1 CHRONICLES LESSON 31


     We will begin this lesson in I Chronicles 28:1 "And David
assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and
the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course,
and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds,
and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king,
and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with
all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem."

     David assembled all the people together in Jerusalem whom he had
assigned positions of leadership. He brought the leaders of the
spiritual life, the leaders of the civil government, and the leaders
of the military, that he might tell them his wishes for Israel.

     1 Chronicles 28:2 "Then David the king stood up upon his feet,
and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: [As for me], I [had] in
mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of
the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the
building:"

     We must remember, that David is rather elderly when this takes
place, and it would be a great effort for him to stand for any length
of time. He had great respect for the men he had put in charge of the
various aspects of life in Israel He stood to honor these men. He even
called them his brethren, rather than his subjects. He truly was one
of them. He was a Hebrew, the same as they were. He wanted to build a
permanent place to house the ark of the covenant. He had set up a tent
for it, but he wanted a greater house than any that had ever been
built, to house the presence of God. He had gathered all the materials
together to build the temple, but he would not be able to build it
himself. It was not the will of God for him to build it.

     I Chronicles 28:3 "But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an
house for my name, because thou [hast been] a man of war, and hast
shed blood."

     David was called a bloody king, because of the wars he had fought
and won. He would, however, honor David by letting Solomon build the
temple with the materials David had gathered for the task.

     I Chronicles 28:4 "Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before
all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he
hath chosen Judah [to be] the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the
house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to
make [me] king over all Israel:"

     David had not chosen to be king. God chose David to be king of
all Israel when he was just a boy. In fact, he was the youngest of his
brothers. Samuel anointed David to be king of all Israel. God promised
David that there would always be a king of Judah, who would be
descended from David. We know this was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus
Christ. In the flesh, He was of the tribe of Judah. He is King of
kings and Lord of lords.

     I Chronicles 28:5 "And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given
me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of
the kingdom of the LORD over Israel."

     This was a very important statement for David to make, since
Solomon was not the oldest son of David. This would leave no room for
dispute about who should reign as king of Israel.

     I Chronicles 28:6 "And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall
build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him [to be] my son,
and I will be his father."

     We do not know exactly when the Lord told David to make Solomon
king, but we know He did tell him. Solomon would reign during a time
of peace in Israel. Solomon was known as a king with a peaceful
nature. The name "Solomon" means peaceable. God would give Solomon the
gift of wisdom to lead his people, and to build the temple. One of the
reasons Solomon married so many women, was so there would be no war
with the fathers of his wives. Some of them were marriages of state.

     I Chronicles 28:7 "Moreover I will establish his kingdom for
ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at
this day."

     All blessings from God are conditional on the person, who
receives the blessings, keeping God's commandments. It was the same
with Solomon.

     I Chronicles 28:8 "Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the
congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and
seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may
possess this good land, and leave [it] for an inheritance for your
children after you for ever."

     This is a warning from David that all of the people must keep
God's commandments, if they are to continue to be blessed of God.
David is not to blame for them not keeping God's commandments. He
stressed, here, that God was his witness that he warned them.

     I Chronicles 28:9  "And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God
of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing
mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the
imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of
thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever."

     We have discussed so often, the way to know God is to know Him in
His Word, the Bible. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We must
learn the will of God for our lives as Solomon was to learn the will
of God for his life. God is more interested in the heart of man than
anything else about man. The heart is what you are. Solomon must keep
his heart stayed upon God. The thoughts of mankind lead astray, unless
they are controlled by the spirit of mankind. Matthew 22:37 "Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." One of the wisest
things a person can do, is to seek the Lord with all of his heart.
God will not hide, if we seek Him. We will find Him, if we really want
to find Him. Blessings are abundant for those who obey God's
commandments, but those who do not will face curses abundant.

     I Chronicles 28:10 "Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee
to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do [it]."

     God chooses people for a task, and then, He gives them the
ability to get it done. He just wants a willing heart to work with.

     I Chronicles 28:11  "Then David gave to Solomon his son the
pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries
thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours
thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,"

     It seems that, God had given the plan to David for all of this,
and he gave it to his son, Solomon. It appears that, every little
detail had been given to David by the Spirit of God. The porch was 30
feet in length and 180 feet high.

     I Chronicles 28:12 "And the pattern of all that he had by the
spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the
chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of
the treasuries of the dedicated things:"

     Just as God had given detailed information on the building of the
tabernacle to Moses in the wilderness, it appears He had given
detailed information to David, here. It appears, he had drawn out
detailed instructions, and given them to Solomon.

     I Chronicles 28:13 "Also for the courses of the priests and the
Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD,
and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD."

     It appears from this, that the proper functions of the priests
and high priest had been overlooked in the last few years. It appears,
that God gave the entire plan to David, to establish before his death.
The vessels for use in the temple had to be made a certain way, and of
certain metal. All of the plans for housing for the priests, as well
as the plans for the actual temple were given to David by the Spirit
of God. Everything had to be done exactly as the plans, if it pleased
God.

