1 Chronicles 28

This chapter belongs to the closing section of 1 Chronicles. Chapters 23–27 set out the organization of the Levites, priests, army, and officials, and chapter 28 depicts David, before those leaders, transferring the throne and the task of building the temple to Solomon.

Outline

• Verse 1 David summons to Jerusalem the elders of the tribes, the captains over thousands and hundreds, the stewards of the royal property, and the mighty men.
• Verses 2–7 David explains that he had intended to build a house to hold the ark of the covenant, but God did not permit it because he was a man of war who had shed blood. He declares that God chose him as king from the tribe of Judah and from his father's house, and that from among his sons God chose Solomon to build the house.
• Verse 8 He urges the assembly to keep the commandments so that they may leave the land as an inheritance to their descendants.
• Verses 9–10 He charges Solomon to serve God with a perfect heart.
• Verses 11–19 He gives Solomon the pattern (plan) of the temple's porch, treasuries, place of the mercy seat, and courts, together with the courses of the priests and Levites. He also specifies the weight of gold for the vessels of gold and silver, the candlesticks, the tables of shewbread, the altar of incense, and the cherubim. David says that the LORD made him understand all these patterns in writing by His hand.
• Verses 20–21 He encourages Solomon to be strong and of good courage and assures him that the priests, Levites, craftsmen, and people will support him.

Key Verses

• 1 Chronicles 28:9 "If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever." This verse summarizes a life of faith before the God who searches the heart.
• 1 Chronicles 28:20 "Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed." This verse is often cited as encouragement to carry an entrusted task through to completion.

People and Places

• David: the king who prepares for the temple and hands over the throne.
• Solomon: the son chosen to build the temple.
• Priests and Levites: the courses responsible for service in the temple.
• Jerusalem: the place of assembly.
• The ark of the covenant and the cherubim: furnishings to be placed in the Most Holy Place of the temple.

Points for Reflection

• This scene does not appear in Samuel or Kings and is found only in Chronicles. Instead of the struggle for the throne described in 1 Kings 1, Chronicles emphasizes an orderly royal succession and David's preparations for the temple.
• 2 Samuel 7 does not explain why David could not build the temple, and 1 Kings 5:3 says that wars left him no opportunity. This chapter attributes it to his having shed blood.
• The words of verse 6, "I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father," continue the Davidic covenant. Verse 7 attaches the condition of obedience to that promise.
• The statement that God provided the plans resembles the pattern of the tabernacle given to Moses (Exodus 25). Hebrews 8 interprets the tabernacle as a copy of heavenly things.
• In verse 12, the phrase rendered in the Korean Bible as "taught by the Holy Spirit" (KJV "by the spirit") can also be read from the Hebrew as "that was in his spirit (mind)," so translations differ.
• The encouragement in verse 20 closely resembles the wording Moses used with Joshua (see Joshua 1).

In the Korean Church

Verses 9 and 20 are often used as sermon texts on occasions when a new work is entrusted to people, such as church building projects or ordination services.