1 Chronicles Chapter 29

The End of David’s Reign

A. David’s Offering for the Temple

1. David’s gifts to build the temple

1 Chronicles 29:1-5
“Furthermore King David said to all the assembly, My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the Lord God. Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might, gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver, three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses, the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”

David addressed the entire assembly of Israel and reminded them that Solomon, though chosen by God, was still young and inexperienced. The task before him was immense because the temple was not for man but for the Lord God. A building constructed for the God of Israel demanded extraordinary resources, meticulous preparation, and generational devotion. David therefore took it upon himself to prepare everything possible with all his might. His preparation included gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, precious stones, onyx, glistening stones, stones to be set, and marble slabs in abundance. He ensured that no material needed for the construction was lacking.

David’s devotion went even further. Because I have set my affection on the house of my God, he gave not only from the national treasury but from his personal wealth. He contributed three thousand talents of gold of Ophir and seven thousand talents of refined silver, a staggering amount by any standard. These gifts were intended to overlay the walls and beautify the structures of the temple. David provided gold for everything requiring gold and silver for everything requiring silver, ensuring that the work of the craftsmen could proceed without hindrance.

David’s giving flowed out of his deep love for God. The phrase house of my God reveals a personal closeness. God was not merely the God of Israel. He was David’s God, and thus David’s affection for the house of God was heartfelt and intimate. Jesus later captured this principle in Matthew 6:21, affirming that where a man’s treasure is, there his heart will be also. David’s treasure revealed his heart fully devoted to the Lord.

David ended his address with a searching question. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord? His call was not primarily for money but for personal consecration. The Hebrew phrase literally means “to fill one’s hand,” the same wording used for ordaining a priest. Payne notes that Scripture places giving on the same level of devotion as priestly consecration. David knew that although he had already gathered vast resources, it remained essential for the people themselves to give. This was not because the temple lacked funding but because the people needed the spiritual discipline of giving. Their offering was a tangible expression of their devotion, their submission, and their participation in the work of God. The building of the temple was not merely David’s project. It was the responsibility and privilege of the entire nation.

David’s words reveal a heart of worship, a model of sacrificial giving, and an understanding that service to God must flow out of love for God. He challenged the people to join him in committing themselves wholly to the Lord by offering willingly, generously, and joyfully.

2. The Giving of the Other Israelites

1 Chronicles 29:6-9
“Then the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king’s work, offered willingly. They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord, and King David also rejoiced greatly.”

The leaders of Israel responded immediately to David’s challenge, and they offered willingly. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses, the tribal leaders, the captains of thousands and hundreds, and the officers who managed the administration of the kingdom. Their willingness was not reluctant nor forced. They saw the greatness of the work, the holiness of the temple, and the devotion of King David, and this stirred within them a joyful desire to give. Their example shows that true leadership includes sacrificial generosity. They contributed five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron, along with precious stones given to the treasury of the house of the Lord under the oversight of Jehiel the Gershonite.

The people rejoiced because they had offered willingly. Their joy flowed from a loyal heart. Their giving was not transactional. It was an act of worship unto the Lord. The temple was not built with coerced giving but with willing hearts that desired to honor God. Their attitude fulfilled the New Testament principle that God loves a cheerful giver, which is stated in 2 Corinthians 9:7. David himself rejoiced greatly, not because of the wealth itself but because the hearts of the people aligned with the heart of God. Their willingness demonstrated that the nation of Israel, at this moment in their history, was unified in their devotion to the Lord and to the work of His house.

B. David’s Psalm Blesses God Before the People

1. David Exalts the Lord

1 Chronicles 29:10-12
“Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly, and David said, Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty, for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might, in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”

David blessed the Lord before the entire assembly. The generosity of the people did not lead David to praise the people but to praise God, because their giving revealed that their hearts were right with Him. Their offerings proved that they desired the presence of the Lord to dwell among them, and this caused David to respond in worship. David began his psalm by declaring, Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. This is the first time in Scripture that God is directly addressed as Father over His people. This title emphasizes His covenant relationship with Israel and His faithful care for them. It also anticipates the way Jesus taught His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9, beginning with “Our Father.” Payne notes that the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, “For Thine is the kingdom,” echoes directly from this passage.

David continued by declaring that the greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty all belong to the Lord. Everything in heaven and on earth belongs to Him. His sovereignty is absolute. His dominion extends over all creation. He is exalted as the head over all. David affirmed that both riches and honor come from God. This was not theoretical. David was a man who had lived a life marked by both honor and wealth, and he openly testified that these blessings came from God alone. David acknowledged that God reigns over all because in His hand is power and might. God alone has the authority to make great and to give strength to all.

This declaration reveals David’s humility and theological clarity. Even at the height of national success, he acknowledged that everything flowed from God. David understood that his kingship, Israel’s prosperity, and the people’s generosity were all manifestations of God’s gracious hand. His praise before the nation modeled true leadership by directing all glory away from himself and toward the Lord.

2. David Expresses Thanks for the Privilege of Giving

1 Chronicles 29:13-15
“Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.
But who am I, and who are my people,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You,
And of Your own we have given You.
For we are aliens and pilgrims before You,
As were all our fathers.
Our days on earth are as a shadow,
And without hope.”

David responded to the generosity of the people by offering thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. He began by exalting the glorious name of God and acknowledging that their giving was a privilege, not a burden. He asked, Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this. David understood that both the ability to give and the willingness to give were themselves gifts from God. He was humbled by the reality that the hearts of the people were stirred by God to offer generously and freely. This humility flowed from the conviction that all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. Everything Israel offered was already God’s property. They were simply returning back to the Lord what He had entrusted to them.

