Taking Ground | Week 4
Day 3
1 Chronicles 29:10–16
10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to You, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name.
14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.
15 We are foreigners and strangers in Your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
16 Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building You a temple for Your Holy Name comes from Your hand, and all of it belongs to You.
When King David gathered Israel’s leaders to dedicate their offering for the temple, it was a national moment of glory. The nation was united, the treasury overflowed, and there was joy in the land. Yet the focus of David’s speech was not the wealth they had gathered, nor his leadership in inspiring it. Instead, David lifted everyone’s gaze higher. He reminded the people—and himself—that everything they had offered had already come from God.
In verse 11, David declares, “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours.” These are not the words of a ruler claiming success, but of a worshipper acknowledging dependence. David’s statement dismantles pride. Even at the height of his influence, he refused to see himself as the source of Israel’s prosperity. Every victory, every ounce of wealth, every stone that would be laid for the temple came “from [God’s] hand.”
We see here one of the clearest biblical expressions of the principle of divine ownership. God owns it all—our world, our resources, our opportunities, even our next breath. Humanity is not the proprietor of creation but its steward. David’s words echo the truth of Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
For modern readers, this truth cuts against the grain of our self-made culture. We live in a world that celebrates independence, achievement, and control. Our careers, savings, and possessions often feel like the product of our effort and intelligence. Yet Scripture insists that every good thing—whether material or spiritual—is a gift from God’s hand (James 1:17).
This realization can be both humbling and freeing. It humbles us because it reminds us that we own nothing in the truest sense; we are managers of God’s resources. It frees us because it removes the crushing pressure of self-sufficiency. When we remember that our provision depends on the Lord, we are liberated from fear, greed, and comparison.
David models this humility beautifully in verse 14: “Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?” He is not downplaying Israel’s generosity—he is magnifying God’s grace. Their ability to give, and even their willingness to do so, were gifts from God Himself. That perspective transforms giving from an act of loss into an act of worship.
Consider what David and Israel were doing. They were giving toward a building none of them would live to see completed. The temple would rise under Solomon’s reign. Yet they gave joyfully, because they understood that they were investing not in stone and gold but in the worship of future generations. That is the mark of faith—being willing to give for something that outlasts you.
David also acknowledges the brevity of life in verse 15: “Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.” He knows that human strength and riches are fleeting. But God’s purposes endure. This awareness of mortality makes generosity even more powerful—it is a way of participating in something eternal while living in the temporary.
Notice too how David’s prayer mirrors the words Jesus would later teach His disciples centuries later: “Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory.” (Matthew 6:13). The heartbeat of true worship has never changed. From David to Jesus to the church today, God’s people are called to confess with their lips and their lives that He alone is the source and owner of all things.
In this passage, David is not just leading a fundraising campaign; he is leading a spiritual awakening. His people are learning that worship and giving are intertwined. They are realizing that to recognize God’s ownership is to experience true freedom.
When we give—our money, our time, our energy—we are declaring that God’s kingdom matters more than our comfort, that His purposes outweigh our plans. Like David, we can say with confidence: “Lord, all this abundance comes from Your hand, and all of it belongs to You.”
That is the heart of worship: not just singing about God’s greatness, but living in the reality that everything is His.
