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JULY 3
DAY 2:What does God desire in our giving?
King David called for consecrated giving to the building of the temple, based on his personal
example of generosity (1 Chr.29:3,4). David gave his personal fortune to the temple building, a for-
tune almost immeasurable.He says that “over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,
my own special treasure of gold and silver: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir.”
Assuming a talent weighed about 75 pounds, this amounts to almost 112 tons of gold. This was
held to be the purest and finest in the world (Job 22:24;28:16;Is.13:12).Plus the 7,000 talents of sil-
ver,which would be 260 tons,the total worth of such precious metals has been estimated in the bil-
lions of dollars.
As he addresses the people, David notes the phrase “with a willing mind”(vv. 6–9). Here is the
key to all freewill giving, i.e., giving what one desires to give. Tithes were required for taxation, to
fund the theocracy, similar to taxation today.The law required that to be paid.This, however, is the
voluntary giving from the heart to the Lord. The New Testament speaks of this (Luke 6:38; 2 Cor.
9:1–8) and never demands that a tithe be given to God,but that taxes be paid to one’s government
(Rom. 13:6,7). Paying taxes and giving God whatever one is willing to give, based on devotion to
Him and His glory, is biblical giving.
The people rejoiced in their offering to the temple which was “five thousand talents…of gold”
(1 Chr.29:7).This amounts to 187 tons of gold.Add to that 375 tons of silver,675 tons of bronze,and
3,750 tons of iron.The sum of all this is staggering and has been estimated into the billions of dol-
lars. David responds to the phenomenal offering expressing amazing sacrifices of wealth with
praise in which he acknowledges that all things belong to and come from God (vv. 10–15). David
says that opportunities for giving to God are tests of the character,“test the heart,” of a believer’s
devotion to the Lord (v. 17).The king acknowledges that the attitude of one’s heart is significantly
more important than the amount of offering in one’s hand.

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have made me king in his place. Now, O LORD
July 3 God, let Your promise to David my father be
established, for You have made me king over a
people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
10 Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I
2 Chronicles 1:1–2:18
may go out and come in before this people; for
Now Solomon the son of David was strength- who can judge this great people of Yours?”
1 ened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God 11 Then God said to Solomon: “Because this
was with him and exalted him exceedingly. was in your heart, and you have not asked
And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the cap- riches or wealth or honor or the life of your
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tains of thousands and of hundreds, to the enemies, nor have you asked long life—but
judges, and to every leader in all Israel, the have asked wisdom and knowledge for your-
heads of the fathers’ houses. Then Solomon, self, that you may judge My people over whom
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and all the assembly with him, went to the I have made you king— wisdom and knowl-
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high place that was at Gibeon; for the taberna- edge are granted to you; and I will give you
cle of meeting with God was there, which Mo- riches and wealth and honor, such as none of
ses the servant of the LORD had made in the the kings have had who were before you, nor
wilderness. But David had brought up the ark shall any after you have the like.”
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of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David 13 So Solomon came to Jerusalem from the
had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent high place that was at Gibeon, from before the
for it at Jerusalem. Now the bronze altar that tabernacle of meeting, and reigned over Israel.
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Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had 14 And Solomon gathered chariots and horse-
made, he put before the tabernacle of the men; he had one thousand four hundred char-
LORD; Solomon and the assembly sought Him iots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he
there. And Solomon went up there to the stationed in the chariot cities and with the
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bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the king in Jerusalem. Also the king made silver
tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones,
burnt offerings on it. and he made cedars as abundant as the
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7 On that night God appeared to Solomon, sycamores which are in the lowland. And Sol-
and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” omon had horses imported from Egypt and
8 And Solomon said to God: “You have Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in
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shown great mercy to David my father, and Keveh at the current price. They also
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