What condition did David give for Solomon’s kingdom to be established for ever?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Solomon must continue keeping God’s commandments and judgments, as at that day. David also tells him to seek God and warns that forsaking him would bring rejection for ever.

Chapter breakdown

David speaks to the assembly, urges Solomon to act and gives him a pattern of the temple.

David gathered Israel’s chief men at Jerusalem: tribal princes, captains of companies serving the king, captains over thousands and hundreds, those responsible for the king’s substance and possessions, his sons with court officers, men of power and all the army’s bravest men. Rising and standing, he addressed his brethren and people. He had intended a house where the Lord’s ark and God’s footstool might rest and had prepared everything for building. But God had told him not to build a house to his name because he was a man of war and had shed blood.

David said the Lord God of Israel had chosen him from his father’s whole house to be king over Israel for ever: God chose princes from Juda, his father’s house from Juda, and David from his father’s sons. Among David’s many sons, given by the Lord, God chose Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord’s kingdom over Israel. God said Solomon would build his house and courts, having chosen him as his son and promising to be his father. He would establish Solomon’s kingdom for ever if Solomon continued to keep his commandments and judgments, as at that day. Before all Israel’s assembly and in God’s hearing, David urged them to keep and seek all the Lord’s commandments, so they might possess the good land and leave it to their children after them for ever.

David told Solomon to know his father’s God and serve him with a perfect heart and willing mind. The Lord searches all hearts and understands every thought of minds. If Solomon sought him, he would find him; if he forsook him, God would cast him off for ever. Since the Lord had chosen him to build the sanctuary’s house, he was to take courage and do it.

David gave Solomon descriptions of the porch, temple, treasures, upper floor, inner chambers and house for the mercy seat. He also gave descriptions of all the courts he had in thought and surrounding chambers for the treasures of the Lord’s house and of consecrated things, and of the priestly and Levitical divisions for all the house’s work and all the vessels of temple service.

He gave gold by weight for every ministry vessel and silver by weight according to the different vessels and uses. For golden candlesticks and lamps he gave gold according to each candlestick’s dimensions and its lamps; likewise silver by weight for silver candlesticks and lamps according to their differing dimensions. He gave gold for the tables of proposition according to the different tables and silver for other silver tables. There were fleshhooks, bowls and censers of fine gold, and little gold lions, with a measured weight for every lion; he set aside a different silver weight for silver lions. He gave the purest gold for the incense altar and to make the likeness of the cherubims’ chariot, their wings spread over and covering the ark of the Lord’s covenant.

David said all these things came to him written by the Lord’s hand so he could understand all the pattern’s works. He told Solomon to act like a man, take courage and do the work, without fear or dismay. The Lord his God would be with Solomon and would not leave or forsake him until he had finished all the work for service in the Lord’s house. The courses of priests and Levites stood ready beside him for every ministry of the house; princes and people knew how to carry out all his commands.

The story inside

Before the gathered leaders in Jerusalem, David distinguishes his own preparation from the building assigned to Solomon. He had wanted a resting house for the ark, but God forbade him to build because of warfare and bloodshed. David recounts God’s choice of Juda, his father’s house, himself and then Solomon, whom God chose to build the house and courts. The lasting kingdom promise carries an express condition. David calls the assembly to seek and keep the commandments, then addresses Solomon’s heart and mind, seeking and forsaking. He hands over descriptions of the building, service divisions and vessels, with gold and silver allotted by weight and differing dimensions and uses. He attributes the written pattern to the Lord’s hand. His final charge combines courage and action with God’s presence until the work is finished and the readiness of priests, Levites, princes and people.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Solomon’s choice and the condition both belong to the speech. God chooses him to build and calls him his son, but establishment of his kingdom for ever depends on continued obedience. Dropping the condition turns David’s words into an unconditional promise.
2
David addresses both the assembly and Solomon with stated consequences. Keeping and seeking the commandments is tied to possession of the good land and leaving it to children. Solomon must serve with a perfect heart and willing mind because God searches hearts and thoughts; seeking leads to finding him, while forsaking leads to being cast off for ever.
3
The pattern includes service and materials as well as spaces. The chapter distinguishes treasure chambers, priestly and Levitical divisions, vessel uses, dimensions and gold or silver weights. David says the pattern came written by God’s hand; the account gives no numerical weights here and does not describe the temple as already built. His assurance lasts until the service work is finished.

