Carrying on a legacy can be just as challenging as establishing one in the first place. No matter how carefully a predecessor prepares for those who will follow, the project must be carried out by those successors. Not only do those who will move forward with what they are given have to understand the foundation on which they are building, but they must also resist the call of their own ego to change that legacy to match their own vision. Both the leaders of the past and those of the present must have their role carried out to make the vision a reality.

When David died, he left the legacy of building the Temple to his son and successor Solomon. We saw how David had made extensive preparations for the construction, gathering materials and workers so that everything would be ready for Solomon. From David’s perspective, all Solomon had to do was start the project and ensure it progressed to the end. He had been told by God that he could not build the Temple himself, so he had to trust that Solomon would have the ability to finish his legacy.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the Chronicler emphasizes the wisdom and wealth of Solomon before moving on to the narrative of his building projects. The Lord gave Solomon great wisdom at his request, pleased that he had shown more concern for his ability to lead the people of God than in his own position as king. This led the Lord to also grant him wealth and honor (although the potential of a long life mentioned in 1 Kings 2 is omitted, probably due to Solomon not fulfilling the requirement of staying faithful to the Lord). Even with all David had prepared for the Temple, Solomon’s wealth would be an asset in completing the building.

The fact that Solomon was granted great wisdom from the Lord, and that his wisdom became legendary not only among the Jews but generally in the Middle Eastern culture, allowed him to pick up the legacy of his father and make it his own. Solomon did not deviate from the plan to build the Temple, nor did he fail to compete the project or get caught up in other efforts to the detriment of the Temple. He continued to move forward wisely and to finish what had to have been one of the most magnificent structures of the ancient world. The Temple stood as a tribute to the Lord and His place of honor over His people, and the memory of both David and Solomon and their role in building it was settled for generations.

The legacy of David was passed on to his son Solomon, and the faithfulness of Solomon in carrying it out honored the memory of his father. Together they provide an example of a careful establishment and implementation of a legacy, on a project with a major impact on a nation. We may never be called on to engage in such a historically significant project, but we can work to prepare the way for those who follow us or to take up the mantle of our predecessors and fulfill their vision- or perhaps both at different times or in different ways. The work of the Lord carries on from generation to generation as we do our part to prepare for future success as we build on the foundation we have been given.

One of the temptations Christians can fall into is thinking that they gain success by their own efforts and talents, with maybe a little assist from the Lord. While we are ready to go to God in times of trouble for help, we think we can get by on our own when things are going well. Life goes by with all its routines and blessings, everything running smoothly with our able work accomplishing what we desire. During good times, we think we don’t need divine intervention, so we can wait until things fall apart to ask God to fix it for us.

King David did not think this way. He had a great deal of success as a military leader, a political ruler, and a builder of cities. He had gained personal wealth as well as much material for the building of the Temple. If anyone could think he was able to keep his own life going well it would be David. As his palace was built, the Temple preparations were made, Israel was organized in social and political terms, and Solomon readied to take over the throne, David had every reason to look back at his life with a sense of self-satisfaction.

This was not the attitude that David took toward the Lord, however. Even looking at all he had done to prepare for the building of God’s house and to strengthen the foundation of the nation, David recognized that this was not due to his own prowess but to the blessing of God. His prayer in 1 Chronicles 29 expressed his humble thanksgiving toward the Lord. David gave his blessing and honor in return for the greater blessings poured out on David, his family, and Israel.

The generous offerings given by David and the people of Israel were not the result of their own work. David understands that all blessings, including material wealth, came from the Lord. He recounts a historical perspective on the nation that is rooted in what God had done for His people from the very beginning. Although the Israelites were a weak people with no power and no wealth, the Lord chose them as His people and brought them into the land He prepared for them and given them the successes, victories, and wealth they currently had.

This humble attitude expressed by David shows his understanding of the source of all blessing. The Lord is the One who owns and controls everything in the heavens and earth, so any gift given to Him uses what is already His. David speaks of the stewardship people have over the gifts God has given them, which allows them to freely offer what He had given them back to the Lord. In addition to the material objects given, David notes that even the attitude of his heart was given by the grace of the Lord. All he had, and all the people of Israel had, was a temporary possession given by the Lord, so to give it back to Him was no hardship.

