How David grew over the course of his lifetime! He was only a seventeen year old shepherd boy when he was anointed by Samuel to become the next king of Israel. He spent his late teens and early twenties serving King Saul and then running from him when Saul became jealous of David’s prowess and popularity.

In his mid-twenties 600 men gathered around David and formed an army. The best and brightest in Israel were attracted to join him because he impressed them with his leadership skills and integrity. They became a powerful fighting force.

At age thirty David was crowned king in Hebron following the death of Saul. He soon made Jerusalem his capitol city and other nations began to pay tribute to him. Wise counselors and strong men who loved their king served him. He defeated all of Israel’s enemies and brought peace and prosperity to his people.

His large, complicated family was the hardest part of David’s life, but the Lord helped him sort that out. God called Solomon by name to succeed David as king and lead the nation forward as David neared the end of his life.

All that was left for David to do was to establish the center of religious life in Israel. This was to be his crowning achievement.

The Gatekeepers

The plan for the temple included gates that needed to be guarded. The gatekeepers let in the Levites who came to serve, and kept out people who didn’t belong on the sacred grounds.

A lot of gold, silver and bronze were used in building and decorating the temple. There was a treasury full of valuable items, and store rooms full of supplies for the priests.

Maintaining security at the temple was not an easy job, and it was a high privilege. One of the Sons of Korah wrote a Psalm about the blessings of being a gatekeeper at the temple.

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God . . . Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Psalm 84:1-2, 10-11

Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah was one of the gatekeepers. He helped protect the ark when it was at his father’s home after Uzzah the priest died trying to move it. God blessed Obed-Edom’s household while they kept the ark and his sons and grandsons were appointed gatekeepers in Jerusalem.

“All these descendants of Obed-Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work – descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all.” 1 Chronicles 26:8

The Treasurers

Moses first collected treasure from the Israelites when the tabernacle was under construction at Mt. Sinai. He gathered gold, silver, bronze, wood, leather, and richly woven and embroidered fabrics. The Israelites regularly brought shekels and other valuables to the tabernacle as part of their offerings so the tabernacle and the priests had an income.

During the time of the judges some of the Levites had to go in search of paid work, which suggests that the income for the tabernacle dwindled. That was the era of every man doing what was right in his own eyes and offerings may have fallen off.

Israel’s warrior kings returned Israel to worship at the tabernacle when they called upon the Lord to help them win wars. Their victories produced great plunder and they tithed from it to the work of the tabernacle and the priests. Part of the wealth of the tabernacle was set aside for the new temple.

“Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and by the army commanders. Some of the plunder taken in battle they dedicated for the repair of the temple of the Lord. And everything dedicated by Samuel the seer and by Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner and Joab son of Zeruiah, and all the other dedicated things were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.” 1 Chronicles 26:26-28

The treasurers came from the Gershonite clans, the division of the Levites who were responsible for carrying the covering and sacred items in the tabernacle. God gifted them to be good stewards.

The Military Commanders and Divisions

Under Saul and David Israel developed a powerful and disciplined army. In David’s time they never lost a war. Joab was the commander over the entire army, and he had officers over 24,000 man divisions. The divisions rotated on and off duty throughout the year. Every man over the age of twenty was eligible to serve in the army and could be conscripted when needed.

After nearly forty years some of David’s Mighty Men were still on active duty. Benaiah, who had gone down into a pit to fight a lion on a snowy day was one of them. His son Ammizabad was now in charge of Benaiah’s division.

Leaders of the Tribes and Officials of the Kingdom

The twelve tribes each had a head who was available as needed for the king to consult and direct. David knew how many fighting men were in each tribe, but he never again took a census of the population in general.

“David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.” 1 Chronicles 27:23

The number of Israelites was God’s business, not the king’s.

David’s trusted administrators included men who oversaw every aspect of his personal possessions. Kings can’t help accumulating wealth. They win it in war, they purchase properties they need, and they receive gifts as tribute from loyal citizens and foreign emissaries.

King David’s inner circle included his wise Uncle Jonathan; Jehiel who took care of David’s sons; Hushai his confidant; Ahithophel who counseled him (but was succeeded by Jehoiada and Abiathar when Ahithophel died); and Joab who was the commander of the royal army.

David’s Instructions to Solomon

David called an assembly of his sons and all of the officials of Israel to announce his successor. He explained that God had denied him the privilege of building the temple because he had shed blood as a warrior. Yet God chose David to be king and now God had chosen the next king.

“Of all my sons – and the Lord has given me many – he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over all Israel.” 1 Chronicles 28:5

In front of this auspicious assembly David charged Solomon with the tasks he had to fulfill as king.

• He must follow all the commands of the Lord his God
• He must serve God with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind
• He must be strong and do the work of building the sanctuary

David promised Solomon that God would be with him as long as Solomon was faithful.

“If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9

Plans for the temple

The king brought out the detailed plans God had given him for the temple.

“He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things.” 1 Chronicles 28:12

David also gave Solomon the instructions for the priests and detailed the specifications for all of the articles in the temple. He even gave the amount of precious metal to use for making each of them.

“’All this,’ David said, ‘I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.’” 1 Chronicles 28:19

It was an overwhelming project, so David charged his son to be strong and courageous.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.” 1 Chronicles 28:20

David had not asked to be king, nor had Solomon; God chose both of them. Solomon was going to need great courage and wisdom to do what must be done when he took the throne.