1 Chronicles 28

Near the end of his life, David gathers Israel’s leaders and tells them God has chosen Solomon to build the temple. He charges the nation and Solomon to be faithful. He then hands Solomon the written plans for the temple and urges him to be strong, because God will be with him.

1 Chronicles 28:1

David calls together every level of leadership: tribal heads, military commanders, managers of the royal property, court officials and warriors. This is a solemn national assembly. The whole community must stand behind the handover of the kingdom and the building of the temple.

BSA: officials (“stewards, overseers”): Even those who manage the king’s herds and goods are called in, so every kind of service has a share in God’s work.

1 Chronicles 28:2

David stands to speak, as an old king honoring a weighty moment. He had longed to build a settled home for the ark. He calls the ark God’s footstool, a picture of God’s throne in heaven with the ark as the place where earth touches it. He had even gathered materials.

BSA: heart (“the innermost part of a person, including mind, will, and emotions”): David’s desire to build came from the deepest part of him, not from a passing impulse. footstool (“a low stool to rest feet on”): The ark is pictured as the place beneath God’s feet, so it points to His greatness and not to a box that holds Him.

See also: Psalm 132:1-5; Psalm 99:5.

1 Chronicles 28:3

God refused David’s plan. David was a man of war who had shed much blood. The temple was to be a house of peace for God’s Name. David reports this without complaint, accepting that a good desire may still not be God’s assignment for him.

BSA: Name (“My reputation, character”): The temple would stand for who God is, so it was to be built in a setting of peace.

See also: 1 Chronicles 22:8.

1 Chronicles 28:4

David traces God’s choice step by step: Judah among the tribes, his father’s household in Judah, then himself among his brothers. His kingship is God’s gift and not his own achievement. The word forever points to the lasting promise God made to David’s line.

BSA: chose (“accepted, delighted”): God’s choice of David was not cold selection. He took real pleasure in the one He picked.

See also: Genesis 49:10; 2 Samuel 7:16.

1 Chronicles 28:5

God has also chosen among David’s many sons. Solomon will sit on the throne, and David calls it the throne of the kingdom of the LORD. The king rules only as God’s representative, and the kingdom belongs to God.

BSA: throne (“seat of authority, royal power”): Solomon’s seat of authority is borrowed from the LORD, who is the true King of Israel.

1 Chronicles 28:6

David recalls God’s word about Solomon: he will build the house and its courts. God says He has chosen him as a son and will be his Father. This echoes the promise in Nathan’s message, giving the king a special closeness to God.

BSA: Father (“provider, protector, Abba”): God promises Solomon a father’s care, not only a command to build.

See also: 2 Samuel 7:13-14.

1 Chronicles 28:7

The promise is real but comes with a condition. God will establish Solomon’s kingdom if he keeps God’s commands with firm determination, as Israel is doing now. Blessing and obedience belong together. Solomon’s future depends on continued faithfulness.

BSA: resolutely (“is strong, courageous”): Obeying God takes strength of purpose and does not happen by drifting.

1 Chronicles 28:8

David turns to the whole assembly and calls God Himself to witness his charge. They are to keep the commandments and also to seek them out, searching to understand what God wants. Faithfulness keeps the land and passes it on as a lasting inheritance to their children.

BSA: seek out (“search for, inquire about”): Obedience means actively looking into God’s word, not only avoiding what is forbidden. inheritance (“legacy, heritage”): What this generation does with God’s commands shapes what its children receive.

1 Chronicles 28:9

David now speaks to Solomon personally. To know God is more than knowing about Him, and serving Him must come from a whole heart and a willing mind. God sees every motive. He is found by those who seek Him and leaves those who walk away.

BSA: searches (“examines, investigates”): God looks through the heart as a careful examiner, so nothing can be hidden from Him. wholeheartedly (“with a complete and willing heart”): God wants service that is undivided and glad, not forced.

Hebrew: יָדַע (yada, H3045) — “to know, to know personally.” This Hebrew word means knowing by experience and relationship. David wants Solomon to know his father’s God personally, not simply to inherit his father’s religion.

See also: Jeremiah 29:13; 2 Chronicles 15:2.

1 Chronicles 28:10

David sums up his charge: God has chosen you, so take it seriously and act. The task is a sanctuary, a holy place for God’s presence. Solomon’s calling comes from God and not from his own ambition, which is why David can tell him to be strong.