The willingness of David and the Israelites to give back to the Lord so generously, knowing what they gave came from the blessings of the Lord, serves as an example to us of how we should give. Everything we have, from our material possessions to our money to our families to our health and beyond, is a gift from the Lord. Giving to Him is returning some of what He has given us to us during our brief stay here on earth. When we understand the generosity of God, it enables us to become generous ourselves, to gain a willingness to freely offer from our own blessings to both bless and honor the Lord and to bless others through the use of our gifts.

Anyone who has spent their life building an institution wants to ensure that it will continue when they are gone. This may lead them to work out plans for the future, making arrangements that will survive them. Many factors must be taken into consideration as the leader looks to build a strong and stable foundation for those who will follow him or her. There are many stories of organizations, and even nations, that tottered and failed shortly after a great leader was gone.

King David had established Israel as a powerful kingdom among the other kingdoms of the ancient Near East. He had conquered several nations, formed alliances with others, and expanded the borders of Israel beyond Canaan. The nations had gained wealth, built cities, and established a central government under the king. As the nation grew and strengthened, it needed more structure and more organization in order to survive.

Of course, the greatest element in the ongoing survival of Israel was the promise of the Lord to David that he would have a continuing line, and that Israel would survive as long as the people obeyed the Lord. With His blessing, the nation was guaranteed to survive, no matter what their enemies tried to do. Even with that promise, however, David knew the Lord had placed him on the throne to care for the nation, a care that would extend beyond his death.

In today’s reading, we see a continuation of David’s preparations for the worship of the soon-to-be-built Temple. This was obviously a deep concern of David’s, but as the passage continues, we see that he also had other areas of concern. We read lists of counselors and judges, army officers, tribal officers, overseers, and counselors. David knew that a growing nation would need men of integrity to lead and judge the people, provide leadership for a larger army, take charge of various routine national duties, and advise the king. This created a national organization that could help the nation move smoothly from the reign of David to that of his son Solomon.

Israel had gone from a loose confederation of tribes that worshipped the same God and occasionally worked together to a nation with a centralized place of worship, soon to have a magnificent Temple, and a centralized government. King David had been chosen by God to be His representative ruler over His people, and the Lord had blessed Him and Israel with victory, success, and wealth. Now David wanted to ensure that the nation would continue.

As we seek to serve the Lord in our churches and Christian organizations, we can learn a lesson from King David. It isn’t enough to make our organizations strong right now; we also need to prepare them to last into the future. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any changes- Solomon would be building the Temple, after all- but we do want to give the generations following us a firm foundation upon which to build. We stand where we are now because God has been gracious to us, so we want to pass on what He has done for us. Our goal should be for God to be glorified in the human institutions He has entrusted to us. We do not want to see the labor of the people of God go to waste because we have been careless with His blessings.

While I am on the pastoral staff of my church, my full-time job is working as a music teacher in schools for special needs students. I have a degree in music education, and I enjoy working with my students learning about and making music every day. I have also served in a number of ways in the music ministries of the churches which I have attended or for whom I was a staff member. Music is important for human life, and I don’t say that just because my career is in the field of music. Singing in a choir, playing an instrument, leading congregational singing, and singing with the children’s ministry all play a part in the worship of the church.

In our reading today, we see how important King David thought the music of worship was.  As he made preparations for the construction of the Temple, he also planned for those who would minister as part of the worship of Israel. This included setting up the courses of the priests, the ones who would offer the sacrifices. David also set schedule for the Levites, whose responsibilities as a tribe were to assist the priests in the worship of the Temple and in serving the people who came to the Temple to sacrifice and worship. The Levites were given a wide range of activities and ministries that were necessary for the proper practice of worship before the Lord.

One of those areas was music. Those Levites who were gifted as musicians were set apart to lead the congregation of Israel in music during their worship. Singing and music performance were not left to the random chance of who showed up at the Temple, or to the improvisational skills of the musicians who were there. Musicians were organized, scheduled, and rehearsed so that any musical efforts in the Temple were made skillfully. You couldn’t just show up with an instrument and a desire to perform and find a place in the Temple worship; it was done by trained musicians who were designated to lead in worship to honor the Lord.

