1 Chronicles 29:14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of you… I call your attention — I. TO THE HALLOWED WORK IN WHICH WE ARE ENGAGED; to build the temple, the Church of God, the house of prayer for all the people. 1. The temple was to be a house for the holy name of God. 2. The temple was the place of authorised and accepted sacrifice. 3. The temple was the place of united worship and of united blessing. 4. It was the place of actual communion between God and man. II. THE SENTIMENTS OF DEEP ABASEMENT WITH WHICH THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF BEING PERMITTED TO TAKE A PART IN IT IMPRESSED THE MIND OF DAVID. The honour of being employed in a work of God ought to be deeply abasing to man. "Who am I, and what is my people?" These questions suggest three views. 1. What are we with reference to our former selves? We are, at best, but pardoned criminals; and have a long and sad retrospect of ingratitude and disobedience. 2. What are we in reference to our associates in this work? 3. What are we in reference to our actual contributions to this work? III. TO A CONSIDERATION CALCULATED POWERFULLY TO QUICKEN OUR EXERTIONS IN EVERY DEPARTMENT OF THE WORK OF GOD, which may by His mercy be assigned to us. "We are strangers before Thee," etc. This reminds us — 1. That what we do we must do quickly. 2. That what we do for others we must do quickly. 3. That short and uncertain as life is, within its narrow space works of infinite importance may nevertheless be done. Apply this — (1) To your own personal conduct. (2) To the great work of building the temple of God in distant lands. IV. IN ALL WORKS UNDERTAKEN FOR GOD, WE ARE TAUGHT BY THE TEXT TO BE MINDFUL OF THE PRINCIPLE FROM WHICH THEY FLOW. "In the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things." To be upright in a moral sense signifies to be conformable to the will or law of God. That law, with reference to, the exercises of religious charity, has various parts, and taken together, they constitute uprightness. There is — 1. The law of sincere intention. 2. The law of grateful return. 3. The law of faithfulness. 4. The law of liberality. 5. The law of cheerful distribution. 6. The law of perseverance. V. THE JOYOUS AND BENEVOLENT FEELINGS OF THE AGED MONARCH WHEN HE SAW THE PEOPLE ASSEMBLED SO WILLINGLY TO OFFER IN SO BLESSED A WORK. It is a joyful night. 1. As a declaration of faith. 2. As a declaration of lofty and truly Christian benevolence. 3. As it opens the gate of the most splendid and delightful hopes. (R. Watson.) Parallel Verses KJV: But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. |
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