提要
上帝喜愛捐得樂意的人（林後9：7）。大衛王親身示範，大方的施捨（相當十億美元），並且犧牲自己的口袋，供應偉大建造計畫的需要來榮耀上帝。聖殿是一棟特別的建築，因為它不僅為人，也為上帝自己來使用。獨一的真神，理該有一所與其他的建築完全不同的殿宇。大衛自己以身作則，所以也能毫無愧色的央請民眾慷慨捐輸。
以色列十二支派，每一宗族的領袖，皆甘心樂意的奉獻大量黃金、白銀、銅、鐵、與寶石，為上帝居所的工程使用。他們懷著忠誠與愛，向上帝分別為聖，所以樂意捐獻，並造成極大的歡樂（25：5、9）。這一情形提醒我們，當摩西要求百姓時，以色列民也是這樣地為會幕捐獻（出36：3~7）。兩種狀況，都有大喜樂為其標誌。當主的百姓向上帝奉獻時，喜樂也就充滿了內心。 大衛不僅在捐獻上個人得著歡樂，而且在他看見自己臣僕奉獻給上帝時，也是喜樂滿懷。這一快樂促使他自動作出美麗的感恩禱告，表達了上帝的高貴和至尊。他對上帝的禱告，也在日後成為主禱文（太6：13）的結尾：「耶和華啊！…能力、榮耀…國度也是您的。」（29：10）。大衛十分了解：他雖然為王，卻一無所有，因為一切萬有乃屬於上帝。大衛只不過是一僕役，一切豐富都是上帝託付他的。因而獻給上主，實際上是實踐我們把上帝該有的歸還給祂而已；並且這麼做，祂也會賜福給我們（參路17：10）。
大衛禱告的結尾，是求上帝永遠使祂的百姓（也應用在今日信徒身上）有這樣相同大方奉獻的心靈，甘心樂意地把自己奉獻於祂。百姓的反應很好，皆樂意敬拜上帝，向祂獻上祭牲；祭牲是他們分別為聖和上帝救贖祂百姓的象徵。藉著許多平安祭，選民也在主前聚集，共享快樂的宴席。
撰寫歷代志的人告訴我們，他們第二次膏所羅門為王，卻沒有交代第一次的詳情細節。列王紀一書在當時已寫成，而讀者也明白第一次匆匆膏立所羅門，是受到亞多尼雅叛變的壓力（王上1：39）。這一次公開的儀式，是要確認所羅門為王的權力；因為他的繼承權仍有爭議，所以有此儀式是重要的。祭司撒督也受膏作為單一合法的大祭司；撒督先前曾和亞比亞他合任大祭司的職位，卻因與亞多尼雅一同背叛，反對上帝選立的王而喪失資格（王上1：5、7；2：26~27）。我們的主控制著那些政治領袖；祂高舉人也黜降人。
在大衛安排好所有要事之後，他充滿光榮的死了，享年七十（參撒下5：4）。他把一個和平而富有的王國傳給他廣受尊敬的兒子所羅門；但更重要的是，他傳遞了一個敬虔的傳統。
大衛把他的財富投資在上帝的事工上。他知道為上帝建一敬拜的地方是重要的；因它可以聯合、教化、增強人民的信心；同時也可藉著祭物的犧牲贖罪，來解救這些百姓。雖然大衛並不能成為上帝居所的建造者，他卻做了一切能做的事。
我們為上帝的工作奉獻，也是投資在人們的生命，和擴充上帝的國度上。我們的奉獻，表示對上帝誠摯的感激，因祂為我們做了一切。藉著我們的捐輸，我們的心態也受試驗（29：17）；上帝在意的不是給的量多不多，而是我們捐輸的動機和理由。捐輸是每一位信徒的責任，奉獻支持上帝的工作，會使人有真正的快樂和祝福，這是不容懷疑的。
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Overview
God loves a willing and cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). King David himself set the example for all the people of Israel by giving generously (the equivalent of billions of dollars) and sacrifi-cially from his own pocket toward the large building project for the glory of God. The temple was to be an extra special building, since it was not for mere men but for God Himself. The One and only true God deserved a House unequalled by any other building, temple, or palace ever constructed. Without reservations, David gave a heartfelt appeal for others to give generously unto the Lord, and he would not ask them to do something he himself had not done.
The leaders of every clan within all the tribes of Israel willingly raised and offered a generous amount of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones for the work of the House of God. They expressed their loyalty, love, and consecration to God by their willingness to give, which resulted in great rejoicing (29:5, 9). This occasion reminds us of Israel's giving when Moses made an appeal for the tabernacle (Exodus 36:3-7). Both occasions were marked with much joy. When the Lord's people give to Him, joy fills their hearts.
David not only received personal joy in giving, but he was also filled with joy to see his subjects giving to God. This joy prompted his spontaneous and beautiful prayer of thanksgiving in which he expressed God's majesty and sovereignty. His praise to God constitutes the end of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:13): "Yours, O Lord, is the...power and the glory, .. .Yours is the kingdom, O Lord" (29:11). David rightly understood that he, although a king, owned nothing, because everything really belongs to God. David was but a steward over that which God had entrusted to him. Giving unto the Lord, then, is actually fulfilling our duty to offer back to God that which is His and with which He has blessed us (cf. Luke 17:10).
David closed his prayer by asking that God would forever cause His people (applying also to believers today) to have this same spirit of generosity in giving with a willing heart that is fixed upon Him (29:18). Everyone's response was to worship the Lord and offer Him animal sacrifices, symbolizing their own consecration and God's atonement for His people. With many peace offerings, the people also joined together in a happy feast before the Lord.
The chronicler then tells us that for the second time they anointed Solomon as king, yet he gives no details of the first time. The book of Kings was already well known, and his readers were aware of the hasty first anointing of Solomon under the pressure of Adonijah's revolt (1 Kings 1:39). This public ceremony to confirm Solomon's right to the throne was important because of his disputed succession. The priest Zadok was also anointed as the sole legitimate high priest, since Abiathar, with whom Zadok had previously shared the office of high priest, had been disqualified by plotting against God's chosen king with the usurper Adonijah (1 Kings 1:5, 7; 2:26-27). Our Lord is in control of those in leadership; He lifts up and takes down.
After David had settled all matters of importance, he died full of honour at the age of 70 (cf. 2 Samuel 5:4). He passed a peaceful and wealthy kingdom over to his well-respected son Solomon, but, more importantly, he passed on a godly heritage.
David invested his wealth into the work of God. He knew it was important to build a place of worship which would unify, edify, and strengthen the faith of the people, as well as save the people by providing them with atonement from their sins through the animal sacrifices. Although David could not be the actual builder of God's House, he did what he could; he gave.
In our giving to the work of God, we also invest in the lives of people and expand the kingdom of God. Our giving expresses a heart-felt gratitude to God for all He has done for us. By our giving, the condition of our heart is tested (29:17), and more than the quantity, it is the motivation and reason for giving that counts. Giving is a duty of every believer, and how much more precious is a gift when it is a sacrifice. There is truly joy and blessing in giving to the Lord's work.
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