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"Be strong and do it" (I Chron. 28: 1-10). David does not leave the matter there,
however. He provides "the pattern", which he says that he had had "by the spirit" and by
"writing by His hand upon me" (I Chron. 28: 11, 12, 19), and he also supplies
abundant material.
"Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God, the gold for the
things of gold . . . . . silver . . . . . brass, etc. . . . . . in abundance. Moreover, because I
have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold
and silver . . . . . given . . . . . Who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto
the Lord?" (I Chron. 29: 2-5).
With such an example and such an appeal, there was a great response, and we read
that "the people rejoiced and offered themselves willingly". David, however, recognizes
in prayer that
"All this store that we have prepared to build Thee an house for Thine holy name,
cometh of Thine hand, and is all Thine own" (I Chron. 29: 16).
In verse 22 we read: "And they made Solomon, the son of David, king the second
time"--a phrase that reminds us of the coming of Christ "the second time" to put forth
His great power and reign.
In II Chron. 2: 1 it is recorded that Solomon determined to build a house for the
name of the Lord, chapter 3: tells us when the work began, chapter 5: that it was at
length finished, and in chapter 6: we have its dedication. In chapter 7: 19-22 we
have a warning which includes the prophetic utterance:
"And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by
it, so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land and unto this house?"
It will be helpful, at this point, to look at the other end of the story. In
II Chron. 36: the warning is fulfilled, the house of God is burnt with fire, and the
people carried away captive:
"To fulfil the Word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah until the land enjoyed her
sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil three score and
ten years" (II Chron. 36: 21).
The last item in the structure, and the last word of the Book of Chronicles, is one of
restoration.
"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the
mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of
Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing,
saying:
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of
heaven given me; and He hath charged me to build Him an house in Jerusalem, which is
in Judah, Who is there among you of all His people? The Lord his God be with him, and
let him go up" (II Chron. 36: 22, 23).