1 Chronicles 28:8

Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(8) Now therefore in the sight of all Israel.—Literally, And now to the eyes of all Israel . . . and in the ears of our God; scil. I adjure you. David ends his address to the people by a solemn appeal, like that, of Moses (Deuteronomy 4:26; Deuteronomy 30:19 : “I call heaven and earth to witness,” &c.). David’s appeal is to the whole nation as represented before him, and to the God whose ear is ever open.

Seek—i.e., do not neglect; resort to them always as the rule of right living (same word as 1Chronicles 13:3; 1Chronicles 15:13).

That ye may possess this (Heb. the) good land.—Another reminiscence of Deuteronomy (1Chronicles 4:1; 1Chronicles 4:21).

And leave it for an inheritance.—Leviticus 25:46.

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 28:8. In the audience of our God — I exhort and charge you every one, calling God, who is here present, and this congregation, wherein all Israel are present by their representatives, for witnesses against you, if you do not follow my counsel. Keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord — Keep those commands which you know, and seek for or search into what you are yet ignorant of, that you may distinctly understand the whole will of God, and seriously give yourselves to the practice of it. God’s commandments cannot be kept without great care. And it concerns those who profess religion, as they regard the favour of God, or even their reputation with men, to be faithful to their profession.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

28:1-10 During David's last sickness, many chief priests and Levites were at Jerusalem. Finding himself able, David spoke of his purpose to build a temple for God, and of God's disallowing that purpose. He opened to them God's gracious purposes concerning Solomon. David charged them to cleave stedfastly to God and their duty. We cannot do our work as we should, unless we put on resolution, and fetch in strength from Divine grace. Religion or piety has two distinct parts. The first is knowledge of God, the second is worship of God. David says, Know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. God is made known by his works and word. Revelation alone shows the whole character of God, in his providence, his holy law, his condemnation of sinners, his blessed gospel, and the ministration of the Spirit to all true believers. The natural man cannot receive this knowledge of God. But thus we learn the value of the Saviour's atonement, and of the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, and are influenced to walk in all his commandments. It brings a sinner to his proper place at the foot of the cross, as a poor, guilty, helpless worm, deserving wrath, yet expecting every thing needful from the free mercy and grace of God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Having been forgiven much, the pardoned sinner learns to love much.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If he be constant - The conditional character of the promise made to David, as to the continuance of his posterity on the Jewish throne (marginal reference; 2 Samuel 7:14), is now clearly declared.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

8. Now … in the sight of all Israel, … keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord, &c.—This solemn and earnest exhortation to those present, and to all Israel through their representatives, to continue faithful in observing the divine law as essential to their national prosperity and permanence, is similar to that of Moses (De 30:15-20).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

In the audience of our God, i.e. I do here exhort and charge you every one, calling God who is here present, and this congregation, wherein all Israel are present by their representatives, for witness against you, if you do not follow my counsel.

Keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord; keep those commands which you know, and seek for or search into what you are yet ignorant of, that you may distinctly understand the whole will of God, and all the parts of your duty, and seriously give up yourselves to the practice thereof.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the congregation of the Lord,.... Whom this assembly represented:

and in the audience of our God; before him, as Jarchi, in whose presence they were, and who heard and saw all that passed, and to whom David appeals as a witness; the Targum is,"before the Word of the Lord.''before whom all things are naked and open, Hebrews 4:12.

keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God; seek to know them, search for them in the word of God, and endeavour to keep them:

that ye may possess this good land; continue in the possession of it, for by their obedience they held it, Isaiah 1:19.

and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever; that so they might not be removed from it, and carried captive into other lands, as they were for their disobedience.

Geneva Study Bible

Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this {d} good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you {e} for ever.

(d) That is, of Canaan.

