Offerings for the Temple
29 Then King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced and the work is great; for the [a]temple is not for man, but for the Lord God. 2 Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance. 3 Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy [b]temple, 4 namely, 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the [c]buildings; 5 of gold for the things of gold and of silver for the things of silver, that is, for all the work [d]done by the craftsmen. Who then is willing [e]to consecrate himself this day to the Lord?”
6 Then the rulers of the fathers’ households, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with the overseers over the king’s work, offered willingly; 7 and for the service for the house of God they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, and 10,000 talents of silver, and 18,000 talents of brass, and 100,000 talents of iron. 8 [f]Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, [g]in care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.
Wow, what an amazing sight that must have been, to see the people bringing in their gifts. The sheer volume of their gifts is just astounding. No doubt, David’s large gift was a huge motivation, though it seems God’s blessings on the people were also in abundance, and that’s one reason we should strive to give.
But whether we have a lot to give, or barely anything, the ultimate goal in giving is to be more like the One who gave us breath and life. Our God is a tremendous giver, of all things, but especially His love, mercy, and grace that is poured out on us with abandon. And giving for us transforms us bit by bit to match His character.
Not that we can become “gods” as some would say, but rather we should seek to emulate the character of God, to strive for all that is good and right in this world. Doing so brings us nearer to God himself, and builds our relationship with our Father in Heaven.