seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Chronicles 29:1 Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. 2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise,[a] stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. 3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents(b) of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents[c] of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, 5 for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?”
6 Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 7 They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents[d] and ten thousand darics[e] of gold, ten thousand talents[f] of silver, eighteen thousand talents[g] of bronze and a hundred thousand talents[h] of iron. 8 Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
6 Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. 7 They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents[d] and ten thousand darics[e] of gold, ten thousand talents[f] of silver, eighteen thousand talents[g] of bronze and a hundred thousand talents[h] of iron. 8 Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
a. 1 Chronicles 29:2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
b. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 110 tons or about 100 metric tons
c. 1 Chronicles 29:4 That is, about 260 tons or about 235 metric tons
d. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 190 tons or about 170 metric tons
e. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 185 pounds or about 84 kilograms
f. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 380 tons or about 340 metric tons
g. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 675 tons or about 610 metric tons
h. 1 Chronicles 29:7 That is, about 3,800 tons or about 3,400 metric tons
Most of the commentaries are kind of preachy. Biblestudytools.com has some interesting information.
drams--rather, "darics,"a Persian coin, with which the Jews from the time of the captivity became familiar, and which was afterwards extensively circulated in the countries of Western Asia. It is estimated as equal in value to about $5 in American currency. of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron--In Scripture, iron is always referred to as an article of comparatively low value, and of greater abundance and cheaper than bronze [NAPIER].
This is from blueletterbible.com.
Given the massive amount that David gathered for the building of the temple, it might be argued that the gifts of the people were unnecessary. Yet David knew that it was important to give the people an opportunity to give, for their sake more than for the sake of the building project itself. Their giving was a legitimate and important way to consecrate themselves to God.
One of the churches I attended regularly added on a new Chapel. My daughter and I went to the volunteer day. We hauled wood and handed out nails. We swept up sawdust so it wouldn't get tracked into the rest of the church. We still feel attached to that church. When we see it... we both think... I helped build that church.
Another of the churches we went to added on an education wing while we were there. They used collection along with bazaars, craft shows and a small hand constructed carnival to raise the money. I had a booth at the craft show... and I attended the carnival. One of the women said she was upset because the preacher didn't attend these functions. I learned that the preacher didn't want bazaars, crafts, or carnivals taking place on church grounds. He didn't think it was appropriate, but, he was outvoted.
I can see how David wanted everyone to feel like the Temple is part of their lives. Laying hands on the materials, making love donations, taking part in the construction [as talents allow], and taking part in the celebrations are a big part of making the Temple part of the day to day life. David wanted everyone to take ownership of the Temple.
