David's Farewell Address: Part 1/Sermon Presented 9/2

In the chapters leading up to chapter 28, we find the final works of David.  In Chapter 22 we see him prepare for the building of the Temple.  In 23 we see him organize the Levites and in 24 we see the division of labor for the priests.  In 25 he organizes the musicians and in 26 he organizes the gatekeepers and treasurers and other officials.  Lastly, in 27, he appoints military leaders.  Finally, in 28, as his last kingly act, he addresses the people to give them his final wishes and to pass on the scepter to his son, Solomon.  It is this final speech that we will study in the final two chapters of 1 Chronicles.  Through this speech we will seek to understand essentially two things.  1, we will learn what it means to be a good leader, and 2, we will learn what it means to pass along the covenant. 

    Beginning with verse 1:  Read verses 1-3.  David calls together all the leaders of the people.  There were political representatives, military commanders, and even heads of the royal agricultural divisions.  The first phrase of verse 2 tells us that David rose to his feet.  It is possible that this is simply saying that he rose to his feet from where he was sitting on his throne, but it could mean that he rose from where he was lying down.  In 1 Kings 1 we read that David was very sickly and lethargic, and even bedridden.  It is possible that David was carried out on his bed before the people and that he mustered the strength to stand and to address the people one last time. 

     Either way, he stands and addresses the people with words of tenderness and affection.  He calls his subjects his brothers and his people.  David had not forgotten from where it was that he had come.  He remembered that he was merely a shepherd boy from Bethlehem.  He recalled that he had been on the run from Saul in the wilderness for several years.  David had always been a man of the people.  Ever since he had killed Goliath, the people had loved him.  In fact, that was the very reason that King Saul had hated him.  David recognized that a good leader is a not one who is aloof and set apart from the people, but instead is someone who identifies with the people.

    Good leaders must identify with those whom they seek to lead.  No matter what realm they govern, whether political or religious, they must seek to be united to the people.  They must recognize that they are called to enforce the law, and that they are not above the law.  Leaders are called to serve the people, not be served by them.  Jesus, the King of Kings, gave us a clear example of what a leader should look like.  A leader must serve.  He must be prepared to get on his hands and knees and wash the feet of others, if need be.  A good and Godly leader will be prepared to do the dirty work. 

    David expresses the desire that he had to build a Temple for Yahweh.  Yahweh had built him a great nation, and David sought to do what little he could to return the favor.  I’d like you to notice three things from verses 2 and 3.  Firstly, notice how David submitted his will to God’s will.  David had it in his heart to build a place of rest for the Ark of the Covenant, which had been a nomad for the past few centuries.  The Ark pictured God’s presence.  It was God’s footstool, as David calls it in verse 2.  David wanted to give God rest, but God had other plans.  God wanted to show David who was in charge—who was really in control.  God wanted to give David rest. 

    David had to submit his will to God’s will.  This shows us that sometimes, even when our heart is in the right place, even when our motives are pure, our actions may not be according to God’s will.  We must serve God how he wishes to be served.  Just because something makes sense to us and feels right doesn’t mean that it will be pleasing to God.  We must compare everything to the standard of God’s Word.  Certainly there are gray areas and God will respect the sincere heart, but there are many times that people claim to be motivated by God’s glory, and yet clearly contradict His Word.  It makes me think of the thousands of female pastors in this nation—women who truly love God and want to serve Him, but who, nonetheless, are obviously in opposition to His revealed will.  This is why it is so vital that we read and study God’s Word so that we know how best to serve God.  We must know God’s will for our lives in order to do our best to obey it.

    Secondly, notice that David did not become bitter at God.  David wanted to be the one to honor God in such a glorious way.  God wanted Solomon to do it instead.  Instead of being angry with God, David did all he could to pave the way for Solomon. 