David continued by declaring, For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, as were all our fathers. Our days on earth are as a shadow, and without hope. This was not despair but an acknowledgment of human frailty. David emphasized the weakness and brevity of life. Man’s existence is like a shadow, appearing briefly and vanishing. Trapp explains that a shadow seems to be something, but it is actually nothing, and the longer a shadow appears, the nearer the sun is to its setting. David recognized that God takes weak and temporary people, strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and graciously uses them to accomplish eternal purposes, including building a house for His holy name. This deep sense of humility shaped David’s worship and thanksgiving.

3. David Commits the Offering to God

1 Chronicles 29:16-19
“O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things, and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.”

David declared that the entire abundance prepared for the temple came from the hand of God. He affirmed that it was all God’s own. This reinforced the truth that their giving was not an act of enriching God but an act of worship toward Him. David then acknowledged that the Lord tests the heart and delights in uprightness. He stated openly that his offering was given willingly from an upright heart. He also rejoiced because the people had offered willingly, and he saw their unity and devotion on this day as a special work of the Lord in their hearts.

David prayed that the Lord would preserve this willing spirit within the people, saying, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You. David understood that the moment of unity and devotion during the offering was a sacred gift that needed to be preserved by God’s grace. Morgan observed that David’s praise merged into prayer, asking God to maintain the spiritual mindset that had produced such generosity.

David then prayed specifically for Solomon, asking God to give him a loyal heart. Solomon needed a heart devoted to the Lord in order to keep His commandments, testimonies, and statutes. The future of the kingdom and the security of David’s dynasty depended on Solomon’s faithfulness. David also prayed that Solomon would complete the work of building the temple, fulfilling the provision that David had made. David’s prayer shows the priority of obedience in leadership. Before Solomon could build God’s house, he needed a heart that was steadfast and loyal to the Lord.

4. David Leads the Congregation in Praise

1 Chronicles 29:20
“Then David said to all the assembly, Now bless the Lord your God. So all the assembly blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.”

David then turned to the entire assembly and commanded them to bless the Lord their God. Praise could not remain internal. The people responded visibly and reverently. They bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the Lord. Their posture demonstrated humility, reverence, and surrender. Their worship affirmed that their giving, their unity, and their joy were directed toward the Lord. They also bowed before the king, acknowledging David’s leadership as God’s chosen shepherd over Israel. This act marked a moment of national consecration and devotion, as the people collectively praised the God of their fathers.

C. The End of David’s Reign

1. The Nation Rejoices as Solomon Is Enthroned

1 Chronicles 29:21-25
“And they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the next day, a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. So they ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before the Lord to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest. Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, submitted themselves to King Solomon. So the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.”

The enthronement of Solomon was marked by an extraordinary celebration. The people offered vast sacrifices to the Lord, including a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, together with their drink offerings. These offerings were not mere ritual. They provided food for a national covenant meal, so the people ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness. This feast emphasized fellowship with God and unity among the people as they embraced the new king.

The text says that they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, a reference to the formal enthronement that followed the defeat of Adonijah’s attempted usurpation recorded in 1 Kings chapters one and two. The first anointing had been an emergency action to secure the throne. This second anointing was the public, deliberate coronation of Solomon as God’s chosen leader for Israel. Trapp notes that Solomon’s first coronation was sudden and irregular because of Adonijah’s rebellion, but this second coronation was conducted with solemnity and order.

The narrative reports that all Israel obeyed him, and all the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, submitted themselves to King Solomon. Trapp points out that this phrase may imply a gesture of covenant loyalty, possibly placing their hand under Solomon’s thigh in the same manner seen in Genesis 24:2 and Genesis 47:29, symbolizing sworn faithfulness.

The Chronicler emphasizes that Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord, meaning that the throne of Israel was not merely human but represented divine authority. As Poole explains, all thrones ultimately belong to the Lord, and kings reign by His sovereign appointment. Therefore, Solomon ruled in a capacity that reflected the kingship of God. The text adds that the Lord exalted Solomon with a royal majesty unsurpassed by any king before him. This greatness, however, was not Solomon’s achievement alone. It was inherited from David’s decades of faith, preparation, leadership, and prayer. Solomon’s glory stood upon David’s foundation.

2. The End of King David’s Reign

1 Chronicles 29:26-30
“Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. And the period that he reigned over Israel was forty years, seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty three years he reigned in Jerusalem. So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor, and Solomon his son reigned in his place. Now the acts of King David, first and last, indeed they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, with all his reign and his might, and the events that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the lands.”

David’s reign lasted forty years, seven years in Hebron over Judah and thirty three years in Jerusalem over the united kingdom. While other kings in Scripture enjoyed longer reigns or greater material prosperity, none surpassed David in spiritual greatness or covenantal significance. David remains the model king of Israel, the man after God’s own heart, and the one whose throne serves as the prophetic foreshadowing of the eternal rule of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.

The text states that David died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor, a testimony to God’s faithfulness. Trapp reminds the reader that although David reached this blessed end, he came to the throne through many deep sorrows. All the saints must likewise pass through suffering before entering the fullness of God’s kingdom. Clarke captures David’s life well, describing him as a peasant by birth, a prince by merit, a hero in youth, a monarch in maturity, and a saint in his old age. His grievous sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah was a dark stain, yet David’s repentance was as profound as his sin. God’s mercy restored him fully, demonstrating that even in failure, David remained an example of genuine contrition and divine forgiveness.

The Chronicler notes that the acts of King David were recorded in the writings of Samuel the seer, Nathan the prophet, and Gad the seer. These prophetic records affirmed that David’s reign, his deeds, his struggles, and all the events that shaped Israel and the surrounding nations were under the observation and direction of God’s prophetic word. David’s life closed with the same divine presence that had shaped him since his youth, and his legacy continued in the reign of his son Solomon.