The Joyful Gravity of Giving: Text: 1 Chronicles 29:1-9
Introduction: A Kingdom Hand-Off
We come now to one of the great transition points in all of Scripture. The reign of David, the man after God's own heart, is drawing to a close. He has fought the battles, secured the kingdom, and made the preparations. But he will not be the one to build the Temple. That task falls to his son, Solomon. This is a moment freighted with significance, not just for Israel, but for us. It is a moment of covenant succession, a passing of the torch from one generation to the next. And the central issue that marks this transition, the hinge upon which this glorious future turns, is the matter of giving. How a people handle their wealth, particularly in relation to the house of God, is a precise diagnostic of the condition of their hearts.
Our modern evangelical sensibilities often get squeamish when the topic of money comes up in church. We've seen the abuses of the prosperity hucksters and the manipulative fundraising tactics, and so we retreat into a sort of embarrassed silence. But the Bible is not embarrassed to talk about money. From Genesis to Revelation, God speaks plainly about wealth, stewardship, and generosity, because He knows that our wallets are wired directly to our hearts. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. It is not the other way around.
What we are about to witness in this chapter is not a capital campaign. It is not a pledge drive. It is an explosion of joyful, wholehearted, willing generosity that leaves the entire nation, from the king on down, rejoicing. This is what worship looks like when it gets ahold of a man's checkbook. This is what happens when God's people understand that everything they have is a gift from God, to be stewarded for the glory of God. This scene is a rebuke to our tight-fisted, consumeristic Christianity, and it is a glorious picture of what God intends for His people in every age. It is a type, a foreshadowing, of the kind of radical generosity that ought to characterize the people of the new and better covenant, who have a greater King and a greater Temple.
The Text
Then King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced and the work is great; for the temple is not for man, but for Yahweh God. Now with all my power I have prepared for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance. Moreover, in my pleasure in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already prepared for the holy house, namely, 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings; of gold for the things of gold and of silver for the things of silver, that is, for all the work done by the hand of craftsmen. Who then would offer willingly to ordain himself this day to Yahweh?”
Then the commanders of the fathers’ households, and the commanders of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with the commanders of the king’s work, offered willingly; and for the service for the house of God they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, and 10,000 talents of silver, and 18,000 talents of brass, and 100,000 talents of iron. And whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of Yahweh, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people were glad because they had offered so willingly, for they made their freewill offering to Yahweh with a whole heart, and King David also was exceedingly glad.
(1 Chronicles 29:1-9 LSB)
The King's Concern and Preparation (vv. 1-2)
David begins his address to the assembly by framing the situation with godly realism and a high view of the work.
"Then King David said to the entire assembly, 'My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced and the work is great; for the temple is not for man, but for Yahweh God. Now with all my power I have prepared for the house of my God...'" (1 Chronicles 29:1-2a)
David does three crucial things here. First, he affirms God's sovereign choice. "Solomon, whom alone God has chosen." This is not David's pet project or dynastic ambition. The succession is God's idea. This grounds the entire endeavor in the will of God, not the whims of men. True Christian leadership always points away from itself to the authority of God.
Second, he acknowledges reality. Solomon is "young and inexperienced." David isn't blind to his son's limitations. But notice what he does. He doesn't use Solomon's youth as an excuse for inaction but as a reason for greater preparation. He sees the weakness and leans into it with provision. This is what godly fathers and leaders do. They don't just throw the next generation into the deep end; they build the boat, stock it with supplies, and draw the map.
Third, and most importantly, he defines the gravity of the work. "The work is great; for the temple is not for man, but for Yahweh God." The reason for the massive scale of preparation is the identity of the client. This building is for God. This principle is timeless. Why should we strive for excellence in our worship, in our churches, in our families, in our work? Because it is not for man, but for Yahweh God. When your work is for God, there is no room for half-measures, shoddy craftsmanship, or apathetic effort. The greatness of the work is determined by the greatness of the one for whom it is done. This elevates everything. Changing a diaper is not for man, but for Yahweh God. Filing a report is not for man, but for Yahweh God. And building His house, whether a physical temple in Jerusalem or the spiritual temple of the church, is most certainly for Yahweh God.
The King's Personal Example (vv. 3-5)
Having laid the groundwork, David now leads by example. He doesn't just command, he contributes. And he does so extravagantly.
"Moreover, in my pleasure in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already prepared... Who then would offer willingly to ordain himself this day to Yahweh?" (1 Chronicles 29:3-5 LSB)
Notice the motivation: "in my pleasure in the house of my God." This is not duty. This is not obligation. This is delight. David loves the house of God, and so he joyfully lavishes his own personal treasure upon it. This is a crucial distinction. God is not interested in coerced giving. He is not impressed by gifts given through gritted teeth. He loves a cheerful giver, because cheerful giving flows from a heart that delights in the Giver of all gifts.