    Thirdly, notice why it was that David could not build the Temple.  In verse 3 God says, “You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.”  People make much of this, saying that war is wrong and that David was a terrible sinner.  While it is true that David had taken innocent blood when he killed Uriah, that is not the point here.  The point, simply put, is that God desired His glorious house to be built by a man of peace rather than a man of war.  God’s reasons are not really explained.  It wasn’t that David was too sinful.  It was that God had used him in one way, as a mighty warrior, and now He sought to use Solomon in different way, as a peaceful king whose kingdom would not be based on blood but on wisdom. 

    In this way, Solomon was a picture of the great Messiah who would come and be the Prince of Peace.  Jesus was not a warrior.  Contrary to modern thought, He is not coming back to earth to set up a Kingdom based on military might.  When we think this way, we get trapped up in the kind of thinking of the Jews in Jesus’s day.   Jesus has already established his Kingdom through peaceful means.  In fact, the only life lost was His own.  His Kingdom advances not through stepping on men’s necks but through the changing of men’s hearts.

    Listen to the first 3 verses of Psalm 110.  David says, “Yahweh says to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’  Yahweh sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter.  Rule in the midst of your enemies.  Your people will offer themselves freely in the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.”  As Jesus’s Kingdom advances, men are not forced into the Kingdom by being beaten into submission.  Instead, they seek to join the magnanimous Kingdom of the great Prince of Peace.    

    Isaiah 42:1-3 shows us the gentle nature of the Messiah who would come and conquer the world.  It says, “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.  He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.”  At first look, this seems like a contradiction of ideas.  How can somebody be gentle and yet bring justice to the nations?  How can somebody be quiet and yet conquer?  This is the mystery that Jesus embodied, and which Solomon foreshadowed as his Kingdom expanded in times of peace. 

    Look at verses 4-5: Read verses 4-5.  David here reveals the reason for the humility that we noted in verse 2.  David was fully aware that it was not his military prowess that had won him the crown.  He knew that he was the king only because God had chosen him.  He recognized the hand of God not only in his life, but also in the history of the nation.  He references the fact that Judah had been the exalted tribe, though Judah was not the oldest son of Jacob.  He recognizes God’s divine choice in calling his father, Jesse, amongst all of his uncles.  David himself was not the eldest, nor the most impressive of his brothers, and yet God hand-picked him to be the heir to the crown. 

    And now, despite the fact that Solomon was not the oldest of his sons, David proclaims that Solomon would be the one to inherit the throne.  Why?  Was it because Bathsheba had interceded on his behalf?  Was it because Solomon was a great warrior or a wise man?  No.  It was because God was the true king of Israel, and God had chosen Solomon to rule for Him.  God had plans for him, and so David passed the crown down to him. 

    With David, we must learn to recognize the hand of God in our own lives and in the lives of our families, and we must submit to God’s choices.  We must praise and thank God for His miraculous and merciful dealings with us.  Many times it can be hard to identify God’s purpose in our lives, but as we look back over the years we can see how God has guided us and preserved us.  We can see how God has exalted some and abased others. 

 

    Elders especially must learn to recognize the hand of God on young men whom God has chosen to lead the next generation of the church.  They must encourage them to exercise their gifts while waiting patiently for the movement of God in their lives.  They must provide examples of Godly living and humble leadership to the next generation of leaders.

    Look at verses 6-8: Read verses 6-8.  Notice two things from these verses.  Firstly, notice what God promises David.  He promises that He would be a father to Solomon.  This should be the hope of every Christian parent.  Godly parents recognize that they are not enough for their children.  In fact, parents are only stewards appointed by God to train His young ones.  We must pray that God will be a father to our children, for He is a perfect father. 

