Give Willingly to the LORD for all comes from the LORD (v1-20)
The temple of the Lord is built with gold, silver, bronze, iron and various precious stones (v2). In NT, we are God’s temple: [Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?] (1 Cor 3:16). Are you building your life with gold, silver and costly stones or with wood, hay and straw (1 Cor 3:12)? The truth of our life as follower of Christ will be reveal on the Judgement Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10).
[who is willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD?] (v5). A lot of people are willing to receive Christ because their sins will be forgiven. But how many believers are willing to consecrate himself to the LORD?
v6-9: King David’s set an great example to give his personal treasures to the building of the temple (v3), the leaders also give willingly to the Lord (v6). [Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver] (2 Cor 9:7). Giving as followers of Christ is not a rule, but is an outward response of our love for Christ and the people that He loves.
David’s prayer expressed the spirit of joyful giving beautifully: [All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever] (v17-18).
King David acknowledged and proclaimed that everything comes from God (v14). When we give, we are giving what comes from God back to Him! It is like a child give a portion of his allowance back to his father. Our heavenly Father is a father of abundance, after all, the owns the whole world! He does not need anything from us, but our willing heart and expression in giving back to Him pleases Him (v16). When my son wanted to share a toy that I bought for him with me, I am pleased and filled with joy, not because of the toy, but because of my son’s heart for me.
[my God, that you test the heart and are please with integrity]. God test our heart, He knows exactly what we think and where our heart is. Do not give (money or time or service) with the motive of letting other people think we love God like the Pharisees did (Matt 6).
The Legacy of David (v26-30)
[He ruled over Israel forty years…He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king] (v27).
At every funeral, our count the legacy of the deceased. So ;et’s count David’s legacy:
- He united the nation of Israel
- He gave the people peace in their land
- He extended the borders of the kingdom
- He provided much of the wealth that was used to build the temple
- He instructed his son Solomon and the leaders to build the temple
- He purchased the site on the the temple would be built
- God gave David the plans for the temple
- He wrote many psalms for the Levites to sing as they worshiped God, for us to read and sing
- He organized the temple ministry and taught the people that the worship of God was the number one priority for them
- He made two two major sins in his life: 1)adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, 2) the census of Israel. We learned from his mistakes
David lives an abundance life, because he was after God’s heart, and God blessed him. All of us will one day leave this world, what kind of legacy we want to leave behind? Is your life heading toward this direction? If not, it is still not too late to change, the Lord is asking: [Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD] (v5)?