The duties of the musicians are mentioned as their names are listed. Some were set as leaders of the various groups of singers and musicians, the equivalent of a choir director or conductor today. There were a number of singers, who would perform the psalms and the liturgical music of the Temple service. There were also instrumentalists, playing a wide range of musical instruments, some of which are similar to modern instruments. The number of musicians and singers was 288, quite a large group of performers, although they may have served in smaller groups in shifts. This certainly does contradict those who tried to teach that the only “correct” music for worship was vocal music!

The care with which David prepared for the music of the Temple shows us just how vital this was to worship in his time. As we worship in our churches today, we should give care to our own music and to those who perform it. We may not have the resources to assemble a huge choir and orchestra, nor do all churches have access to professional musicians. However, we do have the capability to find people who have been gifted by the Spirit and are skilled in their abilities who can lead others in the musical worship of the Lord. While music is only a part of our worship, what we find in the Bible indicates it is an important part of worship and should be given our best efforts. As we sing and play before the Lord, we need to give Him our best so that He is honored by what we do.

The Temple was the central symbol of the presence of the Lord with His people in ancient Israel. The Tabernacle had served as the central place of worship from the time of the Exodus until the rise of the monarchy, when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem from Shiloh. His intention was to build a magnificent house for the Lord in which the Ark would reside. This would serve as a visible reminder of the greatness and splendor of the Lord as people came to sacrifice and worship there.

While the prophet Nathan had brought the Lord’s word to David telling him that he was not to be the one to build the Temple, David still found ways to prepare the way for his son Solomon to carry out the project. There were many aspects of building and worship that required attention as plans were made for God’s house. David was not going to sit back and leave Solomon the necessity of making plans from scratch. He had already gathered materials from tribute from other nations or wealth won in battle. Now it was time to assemble what he had on hand and provide the basis from which Solomon could work.

David provided a location for the Temple, although it came as a result of his own disobedience. When the angel bringing the plague on Israel in response to David’s pride in taking a census stopped his destruction, he was seen on Mount Moriah, at the threshing floor of Ornan. David purchased the site at a generous price, and designated it as the future site for the Temple. Mount Moriah was also the site of Abraham’s offering of Isaac at the command of God. David built an altar there for immediate sacrifice, and the location of that altar would become the location of the main altar of the Temple.

In addition to the site, David gathered huge quantities of materials that would be needed for the Temple. This included large stones, cedar logs, and iron for nails to construct the building itself, as well as the precious metals and stones that would be used for decorative purposes. This required a large number of laborers, whom David gathered from the resident aliens living in Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. David’s concern here is seen as not his own reputation or the reputation of his son and heir, but the name and reputation of the Lord.

The opening of the Temple would also create a shift in the way the priests and Levites would serve. Many of their duties would remain the same, but with a permanent structure there would be other ways they would be needed to maintain the sanctuary and the sacrifices. David structured the Levites into groups that would engage in the ministry in the Temple, assisting the priests in their work and serving the people who came to the Temple to sacrifice and worship the Lord.

The meticulous preparations made by David for a Temple he would not build himself show us the importance of planning in the proper worship of the Lord. We do not offer animal sacrifices any more, nor do we have a single sanctuary for our exalted Lord. Yet the church, spread over the entire world, needs to be just as careful in our own preparations for worship and in the honor we give to Christ. As we give our sacrifices of praise and worship, as we gather our offerings to do the work of the Lord, and as we gather together in His presence, we carry on traditions that have their roots in the worship of the Tabernacle and Temple.

Then someone new comes in to take charge of an organization, it can lead to some confusion and even chaos as the incoming leader tries to set it up the way he wants it to run. Even where there is a desire to keep things going as they were, a new leader will want to take what he has and build on it in his way. If the previous leaders had gotten the organization into trouble, there will be a need to make changes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. Times of transition are always challenging, and those trying to get the group on track may have to take some significant steps to ensure a smooth operation.