David gives "over and above" what he had already prepared as king. He distinguishes between the national treasury and his personal fortune. After gathering immense resources on behalf of the kingdom, he now cuts deep into his own pocket. He gives 3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 talents of silver. It is difficult to calculate the modern value, but we are talking about billions of dollars. This is sacrificial, exemplary leadership. A leader who asks others to give what he is unwilling to give himself is a hireling, not a shepherd.
Then comes the challenge, and it is a masterful one. "Who then would offer willingly to ordain himself this day to Yahweh?" The Hebrew for "ordain himself" is literally "to fill his hand." It's a phrase used for consecrating priests. David is not just asking for donations. He is inviting the leaders to consecrate themselves to God through their giving. He is saying, "I have filled my hand for the Lord. Who will join me?" Giving is not just a financial transaction; it is an act of priestly self-dedication. When you place your gift in the offering, you are placing yourself on the altar.
The People's Willing Response (vv. 6-8)
The response to David's leadership is immediate and overwhelming.
"Then the commanders... offered willingly; and for the service for the house of God they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, and 10,000 talents of silver..." (1 Chronicles 29:6-7 LSB)
The leaders catch the vision and the spirit of their king. The word "willingly" appears again. This is the key characteristic of this entire event. This is not the result of a high-pressure sales pitch. It is the spontaneous combustion of hearts set on fire by a godly vision. And their giving is staggering. They collectively give more gold than David did from his personal treasury. This is how a healthy body works. When the head leads with sacrificial love, the members respond in kind. Generosity is contagious.
Verse 8 adds another layer: "And whoever possessed precious stones gave them." This wasn't just for the super-wealthy. Everyone who had something of value brought it. This is the principle of the widow's mite. It's not about equal gifts, but equal sacrifice. Everyone participated, bringing what they had to the treasury of the house of the Lord. This builds a profound sense of shared ownership and corporate unity. It wasn't "David's Temple." It was their Temple. They had all filled their hands for its construction.
The Resulting Corporate Joy (v. 9)
The chapter culminates not in a sense of financial depletion, but in an eruption of corporate joy.
"Then the people were glad because they had offered so willingly, for they made their freewill offering to Yahweh with a whole heart, and King David also was exceedingly glad." (1 Chronicles 29:9 LSB)
This is one of the most important verses on giving in the entire Bible. Why were they rejoicing? Not because a budget was met. They rejoiced "because they had offered so willingly." The source of their joy was the manner of their own giving. They were glad that they had been glad to give. This is a supernatural joy that the world knows nothing about. The world finds joy in acquiring. The kingdom of God finds joy in giving away.
The text gives us three characteristics of their giving that produced this joy. It was willing. It was a freewill offering. And it was done with a "whole heart." This means their giving was integrated. It wasn't a compartmentalized part of their life. Their hearts, minds, and wallets were all pointing in the same direction: toward Yahweh. There was no division, no reservation, no holding back. And the result was that the king and the people were bound together in a shared, exuberant gladness.
Christ, Our Temple and Our King
This entire scene, as glorious as it is, is a shadow. It is a type that points forward to a greater reality. David, the king who prepares the way, is a type of Christ. Solomon, the son who builds the temple of peace, is also a type of Christ. And the physical temple itself is a type of Christ. Jesus stood in the second temple and said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). He was speaking of the temple of His body.
Christ is the true Temple, the place where God and man meet. And He, as our great King, has prepared everything for the building of His spiritual house, the church. He did not give gold and silver from His personal treasury. He gave His own blood. He filled His hand, not with treasure, but with the nails of the cross, consecrating Himself for our sake. He is the ultimate example of sacrificial, willing, wholehearted giving.
And now He turns to us, His people, and asks the same question David asked: "Who then would offer willingly to ordain himself this day to the Lord?" In the New Covenant, our giving is not for a physical building, but for the building up of the church, the body of Christ. It is for the advance of the gospel, the care of the saints, and the ministry of the Word. And the standard is not the tithe, which was the floor under the Old Covenant law. The standard is the cross. The standard is grace-driven, Spirit-led, joyful generosity.
The Apostle Paul picks up this theme perfectly. "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). This is 1 Chronicles 29 in a nutshell. We are to give willingly, with a whole heart, because our King first gave Himself for us. When we do this, we discover the same secret that David and Israel discovered. We discover that true, deep, unshakable joy is found not in what we keep, but in what we cheerfully and willingly give away for the sake of the King and His kingdom.