    Through Jesus Christ, we can all receive this adoption.  John 1:11-12 says, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  But to all that did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”  As we embrace the sacrifice of our brother, Jesus, we are brought into the family of God and we receive all the benefits of children of God.  John 14:23 says, “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” 

    Secondly, notice in verse 7 that this calling was conditional, as covenants always are.  God promises to exalt Solomon and to establish his kingdom forever, if only he would continue to follow the righteous path.  While we could never earn or maintain our salvation, God has called us to faithfulness to his Word.  As Matthew Henry said, “Perseverance wears the crown, though it wins it not.”  If we are not actively seeking to obey God and to serve Him, we reveal that our hearts contain no love for Him.  Saving faith in Jesus Christ always brings with it the desire to serve Him as our Lord.  True faith is faithful. 

    Thankfully, as we saw in John 6 a few weeks ago, God often overcomes our faithlessness.  If we continue in the faith, it is because God is preserving His saints.  He convicts us of our sin and brings us back into fellowship with Him.  He continually removes our heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh.  He writes His law upon our hearts.  Throughout the history of Judah, there were many sons of David who were wicked, but God overcame their faithlessness and His covenant with David persevered.  God is faithful, even when we are not.  He will finish that good work that He has begun in us.

    David next turns his attention specifically to Solomon.  Beginning in verse 9 he says: Read verses 9-10.  It was David’s wish for Solomon that he would know Yahweh just as he had known and loved him from his youth.  David offers his own experience of the faithfulness of God as proof to Solomon that God would not forsake him.  Parents, is this the motivating factor behind your parenting?  Is this the reason for all the rules you make?  Is this the guiding principle as you make academic choices and other similar decisions?  Are you striving to teach your children what it means to have a relationship with the living God?

    That’s kind of a daunting task, isn’t it?  I’m sure every parent has failed once or twice.  Nonetheless, this must be the focus of child-rearing.  Surely we are seeking to raise responsible, productive citizens.  Certainly we want our children to be smart and respectful and we want to protect them from emotional and physical harm, but ultimately, our goal as parents should be to raise Kingdom citizens—children who will be faithful to the God who called their fathers out of many spiritual Egypts.

    David encourages Solomon to be spiritually minded, instead of physically minded.  God cannot be impressed by physical stature or the grandeur of tall buildings.  God looks on the inside.  He searches men’s hearts.  This brings to mind the story of when David was anointed, which we read in 1 Samuel 16.  Samuel assumed that one of David’s tall, dark, and handsome brothers would be the obvious choice for King, but God gave him this reminder.  1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But Yahweh said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.  For Yahweh sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks on the heart.”  David was a man after God’s own heart, and that was what was truly important.  God could use anyone, but He wanted somebody who was dedicated to him.

    As we engage in interpersonal relationships, our priorities must reflect God’s priorities.  No matter what the situation might be, we must seek out those who share our devotion to God.  If you are searching for a mate, your focus must not be upon beauty, which fades, but upon purity of heart.  Whether we’re making new friends or hiring new employees, or even if we’re just interacting with strangers, how we look at people must be based upon the heart, and never upon the shallowness of appearance.  True, we can never infallibly read the heart, but we can see the evidence of a life that is given to the work of God.

    There are four things that we can learn from David’s fatherly instruction to Solomon in verses 9-10.  Firstly, David tells him to serve God with a whole heart.  The KJV renders this word whole as perfect.  It means complete.  The word rendered heart is the Hebrew word leb, which refers to the inner person.  It does not merely refer to the emotions, but includes the mind and the will as well.  God is asking for total dedication.  He is calling for us to submit the very core of our being to Him.  He wants our decision-making faculties to be placed under His command.  God wants every part of our lives.  Every choice we make, every word we say, every action that we execute, must be done in submission to Him.

    Secondly, David tells Solomon to serve God with a willing mind.  The Hebrew word translated willing means with pleasure or delight.  The word translated mind actually refers to the breathe or life of a person.  By extension, it refers to the immaterial part of a man—his soul.  We are to submit our spiritual lives to God joyfully.  Recognizing that life and breath and all things are from God, we must seek to live for God, not out of compulsion or duty, but from the joyful heart of a loving child.  We must submit our thought processes and logic to Him.  His Word must establish our presuppositions by which we interpret information and form our worldview.  We were fashioned in our Creator’s image, and we are to be busy mirroring His thoughts and character.

