David's Prayer and Blessing
1 Chronicles 29:10-24
Why David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be you, LORD God of Israel our father…


In this blessing we observe how everything is ascribed to God - greatness, power, glory, victory, majesty, riches, honour, the kingdom; all are his and from him. What an exalted view of God is here! And there follows that which always follows on man's side, "humility" (vers. 14-16). God's greatness bows down the soul in conscious littleness. We are "strangers," "sojourners;" our days a" shadow" and" none abiding." In order, then, to be humble, we should ever have God's greatness and God's grace filling the soul The eye on God, and there is no room for the creature but in the dust. David's prayers close with one for the people (ver. 18) and one for Solomon (ver. 19). He prays for the congregation, that God would keep them ever in this frame of heart, viz. of willing, joyful, whole-hearted surrender of themselves and all they had to him; and also that their hearts might be ever set towards God himself. For Solomon he prays that God would give him an undivided heart. And this whole-heartedness would show itself first in relation to God and his truth - "To keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, thy statutes, and to do all these things;" and secondly, "to build the palace for the which I have made provision." This is ever the Divine order in David's mind - God and his truth first, and the work of God next. And finally, he calls upon the whole assembly to praise the Lord, which they did, bowing before the Lord and the king, and worshipping. In order to seal their confession thus made in word and deed, they proposed a great feast on the following day, consisting of a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with drink offerings and thank offerings to correspond. Thus ended the consecration, the prayer and praise, viz. in joy and "great gladness." These are ever the results, and there never wilt be joy and gladness in the Lord without them. - W.



Parallel Verses
KJV: Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.

WEB: Therefore David blessed Yahweh before all the assembly; and David said, "You are blessed, Yahweh, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.




David's Blessing
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