1 Chronicles 28

ANd David assembled This Assembly seems to be distinct from that ch. 23. 2. and more general, as may be gathered from the persons said to be assembled here and there. Though others think them to be the same, and this to be a return to his former Discourse. all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministred to the kingly course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the Officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men unto Jerusalem.

Then David the king stood up upon his feet Partly out of Reverence to God and his Word, which was the Matter of the following Discourse; and partly out of Respect to this great and honourable Assembly., and said, Hear me, my brethren So he calls the Princes and chief Rulers, both because they had a Share with him, though under him, in the Government; and in compliance with the Divine Command, that the King should not be lifted up above his Brethren, Deut. 17. 20., and my people. As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest A place where it might be fixed, and no more removed from place to place, as it had been. for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Which is here put expositively, for by the Foot stool &c. he means the Ark. for the foot-stool of our God, and had made ready for the building:

But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.

How beit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he has chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the house of my father, he liked me to make me king over Israel.

And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) he has chosen It is not my fancy or fond Affection, but Gods express Will, that Solomon should be preferred before his elder Brethren; and therefore all of you are obliged to submit to him and accept of him as your King by Divine Appointment. Solomon my son, to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

Moreover, I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day As he has begun and hitherto continued in some good measure to do..

Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God i. e. I do here exhort and charge you every one, calling God who is here present, and this Congregation wherein all Israel are present by their Representatives, for Witness against you if you do not follow my Counsel., keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD Keep those Commands which you know, and seek for or search into what you are yet ignorant of, that you may distinctly understand the whole Will of God and all the parts of your Duty, and seriously give up your selves to the Practice thereof. your God, that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God Know him so as to love him and serve him, as it follows: for Words of Knowledge in Scripture-use commonly imply Affection and Practise: or acknowledge him, as thy God, by loving and obeying him: For otherwise Solomon did already know God, having doubtless been very well instructed in the Knowledge of Gods Nature and Law. of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind; for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts If thou doest only put on a profession of Religion to please me and secure thy Hopes of the Kingdom, or if thy obedience to God be unsincere and with grudging, thou mayest indeed deceive me, but thou canst not deceive him, for he searcheth thy inward Thoughts and the motions of thy Heart.: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him If when I am dead and gone, and thou art perfectly at thy own dispose, thou shalst cast off that Religion and Fear of God of which thou now makest profession, and shalt continue to do so without true Repentance for thine Errours., he will cast thee off for ever Notwithwanding all his Promises made to me and to my seed, and that great Honour and Favour which he has showed to thee, with which possibly thou mayest flatter thy self..

Take heed now, for the LORD has chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary Or, for a Sanctuary, i. e. which is to be a Sanctuary for him, to wit, for the Ark, to dwell in.: be strong Take Courage and Resolution to break through all Difficulties, Troubles, Discouragements or Oppositions which thou mayest possibly meet with. and do it.

Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch To wit, of the Temple; which is necessarily to be understood., and of the houses thereof Either 1. the Houses of the Porch, so called because they went thorough the Porch into them. Or rather 2. the Houses of the Temple manifestly understood in the next foregoing. Clause of this Verse; to wit, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies; which may well pass for two Houses, because they were separated by a Partition; and because they were of differing Dimensions, as appears by 1 King. 6. 2, 20. especially seeing the Holy Place is called the greater House, 2 Chron. 3. 5. comparatively to the Holy of Holies, which was the lesser House, and so you have two Houses., and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof By these he seems to understand all those Rooms which were made against the Wall of the House round about, as is said 1 King. 6. 5. which are here called by divers names according to the difference of their situation or use., and of the place of the mercy-seat i. e. In what particular part of the Holy of Holies it was to be placed..

And the pattern of all For, Even the Pattern of all: for this clause belongs both to the foregoing and to the following Particulars. that he had by the spirit By the Spirit of God, as is evident from v. 19. For seeing all the particulars of the Tabe... acle built by Moses were suggested to him by Gods Spirit, by which even the Workmen were inspired, Exod. 25. 40. and 31. 3. it is not credible that God would use less care and exactness in the building of this far more glorious and durable Work., of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicate things All which were within the Courts or adjoyning to them, as the other Chambers v. 11. were adjoyned to the House..

Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD.

He gave of gold by weight, for things of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service, silver also for all instruments of silver, by weight, for all instruments of every kind of service.

Even the weight for the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps of gold, by weight for every candlestick, and for the lamps thereof: and for the candlesticks of silver by weight, both for the candlestick, and also for the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick Whether they were large and fixed in one place, whereof there were ten in the Holy Place, 1 King. 7. 49. or such as were less and loose to be carried from place to place, as need required..

And by weight he gave gold for the tables of show-bread By this and 2 Chron. 4. 19. it appears that there were divers Tables to be used either successively or together about the shewbread; but one of them seems to have been of more Eminency and use than the rest, and therefore it is most commonly called the Table of the Show-bread in the singular number. But o... this and the rest of the Utensils here named see the Notes on Exodus., for every table and likewise silver for the tables of silver:

Also pure gold for the flesh-hooks, and the bowls and the cups: and for the golden basons he gave gold by weight for every bason, and likewise silver by weight for every bason of silver:

And for the altar of incense, refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims i. e. Of the Cherubims, which Solomon was to make, of which see 1 King. 6. 23. (for those which were fastened to the Mercy-seat were made by Moses long before) which he fitly compares to a Chariot, because within them God is oft said to sit and to dwell, as 2 King. 19. 15. Psal. 80. 1. & 99. 1. and sometimes he is said to ride upon a Cherub, Psal. 18. 10. And because a Chariot is made to carry a Person from place to place, this Expression may be used to intimate that God was not so fixed to them by the building of this Temple, but that he both could and would remove from them if they forsook him. And when they did so, God did make use of the Chariot of his Cherubims to convey himself away from them, as is noted Ezek. 10. 15, &c., that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenent of the LORD Not above it, for that was done by Moses his Cherubims, but before it, to keep it from the Eyes of the High-priest, when he entred into the most Holy Place, 1 King. 6. 23..

All this said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me The meaning is either 1. That God revealed this to Samuel (see 1 Chron. 9. 22,) or God, or Nathan, or some other Man of God who put it into writing, and by them to David. Or, 2. That God did as it were by his own Hand and Finger (wherewith he wrote the Ten Commandments, Exod. 31. 18.) write these things upon the Table of my Mind, which now I deliver to thee., even all the works of this pattern.

And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage See the Notes on v. 10., and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee, he will not fail thee, nor for sake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

And behold, the courses of the priests and the Levites, even they shall be with thee for all the service of the house of God, and there shall be with thee for all manner of workmanship, every willing skilfull man, for any manner of service: also the princes and all the people will be wholly at thy commandment.