Been in 1 Chronicles the last few weeks in my morning readings. The book that begins with 9 long chapters of genealogies & what seem like endless records of unfamiliar names ends with one of the most spectacular prayers ever penned in Spirit ink on the sacred scroll. It’s David.
He’s an old man now, about to publicly pass the crown to his son, Solomon. He’d had it in his heart to build a temple for the Lord but the Lord chose Solomon for the gargantuan task. David worked tirelessly to gather materials for construction: stones, lumber, precious metals
& the like, all in enormous quantities. He has gathered a great assembly for a 2-fold purpose. 1st, to enlist their support of Solomon whom he tells them “is young & inexperienced” & facing a great task “because the building will not be built for a human but for the Lord God.”
2nd, to bless the Lord publicly. It’s too long to quote here but, man, you could not help but be impacted by reading it yourself—and aloud if possible—in 1 Chron 29:10-19. I’ll just offer a few excerpts:
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness & the power and the glory and the splendor
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness & the power and the glory and the splendor
and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom & you are exalted as head over all...Power & might are in your hand...” Then David says something so incredibly counter culture to us today: “But who am I, & who are my people
that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from you and we have given you only what comes from your own hand. For we are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors...”
They offer the Lord resounding worship and abundant sacrifices and then the scene wraps up with this: “They ate and drank with great joy in the Lord’s presence that day.” Our culture, along with most of those preceding it, caters to the taker in us rather than the giver. I think
it may be a reason why great joy in the Lord’s presence—unabashed freedom to feast and eat and drink, as if at his very table, and laugh and sing and exult in celebration of His goodness—is almost foreign to us. I long to catch this flu of generosity that leads to ridiculous joy.
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