(e) He declares that nothing can separate them from the conveniences of this land, both for themselves and their posterity except for their sins and iniquity.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

8. and seek for] R.V. and seek out. The same Hebrew word is used 1 Chronicles 13:3, we sought not unto it (i.e. the ark) in the days of Saul (R.V.).

that ye may possess this good land] possess = inherit. The Heb. word connotes three different ideas, which may all have been present to the mind of the speaker, viz. (1) continued holding of the land by passing it from father to son (cp. Exodus 20:12), (2) completion of the work of conquest left unfinished by Joshua (cp. Genesis 24:60), (3) enjoyment of the fruits of the land (cp. Psalm 25:13).

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 8-10. - The double charge of these verses, first to the people and then to Solomon, is full of force and majesty. Translate, Now therefore in the sight of all Israel - the congregation of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God ("Hear me," ver. 2), keep ye and study to do all the commandments of the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 4:21, 26; Deuteronomy 30:19; Leviticus 25:46; Jeremiah 3:18). The. expression, Know thou the God of thy father, for a practical knowledge and fear of God, is analogous with the expression, "Hear thou," for the matter of practical obedience; e.g. "If they hear not Moses and the prophets" (Luke 16:32). Although there are not very many instances of this use of the word "know," its antiquity and classical character may be considered guaranteed by such passages as Job 18:21; 1 Samuel 2:12; Proverbs 3:6; Psalm 36:10; Jeremiah 9:2; Hosea 5:4; Hosea 6:3. The expression, "the God of thy father," evidently intended to be touching, is more fully given in ver. 20, "God, even my God, will be with thee," which in its turn reminds us of Paul's language, "But my God shall supply all your need" (Philippians 4:19). The urgent entreaty on the part of David breathes in every sentence of it, thought, and a mode of presentation of it, feeling, and depth of conviction, with which we are familiar in his psalms. He speaks from his own varied, remarkable, and rich experience of the Divine care and jealous love, and from much personal experience of the deceitfulness of the heart, to Solomon, into whom, were it possible, he would pour the advantage of all he had learned, and from whom he would hide nothing of his intense and anxious solicitude. To the same strain he returns in ver. 20, but there with more exclusive reference to the undertaking of the building of "the house of the Lord," or the house for the sanctuary. One thing only fails, perhaps, to be made quite apparent from the language of David, viz. why he deemed it necessary to urge so strenuously on Solomon the enterprise of building the temple and of carrying it to completion. With abundance of means and preparations so large already made, one might have supposed a young king and a young man would have needed little pressure and little exhortation. Nevertheless, in the manifest presence of David's words, it is very far from impossible to suppose the dangers and temptations of Solomon's position as constituting a serious risk. 1 Chronicles 28:8

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"And now before the eyes of all Israel, of the congregation of Jahve (collected in their representatives), and into the ears of our God (so that God should hear as witness), (scil. I exhort you), observe and seek ... that ye may possess (that is, keep as possession) the good land (cf. Deuteronomy 4:21.), and leave it to your sons after you for an inheritance" (cf. Leviticus 25:46). - In 1 Chronicles 28:9 he turns to his son Solomon in particular with the fatherly exhortation, "My son, know thou the God of thy father (i.e., of David, who has ever helped him, Psalm 18:3), and serve Him with whole (undivided) heart (1 Chronicles 29:9, 1 Chronicles 29:19; 1 Kings 8:61) and willing soul." To strengthen this exhortation, David reminds him of the omniscience of God. Jahve seeks, i.e., searches, all hearts and knows all the imagination of the thoughts; cf. Psalm 7:10; 1 Samuel 16:7; Jeremiah 11:20; Psalm 139:1. מחשׁבות יצר as in Genesis 6:5. With the last clauses cf. Deuteronomy 4:29; Isaiah 55:6, etc. יזניח, only here and 2 Chronicles 11:14; 2 Chronicles 29:19. - With 1 Chronicles 28:10 the discourse turns to the building of the temple. The exhortation ועשׂה חזק is interrupted by the giving over of the sketches and plans of the temple, and is taken up again only in 1 Chronicles 28:20.