1 Chronicles 29 Explained - 5 Minute Bible Study

1 Chronicles 29 Short Summary:

1 Chronicles 29 is the last chapter in the Book of 1 Chronicles. After assembling all the officials of Israel in Jerusalem, David took up a freewill offering for the Temple project. David praised God and asked Him to guide Solomon as king. Solomon was anointed king a second time and assumed the throne in David’s place. The end of the chapter records the death of David after his 40-year reign over the people of God.

What is 1 Chronicles 29 About?

WHEN:

• The Book of 1 Chronicles was written several hundred years after King David’s reign.  

• David became king of Judah in approximately 1055 B.C, the year Saul died. David’s reign spanned approximately 40 years (1055-1015 B.C.). He reigned over Judah for 7 years and 6 months, before becoming king over all Israel. His reign over all Judah and Israel lasted 33 years.

• The final chapters of 1 Chronicles document events that occurred at the end of David’s life.

CHARACTERS:

• David – The 2nd king of Israel and Judah.

• Solomon – The son of David and the 3rd king of Israel and Judah.

• Government Officials – “The officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons” (28:1).

WHERE:

• David assembled all the officials of Israel in Jerusalem to present Solomon as their next king and as the man who would build the Temple.

OUTLINE:

• THE OFFICIALS OF ISRAEL GIVE GENEROUSLY TO THE TEMPLE PROJECT (29:1-9):

  • David told the officials gathered in Jerusalem that he had done his best to gather provisions for the Temple project.

  • He did this, in part, because his son was young and needed help making the Temple into a magnificent structure worthy of the name of the Lord.

  • The kingdom stored up resources (gold, silver, bronze, iron, etc), and David gave generously from his own fortune, 3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 talents of silver.

  • David encouraged the officials of Israel to make freewill offerings of their own, which they did, with great generosity.

  • They contributed 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,0000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron. They also brought gemstones to the treasurer.

• DAVID AND ISRAEL BLESS THE LORD (29:10-21):

  • David prayed a prayer of blessing to God before all the people.

    He praised God for His greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty.

    He acknowledged that all the riches that had been contributed to the Temple already belonged to God, and that everything humans own is ultimately God’s.

    “For all things come from You, and of Your own have we given You” (29:14).

    David asked the Lord to give his people pure hearts.

    He finished by asking God’s blessing on Solomon, that he would finish the Temple and lead the people according to God’s commandments, statutes, and testimonies.

    When David finished, he commanded all the people to bless the Lord.

    The day after, the people offered 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs as sacrifices to God.

• SOLOMON IS MADE KING, AGAIN (29:22-25):

  • The people of Israel anointed Solomon king for a second time (1 Kings 1:34), reaffirming his reign.

  • Solomon “sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father” (29:23).

  • All David’s officers pledged their allegiance to Solomon.

  • God blessed his kingdom, and he became very great.

• THE DEATH OF DAVID (29:26-30):

  • After reigning over the people of God for 40 years, David “died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor” (29:28).

  • David’s life was documented in the Chronicles of Samuel, the Chronicles of Nathan, and the Chronicles of Gad the seer.

EXPLANATION:

• Are you building anything that will benefit future generations?

• Often, we are so self-focused we only undertake project that will have a realized benefit in our lifetime.

• David made the Temple possible, by preparing for it years in advance.

• What could you be doing today that would allow someone to accomplish something in the future that could never be achieved in one lifetime?

• In your work for the Church, think of yourself as a foundation layer. Organize and structure your work in a way that future generations can build on it.

• God’s work is going to continue when you and I are dead, what can we do today to maximize the Kingdom’s impact in future generations?

• In order to discover the answer, we must look outside of ourselves, outside of our one small lifetime, and broaden our perspective to see ourselves in God’s larger generation story.