1 Chronicles 29: Passing On the Faith to the Next Generation

Introduction

What words would you want to leave behind for the people you love in the very last moments of your life? “Don't forget me”? “Give me a grand funeral”? “Build me a beautiful tomb”? Or a few words about your children, or about how to divide the inheritance? The preacher starts from this question and turns to David's last words in the book of Chronicles: “Now bless Yahweh your God.”

This message, given at a morning prayer service of the Osaka Onnuri Christian Church, closes the reading of 1 Chronicles. On Wednesday, David and the leaders of Israel had offered gold, silver and precious stones. On Thursday, David blessed God and prayed that Solomon would build the temple with a whole heart. Today's passage, 1 Chronicles 29:20-30, shows what comes next: the kingdom passes to the next generation.

The preacher, who presents himself as the pastor in charge of the next generation and of children's ministry, draws two points from it. What we are becomes the inheritance of faith that the next generation receives. And the life God calls us to is not a life free of trials and failures, but a life that trusts him.

Outline of the Message

1. David's Last Words: “Bless Yahweh”

The passage falls into two parts. Verses 20 to 25 describe the worship of the whole assembly, the festive meal and the enthronement of Solomon, whose reign is established. Verses 26 to 30 sum up the reign and life of David.
“David said to all the assembly, ‘Now bless Yahweh your God’” (verse 20). These are David's last words in Chronicles. He says nothing about his memory, his tomb or his legacy.
The preacher hears in them David's wish and prayer: that the people of Israel would keep blessing and worshiping the one true God, from generation to generation.
The assembly blesses Yahweh, and “bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before Yahweh and the king.” This does not mean the people worshiped both God and David. The Hebrew word, shachah, describes the worship given to God, but also the respect shown to a person: the people worship God and honor their king.

2. A Feast of Worship and the Anointing of Solomon

The next day is a day of even greater worship and joy. The people offer a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand lambs as burnt offerings (verse 21).
We often think of Solomon's thousand burnt offerings, told at the beginning of 2 Chronicles. But David was the first to offer a thousand animals: Solomon's sacrifice follows his father's example.
Verse 22 describes a meal: “They ate and drank before Yahweh on that day with great gladness.” The preacher concludes that there were also fellowship offerings, in which part of the animal is offered to God and the rest is shared by the people in a common meal.
Solomon is then anointed king “a second time.” The first anointing, in 1 Kings 1:39, took place in an emergency, while Adonijah was trying to seize the throne. This time, the enthronement is carried out in a more official way.

3. It Is Yahweh Who Establishes the Kingdom

Verses 23 and 24 show that many people serve Solomon faithfully and obediently: all the leaders, the mighty men and the sons of King David submit to him. His reign is established through them.
But verse 25 says something even more important: “Yahweh magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel.” The subject of the sentence is God.
The author of Chronicles stresses that the one who made Solomon a great king and established his reign is, above all, the Lord. This passage marks a turning point in Israel's history: the kingdom passes to the next generation and a new era begins.

4. What We Are Becomes the Children's Inheritance

The preacher would like every member of the church to serve in children's ministry. In a society where births are declining and the population is aging, there are very few children in churches. Many churches in Japan have only one or two. Teaching and guiding children who believe in Jesus in this country is precious work.
Yet contributing to the next generation is not limited to this ministry. The key lies in the attitude of the people in verses 20 to 22: they worship, they give, they share their joy. And it is in this atmosphere that the kingdom passes to the next generation.
Children see how we worship and sing at church. They see that we give our offerings, our time and our strength to serve. They also see how we joyfully share the Sunday lunch together. All of this becomes a precious inheritance of faith for them.
And what if there were no joy or peace in our worship or around the table? That would not be a good inheritance. It is the same at home: “Dad and Mom smile at church, but at home all they do is argue.” “At church they only say nice things, but at home all they do is complain about the church and about work.” Children see that too.

5. In Conflict, Show the Way of Reconciliation

Honestly, the family is not always at peace, and neither is the church. There is tension in the church and there are arguments between husband and wife. “We are a gathering of sinners,” and neither the church nor the family is heaven.
As they grow up, in elementary school, middle school and high school, children come to understand that the church is not always a peaceful place and that their parents do not always get along.
In a sense, these conflicts are unavoidable, but that is exactly where the essential is at stake: admitting our faults, repenting to one another, making peace after an argument between husband and wife. Children see it.
When misfortune strikes the church or the family, they also see adults who tell each other, “It will be all right, Jesus is with us,” who encourage one another and look ahead, relying on Jesus alone.
Finally, they see our backs when we pray with all our hearts, at home and at church. “It is not an energetic prayer, it is the sight of someone praying in earnest that stays in the children's memory.” Every word and every gesture of daily life, at home as at school, becomes the inheritance of faith we pass on.