Test your recall

David is a man of war who shed blood → God forbids him to build. God chooses Solomon → he is to build the house and courts. Continued keeping of commandments and judgments → promised lasting establishment of his kingdom. Seeking God → finding him; forsaking him → rejection for ever. The written pattern comes by the Lord’s hand → David understands its works and gives the descriptions and material allocations to Solomon. God’s presence until completion and ready service courses → Solomon is urged to act without fear or dismay.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 44163–44167
1 Paralipomenon Chapter 28 David’s speech, in a solemn assembly: his exhortation to Solomon. He giveth him a pattern of the temple.
Lines 44168–44181
28:1. And David assembled all the chief men of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies, who waited on the king: and the captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and them who had the charge over the substance and possessions of the king, and his sons with the officers of the court, and the men of power, and all the bravest of the army at Jerusalem. 28:2. And the king rising up, and standing said: Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had a thought to have built a house, in which the ark of the Lord, and the footstool of our God might rest: and prepared all things for the building. 28:3. And God said to me: Thou shalt not build a house to my name: because thou art a man of war, and hast shed blood.
Lines 44183–44202
28:4. But the Lord God of Israel chose me of all the house of my father, to be king over Israel for ever: for of Juda he chose the princes: and of the house of Juda, my father’s house: and among the sons of my father, it pleased him to choose me king over all Israel. 28:5. And among my sons (for the Lord hath given me many sons) he hath chosen Solomon my son, to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 28:6. And he said to me: Solomon thy son shall build my house, and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be a father to him. 28:7. And I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he continue to keep my commandments, and my judgments, as at this day. 28:8. Now then before all the assembly of Israel, in the hearing of our God, keep ye, and seek all the commandments of the Lord our God: that you may possess the good land, and may leave it to your children after you for ever.
Lines 44204–44211
28:9. And thou my son Solomon, know the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the thoughts of minds. If thou seek him, thou shalt find him: but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. 28:10. Now therefore seeing the Lord hath chosen thee to build the house of the sanctuary, take courage, and do it.
Lines 44213–44223
28:11. And David gave to Solomon his son a description of the porch, and of the temple, and of the treasures, and of the upper floor, and of the inner chambers, and of the house for the mercy seat, 28:12. As also of all the courts, which he had in his thought, and of the chambers round about, for the treasures of the house of the Lord, and for the treasures of the consecrated things, 28:13. And of the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, for all the works of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of the service of the temple of the Lord.
Lines 44225–44245
28:14. Gold by weight for every vessel for the ministry. And silver by weight according to the diversity of the vessels and uses. 28:15. He gave also gold for the golden candlesticks, and their lamps, according to the dimensions of every candlestick, and the lamps thereof. In like manner also he gave silver by weight for the silver candlesticks, and for their lamps according to the diversity of the dimensions of them. 28:16. He gave also gold for the tables of proposition, according to the diversity of the tables: in like manner also silver for other tables of silver. 28:17. For fleshhooks also, and bowls, and censers of fine gold, and for little lions of gold, according to the measure he gave by weight, for every lion. In like manner also for lions of silver he set aside a different weight of silver. 28:18. And for the altar of incense, he gave the purest gold: and to make the likeness of the chariot of the cherubims spreading their wings, and covering the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
Lines 44247–44260
28:19. All these things, said he, came to me written by the hand of the Lord that I might understand all the works of the pattern. 28:20. And David said to Solomon his son: Act like a man, and take courage, and do: fear not, and be not dismayed: for the Lord my God will be with thee, and will not leave thee, nor forsake thee, till thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 28:21. Behold the courses of the priests and the Levites, for every ministry of the house of the Lord, stand by thee, and are ready, and both the princes, and the people know how to execute all thy commandments.