1 Chronicles 14:1-7: in context

As David is established as king and his kingdom prospers, with Hiram sending materials to build him a palace, David perceives something about his exaltation. He perceived, the text says, that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for his people Israel's sake. David saw two things: that his kingship was God's doing, not his own achievement; and that God had exalted him not merely for his own sake but for the sake of God's people, that he might serve and bless them.

David's perception is worth dwelling on: his kingdom was exalted for his people's sake. David did not see his exaltation as being for his own benefit or glory. He recognized that God had established and exalted him for the sake of God's people, that he might serve and lead and bless them. His high position was not an end in itself, a personal achievement to be enjoyed, but a means of serving others; God had raised him up for the good of the people, not merely for David's own benefit. This is a way of understanding God's blessings that guards against self-serving pride. We can regard the good things God gives us, position, ability, wealth, influence, blessing of any kind, as being for our own benefit, our own enjoyment, our own glory. David saw differently: God's exaltation of him was for his people's sake. And this reflects a principle that runs through Scripture: God's blessings to us are given, in large part, for the sake of others, that we might serve and bless them. God blessed Abraham, saying, you will be a blessing; the blessing was to flow through him to others. As each has received a gift, Peter says, use it to serve one another. God's gifts to us are given not merely for ourselves but for others' sake. This reframes how we hold whatever God has given us. Our position, ability, wealth, and influence are not merely for our own benefit but are entrusted to us for the sake of others, that we might serve and bless them. David recognized his exaltation as being for his people's sake; and we do well to recognize our own blessings as being, in large part, for the sake of others. This guards us against a self-serving use of God's gifts, and directs us to use them in service. This searches how we regard and use what God has given us. Do we see our blessings as being merely for our own benefit and enjoyment, or do we recognize, as David did, that God gives them in part for the sake of others, that we might serve and bless them? David perceived that God had exalted him for his people's sake; and we are called to see our own blessings the same way, as entrusted to us for the good of others, and to use them in service rather than merely for ourselves. God's gifts are given, in large part, for others' sake; and to hold them as David held his exaltation, for the sake of God's people, is to use them as God intends, in the service of others rather than the serving of ourselves.

Do I regard the good things God has given me, position, ability, wealth, or influence, as being merely for my own benefit and enjoyment, or can David, who perceived that God had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake, teach me that God's blessings are given in large part for the sake of others, entrusted to me that I might serve and bless them, so that I use what God has given not merely for myself but in the service of others, as God intends?