Everything Comes from You

An old king stands before a crowd, surrounded by treasure. Gold, silver, bronze, piles of precious stones. And he lifts his hands and says: none of this is really ours.

King David is near the end of his life. For years he has dreamed of building a house for God in Jerusalem, a permanent temple to replace the old tent. But God has told him no. David has been a man of war. The temple will be built by his son Solomon, whose name sounds like the Hebrew word for peace. So David has done the next best thing. He has drawn up plans, gathered materials and organised workers. Now he calls together all the leaders of Israel: the officials of the tribes, the commanders, the stewards. He has something to tell them, and something to ask them.

David begins. “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great. For the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.” Then he tells them what he has done. With all his strength he has prepared gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, onyx and all kinds of precious stones and marble in abundance. And on top of that, because he loves the house of his God, he is giving his own personal treasure too: thousands of talents of gold and silver, to overlay the walls. Then he turns to the crowd with a question. “Who then is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?” Who will give?

And they do. The heads of families, the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, the officers over the king's work. They give gold and silver, bronze and iron in huge amounts. Anyone who has precious stones gives them to the treasury of the house of the Lord. And the Chronicler says this: the people rejoiced, because they gave willingly, with a whole heart. And King David also rejoiced with great joy. Picture an old man, who will never see this temple built, beaming at the generosity of his people.

Then David prays in front of everyone. “Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory and the majesty. All that is in heaven and earth is yours. Both riches and honour come from you.” And then the heart of it. “But who am I, and what are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own we have given you.” Every gift was God's before it was theirs. David asks God to keep this willing spirit in the hearts of his people, and to give Solomon a whole heart to follow him. Then he says to the whole assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” And they all bow down and worship.

One small word in this chapter gives away when it was written down. Verse seven measures the gold in darics. The daric was a Persian gold coin, first struck under King Darius the First, about five hundred years after David lived. Chronicles was written after the exile, and the writer counted David's treasure in the currency his own readers knew.

Everything comes from you. You can read it in First Chronicles chapter twenty-nine, verses one to twenty. David gave for a house he would never see. Many churches still say his words when the offering is brought forward: all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. At Christmas, Christians remember the greatest gift of all, which came from God too. So here is a question to carry with you. David said every gift he gave had come from God first. What has God given you that you could give back this Christmas?