Introduction:
David is nearing the end of his reign as king. He is an old man, but he has a mission. He wanted to build the temple, but God would not allow it. Instead, David had Solomon crowned king. David then gave Solomon the plans and the materials for the new temple. God did not allow David the opportunity to build the temple. He allowed him the privilege of financing the building.
Thesis: If We Trust God, Hell Take Care Of The Rest.
I. David’s Declaration
A. I Have Prepared With All My Might For The House Of My God.
1. David prepared for his son 1
a. My son Solomon is the God anointed King.
b. But he young and inexperienced and the work is great.
c. The temple is not for man but for the LORD God.
2. In preparing for Solomon, King David prepared Solomon for the task at hand.
a. When Solomon became King, he was fully prepared to govern the kingdom.
i. He appointed a new High Priest.
ii. He deposed the old military leadership and installed new leaders.
iii. He eliminated old adversaries.
iv. He built the Temple of God.
b. Solomon was fully prepared because David was fully prepared!
3. David prepared both spiritually and physically with all his might.
a. We do not see the spiritual preparation for the building of the Temple in this text.
i. God did not allow David the privilege of building the Temple because David was a man of war.
ii. David had a couple of other spiritual issues to deal with before he was ready to prepare for the building of the Temple.
b. What we do see is the physical preparation of David (i.e. giving)
i. Read verse 2
2 "Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance.
ii. Do you think King David is making preparation?
B. I Have Set My Affections On The House Of My God. 3a
1. David’s love is followed with action.
a. Affections set priorities (what you love is what you do).
b. If we love God, love His House, and love His church, we will not have any problem following King David’s actions.
2. What happens when our affections are placed somewhere else?
a. Misplaced affections are followed by mistaken priorities.
b. Mistaken priorities lead to misguided actions.
c. Misguided actions (aka sin) lead us away from God.
C. I Have Given To The House Of My God Over And Above. 3b
1. The true measure of Christian giving is over and above.
a. David gave
i. Over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house
ii. My own special treasure of gold and silver
b. He gave three thousand talents of gold 4
i. A gold talent is 75 pounds in weight.
ii. At today’s price of $1,083.40 per Troy ounce, one talent would be worth $1,184,941.67.
iii. 3000 talents would be worth $3,575,299,527.00 (That's 3.5 Billion!)
iv. 7000 talents of silver.
a. I can almost hear someone saying, “But he’s the King! He’s rich! He can afford to give like that!”
b. God did not require more from David because he was the King.
c. David gave more because he loved the LORD.
d.
2. Those who have not given over and above have not tested God as instructed in
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the LORD of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the LORD of hosts;
—Malachi 3:10-11
D. I have given as I was gifted 5
1. I have given gold for things of gold 5a
2. I have given silver for things of silver 5b
3. I have given for all kinds of work to be done. 5c
4. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD?" 5d
a. Who is willing to covenant with the Lord for the work of the Lord?
b. Who is willing to say, “Here am I, LORD, send me?”
Illustration:
The Scottish king Robert the Bruce who tried to take his own kingdom from the British six times and failed. The seventh time, he struck with all his might and won a mighty victory. King David was just the opposite, he was never defeated in battle. But when the warrior wanted to build a “house” for God, God refused. That honor was given to King Davids son, King Solomon.
Whether we are the warrior, the builder or the financier, we all have a place in Gods grand scheme.
II. The People’s Dedication 6-10
A. A Leaders Effectiveness 6
1. Judged by the people’s action. 6
a. The leaders of Israel offered willingly. 6
b. What they gave was astonishing! 7
i. $5,963,535,562.50 worth of gold
ii. 750,000 lbs of silver
iii. 1,350,000 lbs of bronze
iv. 7,500,000 lbs of iron.
v. Precious stones 8
2. Judged by the people’s devotion.
a. There is no doubt that people are moved by their leaders.
i. Sometimes for the good.
ii. Sometimes for the bad.
b. In the case of the church—
i. Every leader in the church should be pointed people to Christ and to his service.
ii. Any leader who allows people to follow him instead of God becomes and anti-Christ.
iii. David’s giving provided an example for the people to serve God.
B. The Attitude Of The People 9-10
1. They rejoiced and offered willingly. 9a
2. Their hearts were loyal and they offered willing
3. Their adulation to God caused King David to rejoice greatly as well.
a. Nothing is more gratifying for a leader in the church than to see people serving the Lord, on their own, as they have been instructed.
b. No caterwauling, no coercion, no hand holding, just sweet, pure obedience!
4. For that, King David blessed the LORD
10 Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.”
III. The Lord’s Decision 25
A. God Prospered The Ruler
1. King David WAS very rich.
2. King David lived long enough to see King Solomon take the throne with his blessing.
3. King Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived.
30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than all men…and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.
—1Kings 4:30-31
4. King Solomon was also tremendously wealthy.
B. God Prospers The People
1. Gold and silver become common
Also the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.
—2Chronicles 1:15
2. The people follow the Lord.
IV. The Pastors Deduction
A. God Prospered The People Because They Followed Him.
B. Financial Stewardship Follows Spiritual Surrender.
V. Conclusion
