MOTIVES MATTER
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Opening Prayer
I come to your Word today, Lord God, wanting to learn more of your love, your justice, your mercy; wanting to learn how to better trust and serve you.
Read 1 CHRONICLES 22
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
22 Then David said, “The house of the Lord God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
Preparations for the Temple
2 So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. 3 He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. 4 He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.
5 David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.
6 Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God. 8 But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,[a] and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. 12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
14 “I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents[b] of gold, a million talents[c] of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them. 15 You have many workers: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as those skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you.”
17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 He said to them, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people. 19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 22:9 Solomon sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for peace.
- 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 3,750 tons or about 3,400 metric tons
- 1 Chronicles 22:14 That is, about 37,500 tons or about 34,000 metric tons
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Why do you follow Jesus? Is it just because of what he does for you?
I’m not sure what to make of David here. He’s not allowed to build the temple himself (and now we know why, v. 8), but he does as much as he can under the pretext of Solomon’s youth and inexperience! Many young people would sympathize with Solomon and feel indignant, sensing that David should take his hands off and allow Solomon to do it his way. It’s true, however, that David’s acceptance of a vast quantity of materials and labor potential—mainly from his heathen neighbors and immigrants—would have helped make Solomon’s Temple truly magnificent.1 Significantly, Solomon spent seven years building the temple for God and thirteen years building his own house,2 which may say something about him. Sadly, we know that Solomon’s initial obedience to David’s charge to follow and obey the Lord (v. 12, 13) was short-lived. How much was due to having been lavishly provided for, with no threats to peace during his lifetime? How easy it is to ignore God when all is going well!
So how should we react to this chapter? Perhaps the point is that David’s chief desire was to make known God’s glory and magnificence. Whether or not he was wise to take the steps he did, his overriding motive was for God’s glory. However unwise we ourselves might sometimes be—whether in relating to our children or in some other way—it’s our motive that finally counts.
What about all those conscripted to contribute? The aliens who were stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and artisans (v. 15)? Would they have taken pride in their work, knowing that it was for Israel’s God? We don’t know. It’s worth considering, however, that God can use all sorts of people—not just Christians—to do his work.
Apply
Where do you see God working in your context through the efforts of non-Christians?
Closing prayer
Thank you, Father, for the evidences of your work in my life— sometimes, even from unexpected places or through unlikely people. I am grateful for the many ways you show your investment in helping me to do your will.
1 1 Kings 6 2 1 Kings 6:38; 7:1
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