Monday Devo
Scripture:
1 Chronicles 29
10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”
10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”
Commentary:
29:10–19 David’s great prayer of praise and supplication marks the climax of his reign. Israel’s king praises God for his universal kingdom and recognizes him as the source of all wealth and strength (vv. 10–13). Indeed, even the generosity of David and the people in providing for the temple comes from God himself (vv. 14, 16). They depend entirely on God for their security and well-being, and even in the Promised Land they are strangers and sojourners before God (v. 15). David then reflects that God examines the human heart for uprightness or integrity (v. 17), a further indication that the Chronicler cares above all for the inner reality of faith. David concludes by praying that God will keep the people in the same purpose and mind as they have shown this day, and will give to Solomon a whole heart in obedience to God’s commandments (vv. 18–19).
Questions:
- In 1 Chronicles 29, David has a real heart for seeing the temple of God built. God has told him it will be his son, Solomon, that will build it, but David is still committed to being a part of it. So much so that in verse 3 he says that he is giving ALL of his private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. He voluntarily, willingly and cheerfully wanted to give! When it comes to your giving, do these same adjectives describe you? Or is giving something you dread or excuse away?
- Why would David be so willing to give his all? Because God is WORTHY of ALL. He's worthy of all, not just because of what He's done for us, but simple because of WHO HE IS. We give in light of the fact that Jesus is pre-eminent and first in all things. If God were to give you a little life review, showing you how you typically spend your time, energy and money, would it be obvious that He is first in your life?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would be a cheerful giver.
- That God would be first in your life.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
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