David: Joy in Giving

After David became king of the united monarchy, one of his first acts as king was to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. According to the Book of Chronicles, David gathered his officers, the leaders of the people, “including the priests and Levites” (1 Chronicles 13:2) and expressed his desire to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.

The first attempt at bringing the Ark was a failure because of the incident in which Uzzah tried to hold the Ark from falling to the ground after the oxen transporting the Ark stumbled and caused the Ark to fall from the cart. Because Uzzah was ritually unclean, he died there before God.

The second attempt at transporting the Ark to Jerusalem was successful. David brought the Ark from the house of Obed-edom. With great celebration, with music and dance, David and all the people brought the Ark of the Covenant “and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it” (2 Samuel 6:17).

David’s Desire to Build the Temple

David’s greatest dream was to build a magnificent temple in Jerusalem for God. For centuries God has been worshiped in the tabernacle. David’s dream was to replace the tabernacle with a temple which would be worthy of the God of Israel.

David said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent” (2 Samuel 7:2). Nathan gave the king his approval to build the temple. But Yahweh came to Nathan that night and revealed to him that David was not the one who would build the temple.

Nathan said to David, “the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. . . . Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:11, 16). God’s promise to David was that his house, that is, his kingdom would be established forever. However, it would be his son who would build the temple in Jerusalem.

God also made another promise to David. Nathan conveyed God’s promise to David, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12–13).

Solomon, David’s son, was the one chosen by God to build the temple after David’s death. In his last days, David gathered his officers and the leaders of Israel and said to them, “Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had planned to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God; and I made preparations for building. But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for my name, for you are a warrior and have shed blood’” (1 Chronicles 28:2–3).

David had been a man of war, “a warrior,” all his adult life. He first began serving in the army of Saul after he killed Goliath, the Philistine warrior who was threatening Israel. Then David spent the early part of his reign fighting against Israel’s enemies in order to bring peace to the his kingdom. As a man of war, David would not be allowed to build the temple of God. As Klein writes, “what was prohibited to David as a man of war is permitted to Solomon,” the man of peace (Klein 2006: 520).

David Challenges the People to Give to God

Although David was unable to build the temple for God, David was instrumental in developing the design for the temple. According to the Book of Chronicles, before he died, David gave Solomon “the plan of the vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat” (1 Chronicles 28:11). In addition, David provided the gold, the silver, the iron, and the wood that were to be used in the construction of the temple (1 Chronicles 29:2).

After detailing his gifts to God, David challenged the people to give sacrificially to God. David asked the assembly which had gathered to hear about the construction of the temple. David said to them, “Now who is going to make a freewill offering and devote himself today to the LORD?” (1 Chronicles 29:5 TNK).

In response to David’s challenge, the leaders of the families, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of regiments and battalions, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave generously. In response to the generosity of the people, David prayed a prayer of thanksgiving in which he expressed his feeling of gratitude for the people who had given their money to God with a willing attitude.

David was moved by the generosity of the people. David set the example in giving and the people followed his example. David had been blessed by the Lord and now he blessed God for the generosity of the people, “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever” (1 Chronicle 29:10). David’s prayer (1 Chronicles 29:10–19) and the response of the people to give their money for the construction of the temple, teaches six basic principles about giving to God.

Giving is stewardship

In his prayer, David said, “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” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT).

David recognized that wealth and honor come from God (1 Chronicles 29:12). This is the reason he declared that everything he had was given to him by God. David recognized that, in giving to God, he and the people were giving what God had first given to them. The people of God are stewards of God’s gifts in the same way David’s officers were stewards of David’s properties (1 Chronicles 27:25).

A steward is a person who manages or looks after the property of another person . David believed that he was a steward of what God had given him. Since God gave him wealth and honor, David’s money was God’s money. God established the tithe as a way for people to express their generosity.

Moses told the people how the tithe should be distributed, “Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all your work” (Deuteronomy 14:29 NLT). God expected the people of Israel to be generous in their giving.

Giving is investing in the future

In his prayer David said, “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” (1 Chronicles 29:15 NLT).

David recognizes that life is short, but eternity is long. Human life is transient and very brief, but God is “from eternity to eternity” (1 Chronicles 29:10 TNK). Human life may be short, however, but when people invest in God’s cause, their giving will have an eternal impact.

Giving is worship

In his prayer, David said, “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” (1 Chronicles 29:16 NLT).

