Text: 1 Chronicles 29:10-20
Theme: Strength and Power
Greetings: The Lord is good and His Love endures forever!
Introduction:
Is the Lord’s hand shortened?
The Lord Reigns (Psalm 93:1)
Today we will meditate about the Lord’s hand which gives us strength and Power.
David has given generously and honestly! And Publicly!! a great deal of wealth including gold, silver and other personal possessions for building Temple as an exemplary giving to all. David encouraged his citizens to give their possessions, talents and craftsmanship to the work of the Temple (1 Chronicles 28:21). The Kingdom effort is a community effort. Finally, and naturally, David falls on his knees and utters a beautiful prayer, an extemporaneous expression of his worship of the Lord God. This prayer is David’s legacy to the nation of Israel.
There are thirteen "alls" in this passage of 1 Chronicles 29:10-21 but we are meditating from v.10 to v. 20 (1 Chronicles 29:10, 11 (twice), 12 (twice), 14,15,16,17,19,20 (twice), and 21).
- Presence of all the assembly
- All that is in heaven
- Exalted head above all
- Rule over all
- Give strength to all
- All things come from you
- All our ancestors
- All abundance
- All your own
- Freely offered all
- Performing all of them
- All Assembly blessed
- For all Israel
I would like to group them into three as:
• Owner of all things
• Giver of all things
• Ruler of all things
1. God is the Owner of all things (1 Chronicles 29:16).
God is ‘El Olam’. He is the Everlasting God. David starts his praise with the word Barak, that means praying and praising On knees before God as an act of adoration on bended knee, speak highly favourably of GOD.
David constantly affirmed that God is the creator, the Proprietor of the entire universe, owner of all things (1 Chronicles 29:12, Psalm 24:1). God is the true owner of everything that we own, our possessions , our body, our spirit and our soul (Psalm 24:1). God is the owner of your houses, your plots, your apartments, your cars, your jewels and all that we hold on. He is the owner, we are Trustees of his assets. God is the real title holder. Everything belongs to Him. We are not the proprietors(Barnes comments).
We look after his resources as stewards (Matthew 25:14-30). He is the Owner of the Heavens and the milky ways, celestial beings and the whole earth.
“All things come from YOU, and from YOUR hand we have given YOU (1 Chronicles 29:14). This is the basis of "stewardship".
John Gill comments: ‘The whole universe, all the terraqueous globe, both land and water, and the circumambient air, and all that is therein; the fishes of the sea, the fowls of the air, the beasts of the field, all plants and vegetables that spring out of the earth, and metals and minerals in the bowels of it; all which are the riches of the Lord” (Psalm 24:1, Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 50:11-12, 89:11).
In the Bhagavad-gita, it is written that “He is the supreme enjoyer, the supreme proprietor of everything and anything within this creation, and the supreme friend of everyone.”
There are a few false claims on the universe as their possessions. Satan claimed that the World and its authorities are given to him (Luke 4). Many Kings in the history of the world claim it. But, in fact, nothing we own everything is the gift of the Lord.
Illustration: Alexander, the Great said, "I want the world to know the three lessons I have just learned." 1. "I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can cure anybody. They are helpless in front of death." 2. "I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people know that wealth is nothing but dust." 3. “I wish all to know that I came empty-handed into this world, and I will go empty-handed."
Abraham called YHWH as "Possessor of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:22). Mathew Henry:“We ourselves are not our own; our bodies, our souls, are not.” How badly we are holding things of the World. God is the Universal Proprietor.
2. Giver of all things (1 Chronicles 29:12).
This beautiful thanksgiving prayer of David was an effusion overflowing with gratitude and delight at seeing the warm and widespread interest that was now taken in forwarding the favourite project of his life. God is the giver of all wealth and honour, strength and power, and exaltation. God’s reigning hand gives Wealth and Honour, Strength and Power, and exaltation. All things come from YOU, and from YOUR hand we have given YOU (1 Chronicles 29:14). This is the basis of "stewardship".
God is the giver of wealth. Agur, the writer of Proverbs 30, says: “Lord, Give me neither poverty nor riches”(Proverbs 30:8-9). Both are dangerous, both leads to deny God, both leads to dishonour God.
The preacher Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 9:11: “I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skilful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.”
King David says in Psalm 33:16-17: “There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.”
God is the giver of honor (kabod) refers to human position, civil or religious status. James 1:17 tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father. It isn’t earned, but it’s something He decides to give. Deuteronomy 8:18 exhorts us to remember the Lord, “for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.”
God is the giver of all things, how do we give to the Lord.
Illustration: a Sunday school boy was given two ten rupees coins while going to the church. His mommy said, son one is for your candy and another is for God. He was rolling on the road and playing with the coins to reach the church. Suddenly one coin fell in the ditch, immediately he said Jesus your coins is lost.
But King David says you are the giver of all things so, I give back everything to you.
1 Chronicles 29:17-18: ‘I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.”
David makes this statement that he and his people have brought their offerings willingly and not out of fear, not out of compulsion, not to maintain only the membership but to acknowledge that everything has come from God and everything belongs to God. David confesses that his heart maintains integrity and loyalty to God. Because God is the giver of all the Wealth and honor, strength and power, and exaltation. Love and devotion are not only the feeling but the demonstration of them in action.
3. Ruler of all things (1 Chronicles 29:11-12).
David recognised God as the omnipotent Creator and Sovereign of all things. The word Dominion comes from the word mamla?ah which is translated kingdom 106 times. Mamla?ah comes from Melek means KING. It refers to the royal power, kingdom authority. The Septuagint translates it with Deopozo means to have complete power over another. God has unlimited power and ultimate control over everything.
John Piper: God is the head over all things, the leader and final authority. But not just that: it says he makes himself known as head over all. God is not incidentally or accidentally over all. He chooses to be head over all. He exalts himself over all. His position in the universe is a position he chooses to keep, his reputation as head over all is something he wills to make known. He owns all that is in the heavens and the earth and he governs what he owns—namely, everything.
Good example in the Bible is found 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. Daniel said to Darius, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me” (Daniel 6:22). “So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God” (Daniel 6:23).
Daniel trusted God because he knew that He was in control of everything. Believe that God directs, controls all actions of His creatures that they never act outside of His sovereign Will. Dare to be a Daniel: trust God, who controls all and promises to care for you. God rules your company, office, and leaders. No one can harm you.
In general the dominion of God is over this world, but his rule over our hearts is the matter of life. The heaven is his throne and the earth is his footstool (Isaiah 66:1, Psalm 11:4, Matthew 5:34). At the Altar of the Lord we leave ourselves, our substances, then we leave from Altar with his favours, with his blessings, with his comforts and with his authority.
Enduring Word commentary says: David was noble and a successful king, but his kingdom was small and insignificant compared to the kingdoms of Egypt or Assyria. David rightly knew that Yahweh was the God of the universe. The Lord of Hosts reminds that of the universe as an ordered whole, a disciplined army, a cosmos obedient to His voice. “God's supreme sovereignty requires a befitting holiness of life and heart in His worshippers” (Jamieson).
Conclusion:
Remember HE IS THE
• Owner of all things
• Giver of all things
• Ruler of all things