As David began his reign, he had many issues with which he had to deal. There was armed opposition from enemies surrounding Israel, organization of the civil and spiritual administration, alliances to strengthen, and building projects to prepare. There were enough challenges of all kinds, coming from all directions, and having serious consequences for the nation that David was kept extremely busy as he consolidated his reign. It was important that Israel have a strong foundation in the wake of the change in dynasty from Saul to David.

Before David could organize the government and the people, he had to defeat the enemies who wanted to conquer or destroy Israel. The presence of a renewed nation led by a strong king was a threat to other lands whose kings wanted to control that territory. Looking at the enemies David fought in these chapters, we find the Philistines, Zobah-Hamath, Syria, Edom, Moab, Ammon, and Amalek. If you look at a map of Israel, you will see that these nations surrounded Israel on all sides. The situation of the nation was precarious, with enemies on all sides who wanted to keep Israel weak.

The Lord blessed David and Israel, giving him victory on all sides. As his enemies were subdued, David was able to collect tribute and plunder from those nations, much of which he set aside for the construction of the Temple. The result was a powerful Israel at the center of a group of nations that were either allied with them or subject to them. This allowed the nation to grow and become strong and wealthy, which would allow David’s son Solomon to build Jerusalem, Israel, and the Temple in peace.

With the coming of peace, David was able to organize a government to run the nation. There were military officers, advisors, priests, secretaries, and the princes of David’s family. As Israel went from being a loose confederation of tribes to a more centrally ruled kingdom, the need for a government that could meet the needs of the expanding nation led to the creation of one under the guidance of David.

Today’s reading might not be the most exciting passage we’ve read this year (although there are many military victories listed), but it is important is showing us how the Lord guided David and gave him rule over an impressive state. Israel was the superior of her neighbors, and King David was one of the great rulers of his time. This shows us that the Lord works in many ways, some of which seem ordinary, to bring about the situation He desires. Israel is a foretaste of the ultimate Messianic kingdom, and here we have the beginning of the kingdom of David that will one day be ruled by the Messiah, Jesus.

Today’s reading provides an interesting insight into the way David responded to the Lord’s instruction. He learned a hard lesson in moving the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, one that cost a man his life. David had done what he thought was right, but he had not consulted the Lord or His Word to ensure that it was proper. The Ark was finally brough to Jerusalem using the method God has spelled out in the Law. David dedicated the Ark and its tent and celebrated with the people of Israel.

The fact that the Ark resided in a tent clearly bothered David. While he had built himself  a luxurious palace, the emblem of the Lord’s presence with His people was resting in a room bound by curtains. The Ark had, of course, rested in the Tabernacle, which was itself a large tent, for over four centuries, but David sensed that it was not right for a human king to have a splendid home while the God’s Ark was left in a tent.

David’s motivations, as with the idea of moving the Ark to Jerusalem, were well-intentioned. This time, however, he spoke with Nathan, the court prophet, and intimated that he wanted a more permanent structure for the Ark. Nathan considered David’s desire and told him to go ahead and carry out his intentions. He likely thought that this would be honoring to the Lord and that in doing this David would be showing a proper reverence for God.

However, the Lord intervened in this plan. He appeared to Nathan that night and told him He did not demand a house for Himself, a place for the Ark to reside. David was not to build a Temple for the Lord, but to establish the nation of Israel in its place and to serve the Lord by subduing His enemies. At the same time, He told David that one day there would be a house built for Him, but it would be done by David’s son. At the same time this house of the Lord would be built, the house of David would also be established as an ongoing dynasty in Israel.

David recognized the promise that God gave him, and responded with gratitude and praise. He was humbled that he would be the progenitor of a line of rulers for Israel, which meant he would have a continuing line of descendants unlike his predecessor, King Saul. David also recognized that the promise of God was not only for him and his family, but was a promise to Israel that as their kings were established so their nation would continue on. The power of God and His everlasting covenant would be the foundation of the people of God both in David’s time and into the future.

