1 Chronicles 28:1 - Meaning and Application

David had done a great deal of service in his day, and he had served his generation according to the will of God (Acts 13:36). Now the time was drawing near for him to die, and, as a type of the Son of David, the closer he came to the end, the busier he became, doing his work with all his strength. He had recently recovered a little from the sickness mentioned in 1 Kings 1:1, when they covered him with clothes and he still could not get warm. But what cure is there for old age? He used his recovery as a chance to do a little more for God and for his country.

First, he called together all the leading men so he could say farewell to them at once (1 Chronicles 28:1). Moses did the same (Deuteronomy 31:28), and so did Joshua (Joshua 23:2; Joshua 24:1). David would not announce the transfer of the crown except in the presence of those who represented the people and were satisfied with it.

Second, he spoke to them with great respect and kindness. He did more than force himself to rise from his bed and meet them, though the occasion gave him new strength. He even rose from his seat and stood up (1 Chronicles 28:2), out of reverence for God, whose will he was about to declare, and out of respect for this solemn gathering of God’s people. He acted as if he were greater than any one of them, yet still less than all of them together. His age and weakness, as well as his rank, would have allowed him to remain seated. But he wanted to show that he had truly been humbled for the pride of his heart, both in the number of his people and in his rule over them.

He had once taken pleasure in the thought that they were all his servants (1 Chronicles 21:3), but now he calls them his brothers, whom he loved, and his people, whom he cared for, not merely servants under his command. “Hear me, my brothers and my people.” Those in higher places should speak this way, with affection and humility, even to those beneath them. They will not lose honor by doing so, but gain love. In this way, David prepared them to listen to what he had to say.

Third, he explained that he had intended to build a temple for God, but that God had not allowed it (1 Chronicles 28:2-3). He had already told Solomon this before (1 Chronicles 22:7-8). The temple is here called a house of rest for the footstool of our God, because heaven is his throne of glory, while the earth, and even the most splendid temples on it, are only his footstool. There is such a great difference between God’s glory shown in heaven and on earth. Angels surround his throne (Isaiah 6:1), while we poor creatures worship at his footstool (Psalm 99:5; Psalm 132:7).

To show that he truly meant to build the temple, David says he had already made preparations. Still, God would not let him go forward, because God had appointed him other work, and that was enough for one man. His task was to manage Israel’s wars. He was to serve the public with the sword, while another man would do it with the measuring line. Times of peace are the time for building (Acts 9:31).

Fourth, he presented his own claim to the throne first, and then Solomon’s. Both claims were clearly by divine right, meaning chosen by God himself. They had a title that no earthly king can truly match, because the Lord God of Israel chose them directly by prophecy, not by providence alone (1 Chronicles 28:4-5). No right of firstborn inheritance is claimed here. It went by worth, not by age.

Judah was not Jacob’s oldest son, yet God chose that tribe to rule, and Jacob set the scepter there (Genesis 49:10). The family of Jesse may not even have been the oldest branch within that tribe. From Judah we know it was not, because Shelah came before Pharez. Whether it was older than the line of Nahshon and Salmon is not certain. Ram, Nahshon’s father, had an older brother (1 Chronicles 2:9). Perhaps Boaz, Obed, and Jesse did as well. Yet David could still say, “God chose the house of my father.” David himself was Jesse’s youngest son, yet God chose him to be king. That was his good pleasure. God takes whom he likes, and he likes those whom he makes like himself, as he did David, a man after his own heart.

Solomon was one of David’s younger sons, yet God chose him to sit on the throne, because he was the one most fitted to build the temple, the wisest and most willing of them all.

Fifth, David explained God’s gracious purpose for Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:6-7): “I have chosen him to be my son.” In this way he declares the Lord’s decree, as it was said to Solomon, and as Solomon was a type of Christ, “You are my son” (Psalm 2:7), the son of my love. Solomon was also called Jedidiah, because the Lord loved him, and Christ is God’s beloved Son.

Of Solomon God said, as a picture of the one who was to come, “He shall build my house.” Christ is both the builder and the foundation of the gospel temple. God also said, “I will establish his kingdom forever.” This must be fulfilled in the kingdom of the Messiah, which will remain through all the ages of time (Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:33). Then it will be handed over to God the Father, though perhaps given back to the Redeemer forever.

As for Solomon, this promise was conditional: “If he is constant in keeping my commandments, as at this day.” Solomon was very promising and good at the time. The meaning is, “If he keeps this course, his kingdom will continue. If not, it will not.” Those who are well taught and start well should remember this. If they remain steady, they are blessed. Perseverance does not win the crown, but it wears it.

Sixth, David charged them to stay faithful to God and to their duty (1 Chronicles 28:8). The substance of the charge was this: keep and seek all the commandments of the Lord your God. The Lord was their God, so his commandments had to be their rule. They were to regard all of them, and they were to make a serious effort to keep them. To do that, they must seek them out, that is, carefully learn what duty required. They should search the Scriptures, ask wise counsel, seek the law from those whose lips were to preserve knowledge, and pray to God to teach and guide them. God’s commandments are not kept without great care.

David gave this charge very solemnly, in the sight of all Israel, who would hear the public warning, and in the hearing of their God. God was witness, and the whole assembly was witness, that they had been given good counsel and fair warning. If they did not follow it, the fault would be theirs, and both God and man would stand as witnesses against them (1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 4:1). Those who profess religion must be faithful to their profession, both for God’s favor and for their good name among people.

The reason for this charge was plain. Obedience was the way to be happy, to keep peaceful possession of this good land, and to pass it on to their children.

Seventh, he ended with a charge to Solomon himself (1 Chronicles 28:9-10). He was deeply concerned that Solomon should be religious.

He was to be a great man, but he must not think religion was beneath him. In fact, a wise man would see that this was the truest mark of wisdom.

Notice first the charge David gives him. Solomon must look to God, the God of his father, his good father, who had dedicated him to God and trained him for God. He was born into God’s house, so he owed God his life. He was also raised in God’s house, so he owed God gratitude. “Your own friend, and your father’s friend, do not forsake” captures the point well. Solomon must know God and serve him. We cannot serve God rightly if we do not know him, and it is useless to claim we know him if we do not serve him with both heart and mind. Religion means little if we do not take it seriously and make it a matter of the heart. He must serve God with a perfect, that is, an upright heart, because sincerity is the Christian’s true perfection. He must also serve with a willing mind, from love, like a willing people, cheerfully and gladly.

Next come the reasons for this charge. There are two general reasons. First, the secrets of our souls are open before God. He searches all hearts, even kings’ hearts, which people cannot understand (Proverbs 25:3). So we must be sincere, because if we try to deceive, God sees it and cannot be fooled. We must also give our thoughts to God’s service, because he fully understands every intention of the mind, both good and bad. Second, we are either happy or miserable now and forever, depending on whether we serve God. If we seek him diligently, he will be found by us, and that is enough to make us happy (Hebrews 11:6). If we abandon him, leave his service, and turn away from following him, he will reject us forever, and that is enough to make us miserable. God never rejects anyone until they have first rejected him.

There is also one reason that applies especially to Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:10). He was to build a house for the sanctuary, the holy place for God’s worship. Therefore, he must seek and serve God so that the work would come from a right heart, be done in the right way, and be accepted.

Finally, David gives the means to do this, and they apply to us all. There is caution: “Take heed.” We must watch out for anything that looks like evil or leads toward it. There is also courage: “Be strong, and do it.” We cannot do our work as we should unless we resolve firmly and draw strength from God’s grace.