BSA: chosen (“selected, elected”): Solomon’s confidence rests on God’s selection of him, not on his own ability.

1 Chronicles 28:11

David hands over the plans, which cover the entrance porch, the buildings, the storerooms, the upper and inner rooms, and the place for the mercy seat. The mercy seat was the golden cover of the ark, where atonement was made. The heart of the design is where God meets His people in forgiveness.

BSA: plans (“pattern, blueprint”): The temple was built to a given pattern, not to Solomon’s own taste.

See also: Exodus 25:17-22.

1 Chronicles 28:12

The plans cover not only the main building but the courts, the surrounding rooms and the treasuries for the temple and its dedicated gifts. The BSA gloss suggests these came by the Spirit. The plan is thorough, with every part of God’s house cared for.

BSA: in mind (“by the Spirit, with divine inspiration”): The plans were not only David’s good ideas but were given by God’s Spirit.

Hebrew: רוּחַ (ruach, H7307) — “spirit, breath, wind.” The Hebrew behind ‘in mind’ is the word for spirit. Many translations read it as the plan the Spirit placed in David’s mind, which fits verse 19.

1 Chronicles 28:13

The plans also organize the people. The priests and Levites are arranged in divisions, each with its own duties, along with all the work and articles of service. God’s house needs order and orderly people as well as stone and gold.

BSA: divisions (“courses, groups”): Priests and Levites served in shifts, so worship was steady and shared.

See also: 1 Chronicles 24:1.

1 Chronicles 28:14-15

David specifies the weight of gold and silver for every vessel and for the lampstands with their lamps. Each item has a set amount, and each is made according to its use. Nothing in service to God is left to chance or careless guesswork.

BSA: weight (“by measure, according to standard”): Each vessel was to be made to a measured standard, which shows care for the details of worship. use (“service, work, serving God or others”): Each lampstand was made for a purpose, to serve in God’s house.

1 Chronicles 28:16-17

More detailed instructions follow for the tables of showbread and for the forks, sprinkling bowls, pitchers, dishes and bowls. These are the working tools of daily worship and sacrifice. Even small items were given real care because they served God’s presence.

BSA: showbread (“the bread of presence, sacred bread”): The bread was set out continually before God, a sign of His ongoing fellowship with Israel.

See also: Exodus 25:23-30.

1 Chronicles 28:18

The altar of incense is to be made of refined gold, a picture of prayer rising to God. The plans also cover the golden cherubim whose outstretched wings covered the ark. They were like a throne-chariot, so the ark stood as the footstool beneath God’s throne.

BSA: refined (“purified, cleansed”): Gold for the altar of incense was purified, as befits what is brought near to God. overshadowed (“covered, protected”): The cherubim’s wings stretched over the ark in a protective, guarding posture.

Hebrew: מֶרְכָּבָה (merkavah, H4818) — “chariot.” The cherubim are called a chariot, a picture of God’s throne carried by heavenly beings, with the ark as His footstool.

See also: Exodus 25:18-20; Psalm 18:10.

1 Chronicles 28:19

David says the whole design was made clear to him in writing by the LORD’s hand upon him. The temple’s plan came from God and not from human invention. David acted as a faithful messenger, passing on what God had shown him.

BSA: hand (“in His power, through His direction”): God’s guiding power rested on David, so the plan carries God’s authority.

See also: Exodus 25:9.

1 Chronicles 28:20

David encourages Solomon with a promise as well as a command. Do not fear, because the LORD is with you and will not leave you until the work is done. Strength for a big task comes from God’s presence, and God stays until the end.

BSA: forsake (“leave, relinquish”): God will not let go of Solomon midway through the work. discouraged (“fearful, disheartened”): Discouragement can undo a task before it starts, so David names it and answers it with God’s promise.

See also: Joshua 1:5-9; Deuteronomy 31:6.

1 Chronicles 28:21

David points out the help Solomon already has. The priests and Levites are ready, skilled and willing workers are available, and the officials and people will obey. Solomon does not face the task alone but with a whole nation willing to give itself.

BSA: willing (“generous, noble”): These workers give freely and from the heart, not under pressure.

See also: Exodus 35:21.