David di not build a Temple for the Lord after hearing the word Nathan brought him. We will see that David did much to prepare for his son Solomon to build it, but he did not even lay the foundation in his time. David trusted the Lord to bring about all His promises about David’s descendants and His own Temple in His own time. Ultimately, the promise of the Lord to David resulted in the Messianic King who will rule forever, and who Himself would represent the presence of God with His people. David’s obedience, possibly conditioned by the outcome of his prior disobedience, prepared the way for the Lord to do His work through David, Solomon, the kings of Judah, and Jesus Christ. When we follow the Lord, listen to His Word, and obey His commandments, we clear the path for the plan of God in our lives to go forward and to bring blessing not only to us but to future generations.

When we are faced with a job we want to accomplish, it is important to examine our options in how to do that job. We may look at the work that is needed and then at the objective at the end and come up with a plan that seems good to us. That plan might make sense on its own, and be the way we think the job should be done, but sometimes as we plan we fail to think of alternatives. It may not be that what we have decided to do isn’t a way of accomplishing the task at hand, but we may forget about an important detail or overlook a possible obstacle if we don’t think it through  carefully and comprehensively.

David had a plan for bringing the Ark of the Covenant back into a prime position for the nation of Israel. He wanted to have the Ark brought to Jerusalem, the new capital of the nation, and kept near the Temple where it could be used to consult the Lord. David knew that the Ark was a significant artifact in Israel’s history, constructed under the direction of Moses during the wilderness wanderings of Israel. Now, 400 years later, the Ark had been neglected, left at Shiloh and seldom used by the leader of the nation to consult with God or even as a powerful symbol of the way the Lord had worked in Israel’s history.

To bring the Ark to Jerusalem, David consulted with leaders of Israel and spoke to the people, laying out his plan to place the Ark on a new cart drawn by oxen so it could be carried to its new location. No one had any objection to David’s plan, so he brought the people together to celebrate as the Ark set out on its journey to Jerusalem.

The only one David forgot to consult was the Lord. The Law lays out specific instructions for how the Ark was to travel, from its beginning in the wilderness to the time of David. While David’s plan looked good to everyone, it did not align with the Lord’s instructions in the Law of Moses, nor with the way the Ark had traveled in the past. As a result, when the oxen stumbled and the Ark appeared to be falling, Uzzah, one of the drivers, reached out to steady the Ark, which was forbidden by the Law. He was struck down and killed instantly, which brought the procession to an immediate halt. The Ark was left at the home of Obed-Edom for three months while David figured out what went wrong and why God had judged Uzzah.

David learned his lesson, for when the story of the Ark resumes in chapter 15 he has realized that only the Levites are to touch the Ark carry it. This time there is no cart or oxen, just the Levites bearing the Ark according to the Law of God. The leaders of Israel and many of the people followed the procession, praising the Lord and rejoicing that the Ark was coming to Jerusalem. This time, doing it God’s way, the journey was successful and the Ark came to the temporary home it would occupy until David’s son built the Temple.

This story is a stark reminder that when the Lord gives us instructions, He expects us to follow them. We may think we have a better way to serve Him, but consulting the Word and spending time in prayer will aid us in doing what is right. Although many in our society would say that good intentions are good enough, the Lord expects obedience. He will bless when we do His will, and He may judge when we do our will instead. Following the Lord and His way is the only way to do what is right in His sight.

A leader only holds his position in any organization while he has people willing to follow him. If a leader tries to maintain his or her position of authority and power by force or by the simple holding of a position, the organization will break down and those who are supposed to be follower will lose trust in the leader and refuse to follow. On the other hand, a leader who has the confidence and trust of his or her followers can accomplish much through the support and strength of those followers. A leader is not determined by the position they hold but by whether or not they have people following them.

As we transition from the brief history of King Saul to the beginning of the reign of King David, we see that David was a popular ruler at the beginning of his reign. The writer of Chronicles does not spend time discussing the rival claim to the throne by Saul’s final remaining son, Ish-bosheth, with the short time of civil unrest in Israel. There is a hint of that in the mentions of groups who “deserted” to David during the early days of his kingship. What the writer wants to emphasize is that the people of Israel as a group moved to follow David as king after the death of Saul.

