The Histories · Old Testament

1 Chronicles 28

1 Chronicles 28: David's public charge to Solomon and the pattern of the house

General context

David assembles the princes, captains, stewards, officers and mighty men at Jerusalem, stands up and addresses them as "my brethren, and my people". He had it in his heart to build "an house of rest for the ark", but God said he should not, "because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood". He recounts a chain of choosing: the Lord chose Judah, then his father's house, then David himself, and of all David's sons chose Solomon "to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel". God said Solomon would build his house and be his son, with his kingdom established for ever "if he be constant to do my commandments". David charges the assembly to keep the commandments and keep the land, then turns to Solomon: know the God of thy father, serve him with a perfect heart, "for the Lord searcheth all hearts"; seek him and be found, forsake him and be cast off. He tells him to be strong and build. David gives Solomon the pattern of the porch, houses, treasuries, chambers and "the place of the mercy seat", "the pattern of all that he had by the spirit", with the courses of priests and Levites and the weights of gold and silver for every vessel, candlestick, table and bason, the altar of incense and "the chariot of the cherubims". He says the Lord made him understand it all "in writing by his hand upon me". He ends by telling Solomon to be strong and of good courage, promising that God will not fail him until the work is finished and that the courses, skilled workers, princes and people will be at his command.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 28:1, 1 Chronicles 28:2, 1 Chronicles 28:3, 1 Chronicles 28:4, 1 Chronicles 28:5, 1 Chronicles 28:6, 1 Chronicles 28:7, 1 Chronicles 28:8, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 1 Chronicles 28:10, 1 Chronicles 28:11, 1 Chronicles 28:12, 1 Chronicles 28:13, 1 Chronicles 28:15, 1 Chronicles 28:18, 1 Chronicles 28:19, 1 Chronicles 28:20, 1 Chronicles 28:21

1 Chronicles 28 (KJV)

¹And 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.

²Then 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:

³But 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.

⁴Howbeit 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:

⁵And 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.

⁶And 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.

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

⁸Now 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.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.

¹¹Then 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,

¹²And 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:

¹³Also 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.

¹⁴He 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:

¹⁵Even 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.

¹⁶And by weight he gave gold for the tables of shewbread, for every table; and likewise silver for the tables of silver:

¹⁷Also pure gold for the fleshhooks, and the bowls, and the cups: and for the golden basons he gave gold by weight for every bason; and likewise silver by weight for every bason of silver:

¹⁸And 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.

¹⁹All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.

²⁰And 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.

²¹And, 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.

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Historical context

This is the public form of the charge David gave Solomon privately in chapter 22, and the reason for the refusal is the same, war and bloodshed. The promise as David states it here carries a condition, "if he be constant", which chapter 17's oracle did not attach. David presents Solomon as chosen by God from among many sons; the book records no dispute over the succession. The pattern is described as something David "had by the spirit" and that the Lord "made me understand in writing by his hand upon me", statements in David's own mouth; the narrator does not describe how the writing came. The parts of the building are named, porch, treasuries, upper chambers, inner parlours, mercy seat, but no measurements are given in this chapter. The phrase "the chariot of the cherubims" is the text's own description of the cherubim over the ark. The assembly is placed at Jerusalem without a date; chapter 26 has already mentioned David's fortieth year.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 28:3, 1 Chronicles 22:8, 1 Chronicles 28:7, 1 Chronicles 28:5, 1 Chronicles 28:12, 1 Chronicles 28:19, 1 Chronicles 28:11, 1 Chronicles 28:18, 1 Chronicles 28:1

Literary context

The chapter is one speech with a handover in the middle. It opens with David standing before everyone he has organized in the previous chapters, and his first words claim kinship, "my brethren, and my people". The speech narrows through a sequence of elections, Judah, father's house, David, Solomon, so that the young king's place is the end of a line God chose. The words "for ever" and "if" sit side by side in one verse, promise and condition together. The address shifts from the crowd to one person at "And thou, Solomon my son", and the charge to seek God is balanced by a warning of being cast off. Then the pattern: a list of rooms and vessels by weight, which makes the unbuilt house visible piece by piece. "Be strong" is spoken at the start of the handover and again at its close, and the final assurance, "he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee", is the language of commissioning a successor.

Cited passages: 1 Chronicles 28:2, 1 Chronicles 28:4, 1 Chronicles 28:7, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 1 Chronicles 28:16, 1 Chronicles 28:10, 1 Chronicles 28:20

Key moments

The assembly at Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 28:1). David gathers every rank of the kingdom to hear him.
A man of war may not build (1 Chronicles 28:3). David repeats publicly that God barred him for shedding blood.
Solomon chosen among many sons (1 Chronicles 28:5). David says God chose Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord's kingdom.
For ever, if constant (1 Chronicles 28:7). The promise of an enduring kingdom is joined to a condition.
Serve with a perfect heart (1 Chronicles 28:9). David charges Solomon to know and seek God, who searches all hearts.
The pattern handed over (1 Chronicles 28:11). David gives Solomon the plan of the porch, chambers and mercy seat.
Understood in writing (1 Chronicles 28:19). David says the Lord made him understand the whole pattern in writing by his hand.

For reflection

David tells Solomon in the same breath that his kingdom is established for ever and that it depends on his being constant. How can a promise be both unconditional and conditional, and what does the text ask Solomon to do with that?