6. The Record of a Forty-Year Reign

David truly steps onto the stage in chapter 11 of 1 Chronicles. Verses 26 to 28 of chapter 29 sum up his reign and his life.
He reigned forty years (verse 27). First seven years in Hebron, a little south of Jerusalem, as king of Judah; 2 Samuel 5:5 specifies seven years and six months. Then he took Jerusalem from the Jebusites, established the city of David there, and reigned thirty-three years over all Israel.
Verse 28 reports his death. Having become king at thirty and reigned forty years, he ended his life at seventy.
The author of Chronicles presents David less as a military conqueror than as a model of faith and a great spiritual leader. He carefully prepared the materials and detailed plans for the temple, organized worship and service, and gave his gold, silver and precious stones without holding back.
The heart of verse 28 is not David's death, but Solomon's succession. The text opens a bright outlook for the next generation.
The message, for the exiles who returned from Babylon as for us: take David as your model, put God at the center and build worship centered on him. Then a bright future will open for the generation to come.

7. A Life That Trusts God, Even in Failure

“He died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor” (verse 28). Reading this verse alone, you might think David was happy all his life. The books of Samuel and Kings show the opposite: pursued by Saul, fleeing in the wilderness, betrayed by a close friend and by his own son, he himself committed grave sins.
If he remains a model, it is not because everything went well for him. It is because in the midst of failures and trials, he turned to the Lord, trusted him and came back to him.
While fleeing from Saul (1 Samuel 24 and 26), he had the chance to kill him and did not: he waited for God's timing. When you are treated unjustly, do not act by your own method and on your own schedule. Entrust yourself to God and wait for his timing.
After the sin with Bathsheba and the sin of the census, when his sin was pointed out to him, he did not justify himself. He admitted it at once and repented. “It is when our sin comes to light that our faith is put to the test.”
Psalms 3, 13 and 63 show that David was not always strong. He told God honestly about his weakness and his suffering, and he chose to trust him. When you are anxious, do not look only for a solution in this world: first pray before the Lord and tell him how you feel.
“A happy life is not a life without trials or failures, it is a life that trusts the Lord to the very end, like David.” Failure does not end your life: if you have sinned, repent right away and return to the Lord; if you are suffering, seek his help; if you are discouraged, find new strength in him and get moving again; and in days of joy as in days of sorrow, keep worshiping him.

Key Takeaways

David's last words are not about his memory or his legacy, but about God: “Now bless Yahweh your God.”
It is Yahweh who establishes Solomon's kingdom: handing things down from one generation to the next is first of all his work.
The way we worship, serve, share with joy and pray in earnest becomes the inheritance of faith that children receive, at church and at home.
Conflicts are unavoidable; what marks children is seeing adults admit their faults, make peace and rely on Jesus.
A happy life is not a life without trials or failures, but a life that trusts the Lord to the very end.

Personal Application

If you had to leave one last word for your loved ones, what would it be? What does your answer say about what matters to you?
What do the children around you see when you worship, when you serve, when you share a meal at church?
Is there a gap between who you are at church and who you are at home? Where could you start to close it?
After your last argument, did you admit your faults and seek reconciliation? What is holding you back?
In the trial or failure you are going through, what would it mean for you to wait for God's timing, to repent, or to tell him honestly how you feel?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 1 Chronicles 29:20-30 say?

The passage describes the end of David's reign. In verses 20 to 25, the whole assembly worships Yahweh, offers sacrifices and shares a festive meal, and Solomon is anointed king a second time; Yahweh establishes his reign. In verses 26 to 30, the book sums up the forty years of David's reign, seven in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem, then his death and Solomon's succession.

How do we pass on faith to the next generation according to this message?

Not only through children's ministry. The preacher relies on verses 20 to 22: it is the way we worship, praise, give, serve and share with joy that becomes an inheritance of faith. Children also see how we react to conflict, whether we admit our faults and make peace, and whether we pray in earnest at home as at church.

Why is David a model of faith despite his faults?

His life was not easy: pursued by Saul, betrayed by those close to him, he also committed grave sins. But he waited for God's timing instead of killing Saul, he repented without making excuses when his sin was pointed out to him, and he told God honestly about his weakness in the Psalms. A happy life, the preacher concludes, is not a life without trials or failures, it is a life that trusts the Lord to the very end.