NOTES for Ch1 29:1-30

The amount of treasure David donated for building the temple is enormous, yet he calls on others to give as well. Was a collection from the whole nation necessary? If the temple is regarded as the embodiment of the king's personal design, one might deny that it was necessary, since the resources in the royal treasury would most likely have been sufficient to build it.

But if the building of the temple is seen as a visible embodiment of the faith of the whole people, then raising funds was necessary. The practical needs of construction might not in themselves have required a collection, but not everything can be reduced to practical needs visible at first glance. Those who donated to the temple thereby became participants in building the holy place. For them, building the temple became a path toward building up their souls.

David's earthly journey is coming to an end, and before us is a summing up of his life, his feats, and his reign. The final reckoning will of course take place at the end of time, but even now the biblical narrator is fully entitled to note the principal thing for which David has been remembered through the ages. David's life was difficult and full of events, but at its end he tasted in peace the fruits of his labors.