The Text
1 Chronicles 29:1-20 :: New English Translation (NET)
29:1 King David said to the entire assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is just an inexperienced young man, and the task is great, for this palace is not for man, but for the Lord God. 29:2 So I have made every effort to provide what is needed for the temple of my God, including the gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, as well as a large amount of onyx, settings of antimony and other stones, all kinds of precious stones, and alabaster. 29:3 Now, to show my commitment to the temple of my God, I donate my personal treasure of gold and silver to the temple of my God, in addition to all that I have already supplied for this holy temple. 29:4 This includes three thousand units of gold from Ophir and seven thousand units of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the buildings, 29:5 for gold and silver items, and for all the work of the craftsmen. Who else wants to contribute to the Lord today?”
29:6 The leaders of the families, the leaders of the Israelite tribes, the commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred, and the supervisors of the king’s work contributed willingly. 29:7 They donated for the service of God’s temple five thousand units and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand units of silver, eighteen thousand units of bronze, and one hundred thousand units of iron. 29:8 All who possessed precious stones donated them to the treasury of the Lord’s temple, which was under the supervision of Jehiel the Gershonite. 29:9 The people were delighted with their donations, for they contributed to the Lord with a willing attitude; King David was also very happy.
29:10 David praised the Lord before the entire assembly:
“O Lord God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore! 29:11 O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler of all. 29:12 You are the source of wealth and honor; you rule over all. You possess strength and might to magnify and give strength to all. 29:13 Now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your majestic name.
29:14 “But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to contribute this much? Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours. 29:15 For we are resident foreigners and nomads in your presence, like all our ancestors; our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security. 29:16 O Lord our God, all this wealth, which we have collected to build a temple for you to honor your holy name, comes from you; it all belongs to you. 29:17 I know, my God, that you examine thoughts and are pleased with integrity. With pure motives I contribute all this; and now I look with joy as your people who have gathered here contribute to you. 29:18 O Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, maintain the motives of your people and keep them devoted to you. 29:19 Make my son Solomon willing to obey your commands, rules, and regulations, and to complete building the palace for which I have made preparations.”
29:20 David told the entire assembly: “Praise the Lord your God!” So the entire assembly praised the Lord God of their ancestors; they bowed down and stretched out flat on the ground before the Lord and the king.
David—Observations
Praise and thanksgiving is a natural result of willing giving. Isn’t that inspiring? Where Moses’ appeal was answered by all sorts of people, David’s appeal seems to be directed at the leaders (1 Chron 29:9). I believe this story shows a godly way to use an individual donor as an example for others to follow. David clearly uses his position as an example for the other leaders to follow (1 Chron 29:5).
This approach often makes many Christians feel uncomfortable because of Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 6:
6:1 “Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 6:2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. 6:3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 6:4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
How can we reconcile these two passages of Scripture? This section is the beginning of Jesus correcting the three major practices of the life of the Pharisees: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Although Jesus repeatedly commends the practice of tithing, he never says to do it privately. In fact he had his disciples watch people publicly give their gifts at the Temple and praised the gift of the old woman.
In this passage, Jesus is teaching a lesson familiar in rabbinic teaching: giving should never be done at the expense of the recipient. I’m indebted to pastor Frank Siciliano for pointing this out to me. According to Second Temple Period scholar David Bivin, Mishna states there was a “secret chamber” at the Temple for the giving and receiving of alms (Shekalim 5:6). That way the recipients of alms could retain their dignity.
If you’re giving alms—giving to the poor—to be seen by people, you’re humiliating the recipient of your gift. You’re robbing them of their dignity. God has no patience for that. You’re giving to be puffed up at the expense of another. People that do that “have their reward” (Mt 6:2).
It’s interesting to note that Jesus does not tell us to avoid doing our acts of righteousness before men. He tells us to not do them “merely to be seen by people.” Obviously the motivation of the heart is key (1 Chron 29:17).
David’s prayer shows the lack of pride in his presentation. Once again, God is the source and recipient of all giving. “But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to contribute this much? Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours.” (2 Chron 29:14). He knows he’s dependent on God for all he has. The leaders don’t give to David or the temple, they gave “delighted with their donations” and “contributed to the Lord with a willing attitude” (2 Chron 29:9).
Rather than trying to garner praise, David gives the praise to God and leads the people in praising God. Not only did he leverage his position to influence the leaders, he is also setting the example of an older generation fundraising on the behalf of a younger generation (1 Chron 29:1).
