Study Desk

Obey the Lord your God with your heart and soul. Begin work on the temple to honor him, so that the sacred chest and the things used for worship can be kept there.

Moses, the man of God, was the father of Gershom and Eliezer, and their descendants were considered Levites.

David said: The Lord God of Israel has given his people peace, and he will live in Jerusalem forever.

However, both families included temple officials and priests, and so to make sure the work was divided fairly, David asked God what to do.

These men were assigned their duties at the temple, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded their ancestor Aaron.

Heman was one of the king's prophets, and God honored Heman by giving him fourteen sons and three daughters.

The Levites who were relatives of the Korahites and the Merarites were in charge of guarding the temple treasury and the gifts that had been dedicated to God.

After everyone was there, David stood up and said: Listen to me, my people. I wanted to build a place where the sacred chest would be kept, so we could go there and worship the Lord our God. I have prepared all the supplies for building a temple,

The Lord God chose Judah to be the leading tribe in Israel. Then from Judah, he chose my father's family, and from that family, he chose me to be the king of Israel, and he promised that my descendants will also rule as kings.

My friends, you are the Lord 's people. And now, with God as your witness, I want you to promise that you will do your best to obey everything the Lord God has commanded us. Then this land will always belong to you and your descendants.

Solomon, my son, worship God and obey him with all your heart and mind, just as I have done. He knows all your thoughts and your reasons for doing things, and so if you turn to him, he will hear your prayers. But if you ignore him, he will reject you forever.

He gave Solomon his plans for the courtyards and the open areas around the temple, and for the rooms to store the temple treasures and gifts that had been dedicated to God.

But you must see that everything is done according to these plans. Be confident, and never be afraid of anything or get discouraged. The Lord my God will help you do everything needed to finish the temple, so it can be used for worshiping him.

David told the crowd: God chose my son Solomon to build the temple, but Solomon is young and has no experience. This is not just any building—this is the temple for the Lord God!

Then, in front of everyone, David sang praises to the Lord : I praise you forever, Lord ! You are the God our ancestor Jacob worshiped.

We thank you, our God, and praise you.

Our Lord God, we have brought all these things for building a temple to honor you. They belong to you, and you gave them to us.

David then said to the people, "Now it's your turn to praise the Lord , the God your ancestors worshiped!" So everyone praised the Lord , and they bowed down to honor him and David their king.

King Solomon, the son of David, was now in complete control of his kingdom, because the Lord God had blessed him and made him a powerful king.

God appeared to Solomon that night in a dream and said, "Solomon, ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you."