- Voices at the Grave
If an epitaph could have been done at the grave of Jesus, it might have been, “It is finished,” but the grave could not keep Him. That tomb still yawns mutely agape in amazement at His unprecedented triumphal Resurrection through its sealed and reinforced portal Psalm 24:7-8). The Roman government had hastily done one for Him, to the great displeasure of His haters. It boldly announced at the head of His cross, “King of the Jews.”
- The Three Honours
That verse highlights three unique details about that man at his exit from the earth. He was
- full of days,
- full of riches,
- full of honour.
We have spoken much about the massive wealth of Solomon, but I have just discovered, as we shall shortly find in discussing David’s fullness of riches, that he actually laid the foundation for Solomon, and was not distantly less rich than his son. It is amazing what we shall soon find in that discussion, especially as we attempt to quantify his public donations in contemporary terms when we discuss “The Exchange Rate.”
- The Dynamics of the Three
We need life to acquire riches but should not lose life or honour in the process of that struggle to survive. Unlike glittering riches, honour might be intangible, but the life of honour is worth more than the thirty pieces of silver that we sometimes hastily trade it for. Ask Judas: shortness of days, fleeting riches, absence of honour. For all that silver, you won’t name your first son after him.
- Fullness of Days
These days, there are several who do not care how briefly they live if they can exchange wealth for their short life. They bow to Lucifer at hidden heights, come out with sudden fame, and burn out of the sky as suddenly as they had appeared, like a shooting star. They climb up quickly and crash out of life as quickly and disastrously, in the prime of their life. Their tombstones are mute where David’s blares its three-point theme. They might have had riches, but without days, without honour.
- Relative Capacities
Capacities differ, so do individual points of satiation. Somebody’s ‘heavy meal’ is another’s mere snack or starter. For those ancestors, their larger vessels were full at 175 and 120 respectively, but David’s at a different gauge and capacity. Apparently due to the rigours and battles of his life, at 70, he was probably already honourably spent, without emotions anymore even for fresher attractions of those Bathsheba-type of romances that used to distract him even in the face of critical battles (1 Kings 1:1-4). First anointed before he was twenty, David began to reign at the age of thirty, and reigned forty years over Israel. Approximately 3,000 years after his glorious exit since about 1000 BC, he is still being celebrated today, his ‘days’ still counting honourably across the ages – now in some sense not just full of days but centuries!
- Fullness of Riches
As nobody gives what they do not have, David’s riches can be guessed from what he gave. He gave not only to God but also to men.
- David the Giver
As a young man, even before he had become a king, David could send gifts to “his friends” as well as to “elders” of the land, who did not ask for a gift from the young man. As kings and elders are not usually given common gifts, we may conjecture that what he gave were very valuable gifts befitting the status of the receivers. In one chapter alone, David sent presents to “the elders of Judah” in several cities such as Bethel, South Ramoth, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Rachal, Hormah, Chorashan, Athach, Hebron, “and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,” a total of eleven named cities as well as other unspecified cities in the provinces of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites. Wow!
How many can afford a presentable present to one king or elder, how much more to numberless elders in such many cities? Who knows how many elders per city there were? Such a man was certainly not a poor man (1 Samuel 30:26-31). He had riches enough for himself and to spare.
At the risk of sounding tautological, I may also say that David was not a selfish or greedy man. Even when some greedy members of his team wanted to appropriate all the booties of war to themselves, he considered those in the team whose strength had been less, who in their weakness had been unable to go as far as the rest. They also were entitled to a fair share of the proceeds of the collective project, despite their weaknesses. That was not a selfish or greedy leader (1 Samuel 30:21-25).
If he gave gifts only to elders, we might wonder that he was merely wisely seeking to secure their tribal kinship alliances, especially in the face of his challenges with King Saul his boss from the tribe of Benjamin; but he gave gifts also to “his friends” – he did not forget friends when things went well with him. That was a man of honour, very unlike the kind that, in popular Nigerian pidgin, they would call, chop alone, die alone. Those that share their bread hardly die alone – and you don’t have to have everything to be able to give something (1 Kings 17:13-16; Luke 21:1-4; Acts 3:6).
David gave to God, and he gave to men. He was unlike those who would religiously claim that they are so engaged with building for God that they have nothing for the hungry at their doorsteps; and unlike the agnostic ‘philanthropists,’ on the other hand, who would claim that they are so committed to giving to the poor that they have nothing left for others in “all the places,” let alone for “friends” afar that did not solicit their gifts, and much less for building the house of God (1 Samuel 30:26-31).
- David the Builder
For the building of the temple of God, here are the details of David’s declared gifts from his personal treasures, much more than the combined gifts of all the nobles of the kingdom. There were two donation services, the first in 1 Chronicles 22:14 and the second during the national ‘convention’ of all the leaders of the nation, in 1 Chronicles 29:2-4.
According to The Living Bible, David said of these initial donations, “This is at least a beginning, something with which to start.” That’s amazing! So much donation was just a “start”? Now let’s see what he gave at the first instance:
- 100,000 talents (about 3,775 – 4,000 tons) of gold
- 1,000,000 talents (about 37,750 – 40,000 tons) of silver
- Bronze and iron, too much to be weighed
- Timber and stone and precious metals
2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God — gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble — all of these in large quantities. 3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: 4 three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings (1 Chron 29:2-4, New International Version).
David said, “I am giving ALL of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction” (New Living Translation). All? Well, he was ready to go, and he wasn’t going to need any of those treasures in Paradise. What did he give at the second event?
- 3,000 talents (about 110- 122 tons) of gold
- 7,000 talents (about 214 – 262 tons) of silver.
DEEPLY INSIGHTFUL & Though Provoking! Many thanks for this Fresh Word full of Grace! May your Oil keep Brimming in Jesus Name!
Amazing insight. May my eyes of understanding be enlighten
This oil and this honey flowing from you anointed pen to feed countless souls shall never cease in JESUS mighty name. Amen. TRULY, THE PREACHER IS A PROPHET OF GREAT REPUTE. I have never seen that verse as an epitaph, and in deed it is a great epitaph, a desirable one for that matter. God bless you sir.
I’ve been so overwhelmingly blessed by this teaching.
Thank you sir.
I pray for a continuous flow from this divine depth of wisdom in JESUS mighty name.
Blessings sir.
Elohim, speaks to me on the need to bear in mind:
1. The day of reckoning
2. Finishing the cause of the fight of faith well at all cost
3. Dying empty by giving my all at the cross daily.
Thanks The Preacher, This has been a huge blessing. God bless you amen.