Wednesday Bible Study-The end of all things- I Chronicles

This week, the alphabet takes us to Chronicles, and this is for First Chronicles.  The fast catch up:  in the previous chapter (28), David has explained to Solomon that Solomon has been given the task by God to build what would become the first Temple.  There were three parts to this explanation:  That David doesn't get to build it because he was a "man of war"; that David has pretty much assembled everything he would need; and that God had given David exact plans- because, like the Tabernacle before, it was meant to be a simulation of the threshold of Heaven.  Solomon was also warned the price and reward of obedience:

1Ch 28:9  And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind. For Jehovah searches out all hearts, and He understands every imagination of thoughts. If you shall seek Him, He shall be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 
1Ch 28:10  Watch, now, for Jehovah has chosen you to build a house for a sanctuary. Be strong and act. 

So one of the characteristics Solomon would need is 'a perfect heart'.  But what does that mean?  Well, the next chapter gives us an idea, but let's have some fun first.

The middles verses of the chapter (29) have amounts of metals donated by David and by the congregation.  According to best guesses, along with my trusty calculator, here's how much these would be in today's dollars:

David's gold- 3,000 talents $4.57 BILLION 

David's silver- 7,000 talents $120.78 million

'The fathers' gold- 5,000 talents $7.6 billion plus 10,000 daric coins $4.2 million

'The father's silver- 10,000 talents $172.5 million

Bronze- 18,000 talents $60.4 million

Iron- 100,000 talents $1.9 billion

Total from David- $4.69 billion

Total from the Fathers- $9.56 billion

Total- $14.25 billion- or .006% of the current national debt...

Okay, enough of that, let's get to what we should learn from this.  And that starts with verse 9...

1Ch 29:9  And the people rejoiced because of their willing offering, for they offered willingly to Jehovah with a perfect heart; and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. 

The people were joyous BECAUSE they gave to the Lord!  And they gave WILLINGLY, which is what gave them the joy!  Now, let's dig the word "perfect" a bit more- it translates to "complete".  So how does giving willingly make them 'complete'?  Think about the post I did a bit back about how I had a theory that the tithe was to be a tenth because our ten fingers would remind us that our hands were made to GIVE.  If that's the case, and they gave willingly, then by this giving, they COMPLETED God's purpose for them!  They were complete with God for one brief, shining moment, and it completed them.

But it was also about the attitude with which they gave.  David goes into an extensive prayer before God, praising Him for all they were able to do, and then- just like I did with the monetary value- he scales it back to reality:

1Ch 29:13  And now, our God, we are giving thanks to You, and giving praise to Your glorious name; 

1Ch 29:14  yea, for who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer willingly in this way? For all is of You, and we have given to You out of Your hand; 

1Ch 29:15  for we are strangers before You, and settlers, like all our fathers; our days on the land are like a shadow, and there is none abiding. 

1Ch 29:16  O Jehovah our God, all this store that we have prepared to build a house to You, for Your holy name, is out of Your hand, and all is of You. 

Can you imagine raising $14.25 billion- enough gold alone to build a Statue of Liberty and a fifth- and then saying, "But what is that compared to You"?  That is humility.  And combined with obedience and willingly giving, it set the stage for the amazing nation that Solomon would build.

Still, a prayer comes down to what we ASK of God.  David had first praised God, then humbled himself and the people before Him- and now it was time to get to what he was going to ask.  What would you ask at this point?  Repayment of your giving by God?  Maybe a bit of something in next week's paycheck?  But David asks something more valuable...

1Ch 29:18  O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever for the intent of the thoughts of the heart of your people, and prepare their heart toward You; 

1Ch 29:19  and give a perfect heart to my son Solomon, to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies, and Your statutes, and to do all, even to build this magnificent house, for which I have prepared. 

Three things he asked of God:  To keep the people just as holy in their hearts and minds as they were in that moment; give that same heart and mind to his successor; and to make of Solomon an obedient servant of God, as David himself had strove to be.  Everything he asked of God was more submission TO God.

Two more points before we are done.  The prayer wasn't finished; after worship and praise, humility, and request, now it was time to worship again, for all God would accomplish for them...

1Ch 29:20  And David said to all the congregation, Now bless Jehovah your God. And all the congregation blessed Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Jehovah, and bowed to the king. 

1Ch 29:21  And they sacrificed sacrifices to Jehovah, and offered burnt offerings to Jehovah, on the next day after that day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in great plenty for all Israel. 

(Don't get me started on calculating prices for all that livestock...)

And then, the reply from God for their perfected prayer...

1Ch 29:25  And Jehovah magnified Solomon to a height in the eyes of all Israel, and gave to be on him the majesty of the kingdom, such as had not been on any king over Israel before him. 

Of course, the epilogue from this story is- you have to stay on that path, and despite God's largess, Solomon stumbled there a bit.  The people strayed from that perfect moment.  And in the end, David's dark prophecy to Solomon came true.  Perhaps Solomon could have used a Paul to remind him to not act as if he had already apprehended, but to continue striving.