The Book of 1 Chronicles

Word Study

"a man of rest," ish menuchah (אִישׁ מְנוּחָה). David explains to Solomon why he himself could not build the temple: "Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars." David was a man of war, and though his wars were largely the LORD's battles, the house of God, a house of peace, was to be built by a man of peace. So God promised "a son... who shall be a man of rest (menuchah)." The wars David fought won the rest that Solomon would enjoy.

"Solomon," Hebrew Shelomoh (שְׁלֹמֹה), from shalom, peace. God named the promised son in advance, "his name shall be Solomon," Peace, "and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days." Then the covenant language of chapter 17 returns: "He shall build an 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... for ever." Applied first to Solomon, this promise reaches beyond him, for Solomon's throne did not last for ever. It points to the true Son of David and Prince of Peace, whose kingdom has no end, and who builds the true and eternal temple. Solomon the peace-bringer who builds God's house is a shadow of Christ, our peace, who builds the church.

Explanation

David called his son Solomon and charged him with the task of building the temple. He explained that he himself had wanted to build it, but God had told him he could not, because he was a man of war who had shed much blood. Instead, God promised David a son who would be "a man of rest," to whom God would give peace from all enemies, and named him Solomon, meaning "peace." This son would build the temple, and God would be a father to him and establish his kingdom forever. The building of God's house of peace was reserved for the man of peace, and the promise looked beyond Solomon to the everlasting kingdom of the Messiah.

Gospel Focus

That the temple must be built by "a man of rest," not a man of war, is rich with gospel meaning. God's dwelling place is a house of peace, and it is built by the Prince of Peace. Solomon, whose name means peace and who gave Israel rest, is a clear picture of Jesus, of whom Isaiah wrote, "his name shall be called... The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6), and who said, "Come unto me... and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). David won the victories, but Solomon enjoyed and extended the rest, just as Christ, having won the decisive victory, gives His people His peace, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). And the covenant word, "he shall be my son, and I will be my father," is applied by Hebrews to Christ (Hebrews 1:5), the true Son of David in whom the one God was manifest, who builds not a temple of stone but "an holy temple in the Lord... an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:21-22). We ourselves, made peace with God through the blood of the cross, are the living stones of the house that the true Solomon is building. Rest in the Prince of Peace who gives what David's wars could only foreshadow: true and everlasting rest.

Word Study

"be strong, and of good courage," Hebrew chazaq we'ematz (חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ), be firm and be bold. David's charge to Solomon echoes the very words God spoke to Joshua when he took up Moses' unfinished work (Joshua 1:6-9). The great task of building the temple would require courage, and David grounds that courage in three things. First, the presence of God: "the LORD be with thee." Second, the gift of God: "the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding," the very wisdom Solomon would soon ask for and receive. Third, obedience to God: "that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God... if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments." Prosperity is tied to obedience: "Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed." Only then does David say, "be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed." Notice that true courage is not self-confidence but God-confidence, resting on His presence, His wisdom, and His word. A great work for God is daunting, but the servant who has God with him, God's wisdom in him, and God's word to guide him need not fear. David hands the torch to the next generation with a blessing, a gift, a command, and a call to fearless courage.

Explanation

David blessed Solomon and prayed that the LORD would be with him and give him success in building the temple as God had promised. He asked God to grant Solomon wisdom and understanding to lead Israel and to keep God's law. David made clear that Solomon's success depended on his obedience: if he carefully kept the statutes and judgments God had given through Moses, he would prosper. Then David urged him with the same words God had given Joshua long before: "be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed." It was a father's charge to a son embarking on a great and holy work, grounding his courage in God's presence, wisdom, and law.

Gospel Focus

David's charge, "be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed," is a word for everyone God calls to a great work. Such courage is not bravado but confidence in God, resting on His presence ("the LORD be with thee"), His enabling ("give thee wisdom and understanding"), and His word ("keep the law of the LORD"). This is the same threefold ground on which the Lord commissioned His people throughout Scripture, and the same on which He sends His church, promising, "lo, I am with you alway" (Matthew 28:20), giving "the spirit of... power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7), and commanding us to keep His word. We are called to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" (Ephesians 6:10), never in ourselves. Whatever daunting task God has set before you, building a family, a ministry, a life of obedience, take up David's charge: God is with you, God will supply the wisdom, and God's word will guide you, so be strong and of good courage, and do not be afraid. The God who charged Solomon and Joshua charges us, and He never sends His servants where His presence will not go with them.

Word Study

"set your heart and your soul to seek," Hebrew tenu levavkhem wenafshekhem lidrosh (תְּנוּ לְבַבְכֶם וְנַפְשְׁכֶם לִדְרוֹשׁ), give your heart and soul to seek. David turns from Solomon to "all the princes of Israel" and grounds his appeal in what God has already done: "Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side?" The rest that God had granted through David's wars was meant to free the nation for the work of building God's house. Then comes the heart of the charge: "Now set your heart and your soul to seek (darash) the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary." To "set your heart and your soul" is to give wholehearted, single-minded devotion; the seeking of God must engage the whole inner person. And this seeking is not passive; it issues in action, "arise therefore, and build." The goal of it all is to bring the ark and the holy vessels into "the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD," that is, to restore the presence and worship of God to the center of national life. David has learned the lesson of his whole reign: the one thing needful is to seek the LORD, and the fruit of seeking Him is a life, and a nation, built around His presence.

Explanation

David addressed the leaders of Israel, reminding them that God was with them and had given them peace and rest on every side, subduing the land before them. Because God had done this, David urged them to devote themselves wholeheartedly to seeking the LORD and to get up and build His sanctuary, so that the ark of the covenant and the holy vessels could be brought into the temple that would be built for God's name. He called them to match God's faithfulness with wholehearted devotion and active obedience, making the worship of God the center of the nation's life.

Gospel Focus

"Set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God" is the summons of the whole Bible, answered fully in the gospel. God had given Israel rest, and the fitting response to His grace was wholehearted seeking and building. So it is with us: God has given us rest in Christ, "we which have believed do enter into rest" (Hebrews 4:3), and the response is to seek Him with heart and soul, "ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13), and to "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). Note that David grounds the call to seek and build on what God has already done, "Is not the LORD your God with you?" True devotion is always a response to grace, not an attempt to earn it. And the sanctuary they were to build points beyond itself: God no longer dwells in a house of stone, but "ye are the temple of the living God" (2 Corinthians 6:16), and we are being "builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22). So the charge comes to us: because God is with you and has given you rest in Christ, set your whole heart and soul to seek Him, and rise up to build His house, the living temple of His redeemed people, to the glory of His name.