonderful truth we are naturally overjoyed and we are glad to give God everything.

It is not easy to believe that God lives in our body, that His Presence is right here. The Word and the Spirit convince us that it is really true. The love of God for us produces the Joy of the Lord. Then we offer to give ourselves in the service of others. And making others feel better gives us more joy, and so it multiplies.

We receive “Good News of great joy” with a God-created faith, and our joyful response positively affects all of life. We rejoice and offer willingly, and everyone, both others and our self, feels better.

1 Chronicles 29:6-7 Then the chiefs of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and captains of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly. And gave for the service of the house of God of gold…and of silver…and of brass…and of iron.

God’s people offered willingly and gave all the gold, silver, brass, and iron, and everything needed for the service of the house of God. No expense was spared for the beautiful and extravagant temple of the Lord. All of the materials were offered willingly, not taxed, and they gave freely, not under compulsion. Under David’s rule and leadership, the people responded to grace with grace. The grace of generous giving to the Lord turns out to be more glorious than conscripted revenue for political purposes.

The entire building with all its accoutrements were made from grace giving, willingly and gladly, to give glory and blessing to the Lord who gives glory and blessing abundantly to His people. This is what happens to the believing receptors of God’s extravagant mercy. Those who believe and receive from Jesus extreme gifts of grace with transformed hearts willingly give to the Lord in thanks, praise, and worship. And there is no limit to the extravagant generosity and love.

1 Chronicles 28:20 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.

David spoke these words of encouragement to Solomon as he was about to take over the kingdom and build the temple of the Lord. In Joshua 1:9, Moses speaks similar words of encouragement to Joshua as he was about to assume leadership in the Conquest of the Promised Land. The same reason is given for why they could be strong and of good courage: “The Lord God will be with you.”

Before beginning a great work of God, like entering the land or building the temple, we need to take courage and be not afraid because the Lord is with us. Jesus gave us the Great Commission to go into all the world with the accompanying promise, “Lo, I am with you always.” God recognizes that there will be opposition to finishing the work He called us to, but it is His work and He is with us.

The Lord has called each of us to a particular mission according to our vocation in life. It may be as father, mother, leader or worker, but the calling is just as important as a general or a king. For instance, raising a godly family presents challenges and the job comes with opposition. But we have God’s promise; therefore, we can respond with strength and courage, and we will fear not nor be dismayed. Just having a baby or starting a new job comes mixed with joy and fear. So the Lord gives us this word: be strong and of good courage!

1 Chronicles 28:8-9 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the Lord, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever. and thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind….if thou seek him, he will be found of thee, but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

David told Solomon to be careful to obey the Word of God. Keep and seek all the commandments of the Lord. Promises are fulfilled and blessings multiplied if you seek the Lord. Know God and serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. The promise is: if you seek Him, He will be found. The warning is: if you forsake Him, He will cast you off. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.”

Seeking with a perfect heart and a willing mind means repenting and believing the love of God with an honest and good heart. It means looking for the Lord to be here and expecting mercy, goodness, grace and blessing. Seeking implies, and promises, finding, although we do not actually find Him; He finds us. The Holy Spirit comes with the Gospel to open and enter a heart that He has prepared. Instead of saying, “I found it!” We say with joyful faith, “I am found!”

If we forsake Him, we hear the warning: “cast off for ever.” We will never forsake, forget, ignore, or deny Him. The teachings of Scripture are the keys to security, happiness, and justice, but we will never discover them unless we search God’s Word. We know God’s commands through regular Bible study, and we find ways to apply them to our life. We are constantly seeking and the Lord is always finding.

1 Chronicles 26:27 Out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord.

In the middle of a long list of names of people appointed to the service of the temple, there is this mention of war plunder being dedicated to the house of the Lord. War plunder rightfully belonged to the victorious army. These soldiers, however, gave a portion of plunder to the house of the Lord to express their dedication to God.

We also respond to the gospel of Jesus with a giving spirit. We think about what we can give rather than what we are obligated to give. Our giving is a matter of rejoicing, not of duty. We give to the church and the Lord’s work as a response of joy and love for God. “God loves a cheerful giver.” Giving is a response of joy and a producer of joy. Charitable giving is far different than taxation.