     I Chronicles 28:14 "[He gave] of gold by weight for [things] of
gold, for all instruments of all manner of service; [silver also] for
all instruments of silver by weight, for all instruments of every kind
of service:"

     David not only gathered up the gold for use in the temple, but
had plans showing exactly how much gold was to be used in each item,
along with the exact plans for making the item. Nothing but gold was
used in the near vicinity of the ark, which symbolized the presence of
God. In this temple, there was an unusually large amount of gold used.

     I Chronicles 28:15 "Even the weight for the candlesticks of gold,
and for their lamps of gold, by weight for every candlestick, and for
the lamps thereof: and for the candlesticks of silver by weight,
[both] for the candlestick, and [also] for the lamps thereof,
according to the use of every candlestick."

     There were no candlesticks of silver, that I am aware of.
"Silver" means redemption. It is possible for candlesticks to have
been made of silver for the palace, or the quarters of the priests, or
high priest, but the candlestick in the temple was made of pure gold.
The light is symbolic of the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. The
candlesticks of gold showed they were in the near presence of God.

     I Chronicles 28:16 "And by weight [he gave] gold for the tables
of shewbread, for every table; and [likewise] silver for the tables of
silver:"

     Again, I am unfamiliar with the tables of silver. The table of
shewbread was to be made of gold. The shewbread symbolized Jesus who
is the Bread of life. I Kings 7:48 "And Solomon made all the vessels
that [pertained] unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and
the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread [was],"  I Kings 7:49 "And
the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right [side], and five on
the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the
tongs [of] gold," Silver means redemption, so the tables of silver
could have been in another place other than the temple.

     I Chronicles 28:17 "Also pure gold for the fleshhooks, and the
bowls, and the cups: and for the golden basins [he gave gold] by
weight for every basin; and [likewise silver] by weight for every
basin of silver:"

     The main thing that this is saying, is that David prepared enough
gold, silver, and bronze to build all that they needed for the temple.

     I Chronicles 28:18 "And for the altar of incense refined gold by
weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that
spread out [their wings], and covered the ark of the covenant of the
LORD."

     Everything in the presence of the ark, which symbolized the
presence of God, had to be 24 kt. gold, or 24 kt. gold overlay. These
wings were so long, they entirely covered the width of the holy of
holies.

     I Chronicles 28:19 "All [this, said David], the LORD made me
understand in writing by [his] hand upon me, [even] all the works of
this pattern."

     Just as the Scriptures were written by the Spirit of God moving
upon men of God, this pattern of everything in the temple was
miraculously given to David by God. God wrote it in David's heart.

     I Chronicles 28:20 "And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong
and of good courage, and do [it]: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the
LORD God, [even] my God, [will be] with thee; he will not fail thee,
nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the
service of the house of the LORD."

     Solomon was very young, and needed this encouragement from David.
We know that God gave Solomon the gift of wisdom, as well. David
reminded Solomon that God was faithful to give him the understanding
to build the temple. God would not have called him, had He not
intended to equip Solomon to do the task. God wanted the temple built,
and He would be with Solomon.

     I Chronicles 28:21 "And, behold, the courses of the priests and
the Levites, [even they shall be with thee] for all the service of the
house of God: and [there shall be] with thee for all manner of
workmanship every willing skilful man, for any manner of service: also
the princes and all the people [will be] wholly at thy commandment."

     The priests and the Levites would be there to help with any
information Solomon needed from the law. There would be thousands of
skilled people for every task. Solomon would actually just supervise
his leaders, to see that the work went on. David had already assigned
each person the task they were to do. God would guide Solomon every
step of the way. God had provided skillful people for every task. It
would be done. Solomon just, must believe it could be done, and do it.


























                      1 Chronicles 31 Questions


1.  Who did David call to Jerusalem?
2.  There were leaders of the _________ life, leaders of the ________
    government, and the leaders of the __________.
3.  Why did he call them?
4.  Why was it important that he stood upon his feet?
5.  What did David have in his heart to do?
6.  Why did God not allow David to do it?
7.  David was called a _________ king.
8.  What had God allowed David to do about the temple?
9.  What special honor had God shown David?
10. Why was it so important for David to proclaim Solomon king?
11. What does "Solomon" mean?
12. How are blessings of God conditional?
13. Who did David warn about keeping the commandments?
14. How can we know God?
15. Quote Matthew chapter 22 verse 37.
16. What does a person have to have for God to use him?
17. Where did David get the plans he gave to Solomon?
18. How had David received the plans?
19. Why did God give David information for the priests?
20. What does "silver" mean?
21. Quote 1 Kings chapter 7 verses 48 and 49.
22. Everything in the presence of the ark had to made with _______.
23. How long were the wings of the cherubim?
24. What encouraging statement did David make to Solomon?
25. Where did Solomon get his wisdom?
26. Who had God given Solomon to help with the building of the temple?
27. What must Solomon do?