A Father's Blessing

I love 1 Chronicles 28 ... where David commissions Solomon as King in front of all of Israel and gives him instructions on how to build the Temple for the Lord.

I wanted to share David's blessing, his heartfelt entreaty, to his son. It is beautiful:

8 "So now, with God as our witness, and in the sight of all Israel—the LORD's assembly—I give you this charge. Be careful to obey all the commands of the LORD your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance. 9 "And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.10 So take this seriously. The LORD has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work."
...
20 Then David continued, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don't be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the LORD is finished correctly.

This prayer and admonition is from a father who really knew the Lord and knew how to stay within the protection of His favor and blessing. It is a beautiful reminder to me, too, to OBEY the Lord, to KNOW Him intimately, to WORSHIP Him, and to be strong and do the work.

Twice he says, "be strong and do the work". From these passages and from the story of David's entire life, it is clear how badly he wants to be the one to build the temple for the Lord. You can feel how important it is to him, so important that he hates to hand it off and not be the one to see it through to completion. Yet, he trusts the Lord to complete the work, knowing that it is the Lord who, ultimately, builds the house.

I think it is an admonition and entreaty we can do well to remember and a beautiful summary, if you will, of what we hope to impart to our children.

On a different note, Chapter 29 moves into the praises of David for the generous offering of the people to the Temple ... this scripture is on my bathroom mirror to remind me everyday who is truly in control. This is one all of you Crown people will remember well:

"O LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel,* may you be praised forever and ever!11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.