The acclamation of David as king over all Israel is seen as various tribes are mentioned as coming to him and accepting him as king. Some of the groups named here in 1 Chronicles 11-12 were men who had been with David through his time in exile from Saul’s persecution. These were mighty soldiers, troops who were seasoned and tested and not only remained with David but who followed him into combat. Others mentioned here had been faithful to Saul, remaining with Israel during Saul’s lifetime but changing allegiance after his death. Still others had been loyal to the son of Saul for a time, but saw the way the political situation was changing in David’s favor. They gave their allegiance to David during the collapse of Ish-bosheth’s reign or after his assassination.

In these two chapters, we see how David was supported on his throne by groups of “mighty men,” veteran warriors who served as military commanders under David. We also see how David brought Israel together under his rule by a wise geographical decision, moving his capital from Hebron in the territory of Judah to Jerusalem, a city that was still under foreign control at the beginning of David’s reign. Jerusalem was conquered in a campaign led by David’s kinsman Joab, who became chief commander of the Israelite army. Since no tribe had a historical claim to Jerusalem, it became a city that all the people could look to as their own.

David consolidated his position as king and leader of Israel through his loyal followers and choices that brought Israel together. His example serves to show us how leaders of any generation can solidify their position through consolidating their followers, whether in military, political, religious, or civic terms. Leaders also can look for ways to meet the expectations of the various groups they have under their authority by finding ways to compromise where possible. Whether in church, business, community, or family, modern leaders can emulate David to show that they are not simply expecting people to follow under coercion but to lead in ways that attract followers.

After the genealogies of the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles, concluding with a review of the genealogy of King Saul, the historical narratives of Chronicles begin. The family records are important in establishing the families that enter the stories in the Biblical stories. Saul, as the first king of Israel, is a major figure in Israeli history, a logical place to begin the accounts that will cover the history of the nation from the establishment of the monarchy through the Exile.

Unlike the longer historical account written in the books of Samuel and Kings, the record of Chronicles begins with Saul on the throne and close to the end of his reign. There is a reason for this. The author will be focusing on the kingdom of Israel under David and Solomon, followed by the history of the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom will come into the narrative where its history intersects with the history of Judah, but this is clearly an account written to show how the nation of Israel, through Judah, ended up back in the land after the Exile.

The royal line of David is one of the main points of focus for the author of Chronicles. Although the writer was unaware of the ultimate outcome, this was an effort to follow the line that would result in the coming of the Messiah. The line of Saul is not significant to this purpose, although as the first king of Israel Saul cannot be ignored. His genealogy is covered twice in the chapters leading up to chapter 10, and his final battle with the Philistines in which he died makes way for the rise of David and his descendants.

The author provides a critical evaluation of the life of Saul, providing reasons for his defeat and replacement as king. Saul is said to have been unfaithful to the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord and he also consulted a medium, Neither of these are recorded in detail in Chronicles, but the writer assumes that his readers will be familiar with Saul’s story from other Biblical texts or from the oral traditions shared in Israel. Saul was removed as king because he was found to be unworthy, and this removal was not caused by human agencies but by the Lord. Although the Philistines killed him and his sons and David replaced him on the throne, neither was the cause of the end of his reign. Ultimately, it was God bringing judgment on Saul, who, despite warnings, chose to follow his own ways instead of obeying the Lord.

This short and tragic summary of Saul’s reign and death is an abrupt transition into the narrative of the Davidic kingdom of Israel. Many of the original readers, and most modern readers, will be aware of the story of Saul, but here it is just a setup for David. As we saw in our readings in Samuel, King Saul did many good things for the nation, and he began his reign with a right attitude and humble spirit. His pride and jealousy, however, led Saul down a path that ended in madness, fear, and death. It was his own thoughts and actions that brought this judgment on him.

While we do not have the power and responsibility of a king, we can become caught up in pursuing our own ways, seeking our own goals, and ignoring the Lord and His commands. This can take us  to a place where, like Saul, we have gone far from Him and gotten lost in self. When we start to move away from the Lord, we need to stop and return. Just as Samuel and David brought warnings from the Lord, we have the Word of God and those who faithfully apply it to call us back to Him. Our story can end with triumph and glory if we continue to follow the Lord and to seek to do His will, not our own.