CONTEXT/STUDY
CHAP. 29 THIS chapter relates how largely and liberally David, besides what he had before done, and his princes, offered towards defraying the expenses of building the temple, ver. 1–8 and the joy and thankfulness that he and his people expressed on that account, attended with prayers for Solomon, and offering sacrifices unto the Lord, ver. 9–21 and the chapter is closed, and so the book, with an account of the second unction of Solomon, the placing him on the throne, and the submission of all ranks of men unto him, and of the death of David, ver. 22–30.
John Gill, An Exposition of the Old Testament, vol. 3, The Baptist Commentary Series (London: Mathews and Leigh, 1810), 45.
v.10–12. Now we come to the most interesting part of all this beautiful scene. David knew his end to be near. David convened his people, his princes, his son. David addressed them all affectionately: but the chief point of all is yet to be done. He now looks up to the Lord. Here, Reader! is the first, and best, and chief end of all. In Jesus the soul finds all its blessedness center. But let us hear what David saith
Robert Hawker, Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: 1 Kings–Esther, vol. 3 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2013), 420.
29:10–20 David’s Prayer of Praise
PRAISING THE KING OF KINGS. LUCAS OSIANDER: The king praised God before the entire multitude, that is, the leaders and the populace who had gathered. For there is no shame to us in glorifying God. In his prayer the king proclaimed the majesty of God, to the decrease of himself and his public office. He prayed that God would keep the souls of the people and of King Solomon in godliness and accomplish this. He said, “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father.” That is, “You are praised as the patriarch of Israel, who graciously adopted the people as his heirs. In your infinite goodness, you are worthy to be praised from eternity to eternity, from all days to the end of the ages.” ANNOTATIONS ON 1 CHRONICLES.
DAVID’S LAST PUBLIC PRAYER. JOHN MAYER: Then David, seeing the assembly’s cheerfulness in offering the contributions, blessed God and acknowledged in front of all the people what they had offered. And David conceded that what they had offered had come from God. David then beseeched the Lord to continue working with the people, knowing the fickleness of humankind’s heart. Last, David prayed for his son Solomon, namely, that God would give him a perfect heart so that he might do all the things commanded of him. And after blessing God, all the assembly bowed themselves before the king as a show of thanks for his blessing and the benefits they had received under his governance. COMMENTARY ON CHRONICLES.
GOOD SUBJECTS, GOOD RULERS. JOHN DOD: Let inferiors here be admonished that as governors are to serve the Lord on their behalf (the husband for the wife, parents for their children, masters and mistresses for their servants and people), so they on the other side are to be gentle and humble and tractable, so that their superiors have encouragement and good success in the supplications that they make for them.… This was what made David so plentifully pour out his heart before the Lord in prayer and in thanksgiving. For when the princes and the people had offered very largely and very willingly, David rejoiced with great joy and blessed and praised the Lord before all the congregation, saying, “Blessed be you, Lord God, forever and ever.” … Thus may we observe how the good affections and desires of the people stir up and strengthen the hearts of their rulers to pray for them. Whereas, on the contrary, nothing so kills the heart and discourages the spirits of God’s servants from prayer than when they see those who are under them to be willful, headstrong, rebellious and utterly void of any good disposition to piety and religious exercises. They can give no good testimony of them, but instead they have need to cry to God that he would humble them and convert them. THE FOURTH SERMON ON THE LORD’S SUPPER.
BEING A JOYFUL GIVER. JOHANNES PISCATOR: A contribution to the worship of God, and not that just given to support the lowly poor in the church, should arise from a sincere heart and a joyful spirit. That’s because God, as the apostle Paul says, “loves a cheerful giver.” COMMENTARY ON 1 CHRONICLES.
ALL IS FROM GOD. DAVID CLARKSON: Whatever is good is from God. Take a survey of all you have. Begin at the foundation, at your very being … [and you will see that] the ground work and the whole structure, the subject and all the accessories, are wholly from God, for all is his own. How then do you or others come to have anything but merely of his favor and goodwill, who disposes of his own to whom he pleases? None could constrain him, none could oblige him to part with anything (for by what could they do it, all being his own?), to dispose of his own any otherwise than he would. So that whatever you have, you have it of him and you have it freely. You do not have—you could not have—anything, but of his good pleasure. To this you owe all, and so owe thankfulness for everything. SERMON ON 1 CHRONICLES 29:11.
Derek Cooper et al., eds., 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles: Old Testament, vol. V, Reformation Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2016), 583–584.
DEVOTION
Dare to Be a Daniel
2024-08-19 07:00 UTC by letters@gty.org (Grace to You)
“‘Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from Thee, and Thou dost rule over all’” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12).
Trust God, who controls everyone and everything.
In Daniel 6, King Darius chose 120 princes to help him govern his kingdom. Over the princes he appointed three presidents, with Daniel being the first president. The princes and other two presidents were jealous of Daniel, so they devised a scheme against him. They told the king that he should make a law requiring every person to make his requests only to the king for the next thirty days. They said, “Anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you . . . shall be cast into the lions’ den” (v. 7). The king approved the idea and signed it into law. The princes and two presidents were glad because they knew Daniel prayed daily to his God (cf. v. 10).
As soon as Daniel’s opponents found him praying, they reported the matter to the king. Although Darius did not want harm to come to Daniel, the king could not reverse his law. As a result, Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. When the king went to the den early the next morning, Daniel said to Darius, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me” (v. 22). “So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God” (v. 23). Daniel trusted God because he knew that He was in control of everything.
Since God both owns and controls everyone and everything, don’t put your hope in riches or fear for your needs. God will take care of you. In his book Trusting God, Jerry Bridges wrote, “God . . . so directs and controls all events and all actions of His creatures that they never act outside of His sovereign will. We must believe this and cling to this . . . if we are to glorify God by trusting Him.” Dare to be a Daniel: trust God, who controls all and promises to care for you.
Suggestions for Prayer
Thank the Lord for being in sovereign control of your life.
For Further Study
What does Lamentations 3:37-38 say about God’s control?
From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.Additional Resources
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