1 Chronicles 22:1-19

14. DAVID'S PROVISIONS FOR THE TEMPLE
(Chapter 22)

TEXT

1 Chronicles 22:1. Then David said, This is the house of Jehovah God, and this is the altar of burnt-offering for Israel.

2. And David commanded to gather together the sojourners that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. 3. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the couplings; and brass in abundance without weight; 4. and cedar-trees without number: for the Sidonians and they of Tyre brought cedar-trees in abundance to David. 5. And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for Jehovah must be exceeding magnificent, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
6. Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for Jehovah, the God of Israel. 7. And David said to Solomon his son, As for me, it was in my heart to build a house unto the name of Jehovah my God. 8. But the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, -Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build a house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. 9. -Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. 10. -He shall build a house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.-' 11. Now, my son, Jehovah be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of Jehovah thy God, as he hath spoken concerning thee. 12. Only Jehovah give thee discretion and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel; that so thou mayest keep the law of Jehovah thy God. 13. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou observe to do the statues and the ordinances which Jehovah charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; fear not, neither be dismayed. 14. Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of Jehovah a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver, and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto. 15. Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all men that are skilful in every manner of work: 16. Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing, and Jehovah be with thee.
17. David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18.Is not Jehovah your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? For he hath delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before Jehovah, and before his people. 19. Now set your heart and your soul to seek after Jehovah your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary God, into the house that is to be built to the name of Jehovah.

PARAPHRASE

1 Chronicles 22:1. Then David said, Right here at Ornan's threshing-floor is the place where I-'ll build the Temple of the Lord and construct the altar for Israel's burnt offering!

2. David now drafted all the resident aliens in Israel to prepare blocks of squared stone for the Temple. 3. They also manufactured iron into the great quantity of nails needed for the doors in the gates and for the clamps; and they smelted so much bronze that it was too much to weigh. 4. The men of Tyre and Sidon brought great rafts of cedar logs to David. 5. Solomon my son is young and tender, David said, and the Temple of the Lord must be a marvelous structure, famous and glorious throughout the world; so I will begin the preparations for it now. So David collected the construction materials before his death.
6. He now commanded his son Solomon to build a temple for the Lord God of Israel. 7. I wanted to build it myself, David told him, 8. but the Lord said not to do it. -You have killed too many men in great wars,-' he told me. -You have reddened the ground before me with blood: so you are not to build my Temple. 9. But I will give you a son,-' he told me, -who will be a man of peace, for I will give him peace with his enemies in the surrounding lands. His name shall be Solomon (meaning Peaceful), and I will give peace and quietness to Israel during his reign. 10. He shall build my temple, and he shall be as my own son and I will be his father; and I will cause his sons and his descendants to reign over every generation of Israel.-' 11. So now, my son, may the Lord be with you and prosper you as you do what he told you to do and build the Temple of the Lord. 12. And may the Lord give you the good judgment to follow all his laws when he makes you king of Israel. 13. For if you carefully obey the rules and regulations which he gave to Israel through Moses, you will prosper. Be strong and courageous, fearless and enthusiastic! 14. By hard work I have collected $3,000,000,000 worth of gold bullion, $2,000,000 worth of silver, and so much iron and bronze that I haven-'t even weighed it; I have also gathered timber and stone for the walls. This is at least a beginning, something with which to start. 15. And you have many skilled stonemasons and carpenters and craftsmen of every kind. 16. They are expert gold and silver smiths and bronze and iron workers. So get to work, and may the Lord be with you! 17. Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to assist his son in this project. 18. The Lord your God is with you, he declared. He has given you peace with the surrounding nations, for I have conquered them in the name of the Lord and for his people. 19. Now try with every fiber of your being to obey the Lord your God, and you will soon be bringing the Ark and the other holy articles of worship into the Temple of the Lord!

COMMENTARY

Chapter twenty-two describes plans made for the Temple. This was a primary concern for David in the latter years of his reign. The expanding kingdom of Israel brought many foreigners to Jerusalem. Some of these became proselytes or converts to Israel's religion. Others of them simply brought their skills as master workmen and found ready employment under David and Solomon. This provided an interesting preview of the inclusion of the Gentiles in God's kingdom. Men skilled in building with stone and marble, men who were master craftsmen in using copper, and others who were skilled workmen with wood came to David's assistance. Great marble slabs were prepared for the Temple. Some of these measured twelve by fifteen feet and weighed as much as five tons. These stones were quarried in Phoenicia not far from the great Lebanon forests. Some marble was quarried in the Jordan valley. All of the great stones were hewn to specific dimensions where they were quarried so that no sound of hammers was heard at the building site of the Temple. The Phoenicians from Tyre and Sidon were master craftsmen in wood. They were expert builders of ships and houses. The great cedar logs and marble slabs were floated down the Mediterranean on wood rafts. David knew that Solomon was to build the Temple. Solomon would need much assistance if the House was to approach the magnificence which David envisioned. So David prepared abundantly before his death. To prepare for the Temple became David's chief concern.
In verses six through sixteen David spoke directly to Solomon emphasizing his successor's responsibility with regard to the construction of the Temple. Solomon's specific charge was to build a house for Jehovah. David once again recalled his purpose to build the Temple and Jehovah's forbidding him to do so. Because of the peculiar responsibilities which were David's he had been a man of war. The blood of many persons was upon his hands. Before Solomon was born, David had known what his son's name and character would be. The name, Solomon, means peaceful. He would be a man of rest. In quietness and confidence he would do his work as king. Not only was Solomon the son of David, he was also the son of God. As Jehovah had revealed in II Samuel, chapter 7, Solomon would be the first successor of David in the establishment of the Davidic kingship. So David charged Solomon with solemn responsibility and prayed for Jehovah's richest blessings to attend his son. Discretion is that ability to make the right choices. Understanding is more than mere intelligence. It involves comprehension, sympathy, sensitivity to God's revelation and man's needs. To keep the law involved careful study of Jehovah's revealed will and courage to be a real spiritual leader. Solomon would receive the crown in one hand. Into his other hand the scrolls of the Law would be placed on his coronation day. As Moses had led God's people out of Egypt to the Plains of Moab, Solomon is to lead in strength and without fear or dismay. David reminded his son, Solomon, that he had prepared a great stockpile of materials for the construction of the Temple. When constructed, the materials used in the building of the Temple were so lavish that their value could not be estimated.[40] One hundred thousand talents of gold at thirty thousand dollars a talent would amount to three hundred million dollars. One million talents of silver at two thousand dollars a talent would amount to two million dollars. It is best to say that the building would be of inestimable value. Not only did Solomon have all of the goods at his disposal, he also had unlimited resources in the skilled artisans and men who would do the menial tasks. David had done everything humanly possible to assure the grand success of this project. His charge was equal to the solemnity of the occasion, Arise and be doing and Jehovah be with thee. David charged the princes to assist Solomon. The wars had been fought, enemies had either surrendered or had been annihilated. To the princes David said, Arise and build the sanctuary of Jehovah God. Prepare a permanent place for the ark.[41]

[40] Elmslie, W. A. L., The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. III, p. 419

[41] Clarke, Adam, A Commentary and Critical Notes, Vol. II, p. 620