1 Chronicles 22

David knows he will not live to build the temple, so he gathers materials and workers and charges Solomon to finish the task. He passes on God’s promise and urges Solomon to obey God’s Law, be strong, and begin. He also calls Israel’s leaders to support the young king.

1 Chronicles 22:1

David declares that the site of the threshing floor he has just bought is where God’s house and its altar will stand. The place was marked out by God’s own response to his sacrifice. The temple begins with God’s choice of the place, not man’s plan.

BSA: altar (“place of sacrifice”): The house of God is first of all a place where sin is dealt with through sacrifice.

See also: 2 Samuel 24:18-25; 2 Chronicles 3:1.

1 Chronicles 22:2

David puts the non-Israelite residents of the land to work cutting stone. Foreigners living among Israel thus helped prepare God’s house. The stones were dressed, shaped at the quarry, so that the building could go up quietly and in order.

BSA: foreigners (“sojourners, strangers”): These were outsiders living in Israel under its law, and they shared in the work.

See also: 1 Kings 6:7.

1 Chronicles 22:3-4

David stockpiles iron for nails and fittings, bronze beyond weighing, and countless cedar logs. Sidon and Tyre, coastal cities famed for timber and skill, supplied the cedar. Even neighboring peoples contributed to the house of the LORD.

BSA: weighed (“having no standard weight”): The bronze was so plentiful that no one bothered to weigh it.

1 Chronicles 22:5

David is honest about Solomon’s youth and lack of experience. The temple must be glorious enough to show God’s greatness to all nations, so David does the heavy preparation himself. A man who cannot finish the work can still make it possible for another.

BSA: inexperienced (“tender, weak”): Solomon is soft and untested, which is why David prepares ahead for him. glorious (“full of beauty, lovely”): The house was to display God’s beauty, not merely be large.

1 Chronicles 22:6

David summons Solomon and formally charges him to build. This is a father’s command and a king’s commission. The work is for the LORD, the God of Israel, and it passes from one generation to the next.

BSA: instructed (“commanded, gave orders to”): This was a solemn charge, not merely a suggestion.

1 Chronicles 22:7

David shares that building God’s house was his own heart’s desire. He speaks of building for the Name of the LORD. In Scripture the Name stands for God’s own character and presence. The desire was good, even though it was not his to fulfil.

BSA: Name (“reputation, character”): The temple would carry and make known who God is.

See also: 2 Samuel 7:1-3.

1 Chronicles 22:8

God told David that he could not build because he had shed so much blood in war. David’s wars were real service to God, yet the house of peace needed a man of peace. God’s refusal came with a reason, and David accepted it.

BSA: blood (“life, vitality”): Blood stands for life poured out, which shows why bloodshed weighed so seriously before God.

See also: 1 Chronicles 28:3.

1 Chronicles 22:9

God promises a son of rest. His name, Solomon, is connected with the Hebrew word for peace. Rest from enemies and quiet in the land would let the temple be built without war. God gives the right man and the right season for His work.

BSA: rest (“freedom from war”): Solomon’s reign was meant to be a time free from threat, in which worship could be built. peace (“completeness, wellness, friendship”): The Hebrew idea of peace is wholeness, not just the absence of fighting.

Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה (Shelomoh, H8010) — “Solomon, from the word for peace (shalom).” His name sounds like shalom, so his very name proclaims the peaceful reign God promised.

1 Chronicles 22:10

Solomon will build, be treated as God’s son, and have his throne established forever. The promise looks beyond Solomon to the lasting line of David. Christians see its fullest meaning in Jesus, the Son of David.

BSA: establish (“set up, confirm”): God Himself makes the throne firm; it does not depend on Solomon alone.

See also: 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Luke 1:32-33.

1 Chronicles 22:11

David turns from the promise to a prayer. Solomon’s success will depend on the LORD being with him. David asks for what God has already said He will do, which is the surest kind of prayer.

BSA: succeed (“prosper, have good success”): True success here is fulfilling what God has spoken, not personal achievement.

1 Chronicles 22:12

More than gold or timber, David wants Solomon to have God-given wisdom for ruling. Insight is needed so that he may keep God’s Law. A king who obeys God’s Word leads the nation rightly.

BSA: insight (“discretion, wisdom”): This is practical discernment for making right choices. keep (“obey, guard”): The Law is something to guard carefully, like a treasure.

See also: 1 Kings 3:9.

1 Chronicles 22:13

Success is tied to obeying the commands given through Moses. Then comes the repeated call, be strong and courageous. Courage here rests on God’s Word, not on the size of the task. The same words were spoken to Joshua.

BSA: discouraged (“dismayed, broken”): It means being shattered in spirit, which God’s presence guards against.

See also: Joshua 1:7-9; Deuteronomy 31:6.

1 Chronicles 22:14

David lists what he has gathered with great effort: enormous amounts of gold, silver, bronze, iron, timber and stone. The figures are huge and show his wholehearted giving. Yet he says Solomon may add more. Each generation can add to God’s work.

BSA: great pains (“in my affliction, with much trouble”): David’s giving cost him real hardship, not just spare wealth.

1 Chronicles 22:15-16

Solomon also has a large workforce of stoneworkers, carpenters, and skilled metalworkers. All the needed skills are available. David ends with the simple command to begin, and a blessing that the LORD be with him. God supplies, and then we must act.

BSA: begin (“arise and be doing”): The phrase urges getting up and acting, not waiting.

1 Chronicles 22:17-18

David also commands Israel’s leaders to help Solomon. He reminds them that God is with them and has given rest on every side. Their peace was God’s gift, and it was meant to be used for building His house.

BSA: rest (“peace, tranquility”): The calm they enjoyed was a gift to be used for God’s purposes. subdued (“conquered, overcome”): The land’s enemies were put down by the LORD, not by Israel alone.

1 Chronicles 22:19

The leaders are told to give their whole inner life to seeking the LORD, and then to start building. Seeking God and working for God go together. The goal is a place for the ark and the holy vessels, where God’s Name would dwell.

BSA: seek (“to ask, to worship, to inquire of”): Seeking God means turning to Him in worship and asking His will. heart (“the innermost part of your being, including mind, will, and emotions”): God is to be sought with the whole person, not half-heartedly.

See also: Matthew 6:33.