David wanted to build the temple so that the people of Israel could come and worship God. David wanted to build a majestic temple, a temple to honor God and to honor his holy name. Once again David recognizes that all they had given to build the temple belonged to God, “It all belongs to you.” In giving their wealth to build the temple, the people were returning to God that which belonged to God.

Giving is pleasing to God

In his prayer, David said, “ I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there” (1 Chronicles 29:17 NLT).

The Bible says that God tests the human heart (Psalm 17:3). David said that God had tested the people’s hearts and rejoiced to discover that out of their nothingness, the people’s generosity was sincere.

The Hebrew word translated “rejoice” frequently describes God’s pleasure with his people. What David said in his prayer was that God was emotionally impacted by the giving of the people. God rejoiced because he saw the devotion and the generosity of the people.

Giving is voluntary

In his prayer David said, “ You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously” (1 Chronicles 29:17 NLT).

David gave his wealth to God as evidence of his gratitude for what God had done for him. David said, “in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things” (1 Chronicles 29:17 NRSV). David was grateful to God and his giving was a demonstration of his gratitude. David did not force the people to give, but “they gave their money voluntarily, willing, out of their hearts” (1 Chronicles 29:17 NRSV).

People cannot be forced to give their money to God. David and the people of Israel gave their money to build the house of God out of gratitude and as an expression of their generosity. As the apostle Paul wrote, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully’” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT).

Giving is delightful

David said that when the people gave their wealth to build the house of God in Jerusalem, the people gave “willingly and joyously” (1 Chronicles 29:17 NLT).

David told God in his prayer that the people were joyful when they gave their money to build the temple. The Hebrew word for joy reflects the disposition of an individual doing an action that pleases God. Thus, the word is often associated with the heart.

The people were delighted when they gave a portion of their wealth to build the house of God. Even when they were not forced to give, the people gave joyfully. The people discovered the joy of giving when they realized that their generosity would bring blessings to many people and would make a profound impact on the religious life of their nation.

Application

My pastor, Jeff Griffin, Senior Pastor of The Compass Church in Naperville, Illinois preached a sermon on July 2, 2023 titled “David: Joy in Giving.” The sermon was based on 2 Samuel 24:18–25. Many of the ideas and concepts mentioned in the post above are based on Jeff’s sermon.

In his sermon Jeff emphasized the joy David and the leaders of Israel had as they gave a portion of their wealth generously and joyfully to build the temple of God. People today do not celebrate giving because they fail to realize that, what they are and what they have, are gifts from God.

Jeff mentioned that many people are afraid to give money to the church because of the abuse and the dishonesty some Christian leaders display in managing the money of God’s people. Some of the appeals for money are dishonoring to God. People are reluctant to give because they are not sure the money they give will be used to promote God’s work in the world.

David and the leaders of Israel set an example by showing what giving is supposed to be like. Giving to God’s work is evidence of Christian generosity. David acknowledged that the gold and the silver he was giving to God already belonged to God. David was being a steward of the wealth that God had given to him.

David had been blessed by God. To him and to the people, giving was a pleasure and a celebration. The gifts of the people showed the integrity of their hearts. God was pleased with their offering because it was offered willingly and joyfully.

Jeff concluded his sermon by pointing out the many ways The Compass Church uses the money it receives to spread the gospel of Christ. The Compass Church is committed to ministering and to assisting, not only members of the church, but also people in the wider community. The church is a good steward of the money entrusted by the members of the church to promote the kingdom of God here, near, and far.

A Video Presentation

David: Joy in Giving. A Sermon by Jeff Griffin.

For the complete list of sermons of the life of David, read my post, David – The Life of a King.

For a complete list of posts based on Jeff Griffin’s sermons, visit my post The Sermons of Jeff Griffin.

Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

If you enjoyed reading this post, you will enjoy reading my books.

VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR’S PAGE

BUY MY BOOKS ON AMAZON (Click here).

NOTE: Did you like this post? Do you think other people would like to read this post? Be sure to share this post on Facebook and share a link on Twitter or Tumblr so that others may enjoy reading it too!

I would love to hear from you! Let me know what you thought of this post by leaving a comment below. Be sure to like my page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, follow me on Tumblr, Facebook, and subscribe to my blog to receive each post by email.

If you are looking for other series of studies on the Old Testament, visit the Archive section and you will find many studies that deal with a variety of Old Testament topics.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Klein, Ralph W. 1 Chronicles. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006.