Scripture Daily

Context No. 1481 of 4322 · 1 Chronicles

Context · Reflection

1 Chronicles 29:6-19: in context

6Then the princes of the fathers’ households, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers over the king’s work, offered willingly; 7and they gave for the service of God’s house of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand darics, of silver ten thousand talents, of bronze eighteen thousand talents, and of iron one hundred thousand talents. 8People with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the LORD’s house, under the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9Then the people rejoiced, because they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD; and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. 10Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said, “You are blessed, LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11Yours, LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty! For all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. 12Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all! In your hand is power and might! It is in your hand to make great, and to give strength to all! 13Now therefore, our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name. 14But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from you, and we have given you of your own. 15For we are strangers before you and foreigners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no remaining. 16LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build you a house for your holy name comes from your hand, and is all your own. 17I know also, my God, that you try the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things. Now I have seen with joy your people, who are present here, offer willingly to you. 18LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the heart of your people, and prepare their heart for you; 19and give to Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for which I have made provision.”

The leaders of Israel give generously and joyfully toward the building of the temple, gold and silver and bronze and precious stones offered willingly, and the people rejoice at the freewill giving. David blesses the LORD before the whole assembly with a prayer that soars: yours, LORD, is the greatness and the glory; all that is in heaven and earth is yours. And then a humbling recognition: but who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own we have given you. We are strangers before you, our days on earth like a shadow.

The line that reframes all giving is David's: all things come from you, and of your own we have given you. In the middle of a great outpouring of generosity, with the leaders lavishing gold and silver on the house of God, David sees the truth plainly: none of what they were giving originated with them. Every talent of gold, every precious stone, had come from God's hand in the first place; in giving to God, they were only returning to him what was already his. This humbles our generosity in a healthy way. We can be tempted to feel that our giving to God puts him somewhat in our debt, that we have done him a favor, contributed something of our own; David's prayer dissolves that illusion. We cannot give God anything that was not first his gift to us; our most lavish offering is only handing back a portion of what he provided. And yet this humbling truth is also freeing. If all we have is God's, then we give not out of our own scarcity, anxiously parting with what is ours, but out of his abundance, freely returning what he freely gave. There is no loss in giving back to God what was his to begin with, and no ground for pride in it either. David and the people gave with great joy, and their joy flowed precisely from knowing that it was all God's, that they were stewards returning his own, glad to give because there was nothing to grasp. Of your own we have given you: that is the truth that both humbles and frees all our giving.

Do I imagine my giving to God puts him somewhat in my debt, as though I contributed something of my own, or can I give as David did, freely and joyfully, knowing that all things come from him and I only return his own to him?

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