    Thirdly, in verse 10, David tells Solomon to be careful as he builds the Temple because his calling had come from God.  The word translated be careful or take heed actually means to see.  Strong’s Concordance says that it is a general word for visual perception.  David is calling Solomon to look closely, to pay complete attention, to be detail oriented.  God’s house required the best.  Everything must be perfect. 

    God’s work requires 100%.  As we apply this to our own lives, we must keep in mind Paul’s command in 1 Corinthians 10:31, which says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  Everything that we do should be done in service to God.  Accordingly, everything must be done well and completely.  We should not be half-hearted kind of people, no matter what we are doing.  As they saying goes, “If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well.”  Whether we’re playing a game or doing a chore, God is watching us, and that means that we should be seeking to do our best.  Certainly nobody is perfect at anything—let alone everything.  The key here is not that we must be perfect.  The key is that we must put out hearts into everything we do.

    The fourth and final point from this section comes from the last phrase of verse 10.  David says, “Be strong and do it.”  Solomon had been called to the large task of building the temple.  David had made sure that everything was ready to go.  It was now up to Solomon to plant his feet and begin the task.  Too often, when God calls us to a work, we expect Him to take care of it Himself.  God wants us to work!  He wants us to buckle down and sweat it out!  Neither God’s call on our lives, nor the work of our parents, is a warrant for laziness in our own lives.  David had done all that he could.  Solomon could not sit around and let that work go to waste.  He had to build on the foundation that his father had built, not sit around and watch it crumble.

    So too must we seek to take the torch from the hands of our parents and build God’s Kingdom in our own day.  Our parents’ example of generosity does not excuse us.  We must follow suit and give liberally.  The Bible study that our parents did is not enough to cover us as well.  We must embrace their example by being constant in our study and devotion.  We cannot float through life on the faith or reputation of our parents.  We must begin providing an example for the next generation.  There is work at hand.  We must be strong and get to it!

    We read next of David passing on the blueprints for the Temple that he had been given by divine inspiration.  Beginning in verse 11: Read verses 11-19.  Verse 19 informs us that these plans were not merely drawn up by the mind of David, but they were given to him from the hand of Yahweh.  Just as Moses had been given the plan for the Tabernacle, so David was given the plan for the Temple.  This passage does not specify just how this came about.  Did an angel visit David and reveal these specifications to him?  Did David have a dream or a vision?  Did God merely guide him as he drew up the plans?  Regardless of the exact means used, we know that God revealed this to him.   

    God was not about to leave the design of His Temple in the hands of a man.  The Temple was not merely a building.  The very architecture of this grand structure had prophetic significance.  There was nothing coincidental about the Temple.  The building itself, as well as each piece of furniture in the building, had symbolic meaning that pointed to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.

    Matthew Henry put it this way.  He said, “The contrivances either of David’s devotion or of Solomon’s wisdom must not be trusted to in an affair of this nature.  The temple must be a sacred thing and a type of Christ; there must be in it not only convenience and decency, but significancy: it was a kind of sacrament, and therefore it must not be left to man’s art or invention to conceive it, but must be framed by divine institution.”  In other words, even the best that man had to offer was not good enough. 

    In the New Testament, we do not have holy buildings.  We do not have a detailed code of ceremonies that we are to follow specifically.  We are, however, the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  We are the body of Christ.  Ephesians 2 tells us that God is uniting the Jews and the Gentiles to form a spiritual structure where He can dwell.  The New Testament, as well as the Old, gives us many directions for how we ought to be edifying our spiritual Temples.  In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul tells us that we are to be set apart to God.  We are to flee immorality and uncleanness.  We are to forsake our former ways and live as God would have us, through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we meet together as a body, we must follow God’s blueprints for conduct, as well as for worship.  We have freedom in the New Testament that the Old Testament saints did not have, but we must still seek to follow the commands for and examples of worship that we read in the New Testament.  

