1 Chronicles 28:20 — the encouragement David gave Solomon
20David also said to his son Solomon: “Act manfully, and be strengthened, and carry it out. You should not be afraid, and you should not be dismayed. For the Lord my God will be with you, and he will not send you away, nor will he abandon you, until you have perfected the entire work of the ministry of the house of the Lord.
The last thing David says to his son at the ceremony handing over the temple plans. The promise of company comes with a stated limit: it lasts until the work is finished.
Short answer
In 1 Chronicles 28:20 David hands his son the work of the temple and encourages him in front of the whole assembly. The promise of company has a written limit: it lasts until the work is finished. This is not a general guarantee of success, but presence through one defined task.
- Written by
- Maria Luisa Navarro Schmitt
- Reviewed by
- Raphael Navarro Schmitt
- Published on
- Reading time
- 3 min read
David is old now, and the temple will not be built by him. The task passes to Solomon, still young, and the chapter describes the public handover of the plans, the materials, and the rosters of the priests.
All of it happens in front of the leaders of Israel. This verse closes the speech, addressed to his son with everyone watching.
The encouragement has an object. It is not a general assurance that things will work out: it is an order to act, with the reason attached for not losing heart. And the limit is spelled out — the company lasts until the whole work of the house is complete.
This edition opens with an unusually blunt imperative, closer to act with courage than to take heart, which fits a father handing over a building site rather than a feeling. One detail is easy to miss: David says my God. He is not passing on only a project and a store of cedar; he is passing on a relationship that is his, hoping it becomes his son’s.
It applies to anyone who has taken on something too large: a house, a post, a child, a long course of treatment. The verse does not say the task is light or that the result will be the one you wanted. It says the company runs to the end of the job, and that is what can be held on a day when the work looks bigger than you are.
Where this verse appears
David is old now, and the temple will not be built by him. The task passes to Solomon, still young, and the chapter describes the public handover of the plans, the materials, and the rosters of the priests.
All of it happens in front of the leaders of Israel. This verse closes the speech, addressed to his son with everyone watching.
What it says
The encouragement has an object. It is not a general assurance that things will work out: it is an order to act, with the reason attached for not losing heart. And the limit is spelled out — the company lasts until the whole work of the house is complete.
This edition opens with an unusually blunt imperative, closer to act with courage than to take heart, which fits a father handing over a building site rather than a feeling. One detail is easy to miss: David says my God. He is not passing on only a project and a store of cedar; he is passing on a relationship that is his, hoping it becomes his son’s.
What to do with it today
It applies to anyone who has taken on something too large: a house, a post, a child, a long course of treatment. The verse does not say the task is light or that the result will be the one you wanted. It says the company runs to the end of the job, and that is what can be held on a day when the work looks bigger than you are.
A prayer to carry with you
Lord, the task in front of me is bigger than I am. Go with me to the end of it, and give me the nerve to start today’s piece. Amen.