I Have Given To The House Of My God

A reflection on 1 Chronicles 28-29:

Even though king David was not chosen by God to ‘build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord’ (28:2), we can learn a lot behind his offerings towards God’s holy temple. So, what did king David offer?

Surely as king he would have had an array of beautiful lamps, lamp stands and tables already crafted by the best craftsmen from the best material. But why did he instead give gold by weight, silver by weight, wood and iron etc.?

By doing this, we can see his heart and motive. None of king David’s offerings were originally made for him. Instead, all of the materials were to be made specifically and only for God’s holy temple. He did not allow it to be a chance for him to boast of his riches and prosperity. He humbled himself and understood that ‘the temple is not for man, but for the Lord God’ (29:1b). And through humility he gave the best and in abundance, stripping his identity out of his offerings, leaving no trace of himself behind. He gave the best of what he could, as he simply loved Gods holy temple (29:3).

Let us reflect on our offerings and our motives to offer. Are they all for the glory of God? Is our motive to give driven by our love for the house of God? Or is there some part of us that wants to leave our legacy/name behind?

May we all learn from king Davids humble and willing heart to offer, to offer the most pure and best (29:14).

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