    Finally, look to verses 20-21: Read verses 20-21.  David calls Solomon to faithfulness and courage as he undertook this endeavor.  He assured him that, since God had called him to this task, He would also see him through it to the end.  Let’s draw a few points from these final two verses.

    Firstly, knowledge of God’s presence should inspire courage and motivate us to action.  If God be for us, who can be against us?  Unfortunately, we are the greatest obstacle between us and successfully accomplishing God’s will.  There are many reasons for this, including our sin and our lack of devotion, but one of the greatest obstacles is our fear.  David quotes from Joshua 1:5 where God promises Joshua that, just as He had been with Moses, so he would be with Joshua.  Joshua’s scenario is quite similar to Solomon’s.  Both were inheriting a position of authority from a great man of God.  How could they measure up?  God assured Joshua that Moses’s success was not due to his own strength or charisma.  Moses’s success as a leader was due to the fact that God had been with him.  Even so, David encourages Solomon that God would go with Him and strengthen him, just as he had done in David’s life.   

    David repeats himself several times here to emphasize this point.  Be strong and courageous.  Do not fear.  Do not be dismayed.  Why?  Because God is with us.  When he is with us, what can stop us?  The word translated dismayed literally means to shatter.  Fear and defeat have a way shattering our confidence and making us worthless to ourselves and others.  Fear and discouragement destroy our concentration and take our eyes off of that which is truly important—serving God.  We must keep our eyes firmly placed on God and rely on Him for all things.  Then and only then will we be stable and whole. 

    Secondly, if God has called us to something, he will make sure it gets done.  To doubt our own abilities is honest.  To doubt that God can use us to accomplish His goals is blasphemous.  God is far more interested in accomplishing his goals than we are.  God takes pleasure in using us to advance His Kingdom.  If He has truly brought a ministry into our lives, He will equip us for this ministry.  He will grow us to meet His expectations.  He will be there at every step along the journey.  After Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and evangelize the world, He gave them this promise.  He said, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  That fact guaranteed the success of the mission.  The one who is in control of everything is the one who has called us and who promises to be with us.  What cause do we have to doubt? 

    Thirdly and finally, in verse 21 we see that it is okay to receive help.  David tells Solomon that not only would God abide with him and be his aid, but many able-bodied men would be around to offer assistance as well.  “The officers and all the people will be wholly at your command,” he says.  This job was too big for one man to accomplish; not just the act of construction itself, certainly that would take scores of men, but the planning and decision making would take many men as well. 

    A good leader knows when to ask for help.  He knows that he can’t do everything himself, at least not well.  We should never be ashamed to ask for help, whether we need advice, physical assistance, or whatever else we might need.  In fact, we should be eager to allow other people to have the opportunity to exercise their spiritual gifts and to fulfill the calling of God upon their lives.  God has not given any Christian a monopoly on spiritual gifts.  Nobody has every gift necessary to run the church, the family, or any other institution in life.  We must be willing to admit that we need other people.  We should never let God’s work suffer because of our pride or because we feel that we alone are responsible to accomplish a task.

    In addition to asking for help, we must be ready and willing to give that help when the need arises.  Instead of sitting around and waiting on other people to ask us, we should actively seek out opportunities to bear one another’s burdens.  We should all be the type of people who have the reputation of being people who will do anything for anybody.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we must mirror our Savior’s service-oriented lifestyle.

    As we go out this week, let us seek to implement the principles found in this passage.  Let us be humble and united to those we have been called to serve.  Let us strive to be faithful to the covenant of our fathers.  Let’s quit messing around and get to work, no matter what calling God has laid upon our hearts.  Let us place our hope and confidence in our ever-present Heavenly Father and learn to share our burdens with our fellow-laborers.  We will look at the rest of David’s farewell address two weeks from today.  Let us pray.