291 Then King David said to the entire assembly , "My son Solomon , whom alone God has chosen , is still young and inexperienced and the work is great ; for the temple is not for man , but for the Lord God . 2 "Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold , and the silver for the things of silver , and the bronze for the things of bronze , the iron for the things of iron , and wood for the things of wood , onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors , and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance . 3 "Moreover , in my delight in the house of my God , the treasure I have of gold and silver , I give to the house of my God , over and above e all that I have already provided for the holy temple , 4 namely, 3,000 e talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir , and 7,000 e talents of refined silver , to overlay the walls of the buildings ; 5 of gold for the things of gold and of silver for the things of silver , that is, for all the work done by the craftsmen . Who then is willing to consecrate e himself this day to the Lord ?" 6 Then the rulers of the fathers' households, and the princes of the tribes of Israel , and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds , with the overseers over the king's work , offered willingly ; 7 and for the service for the house of God they gave 5,000 e talents and 10,000 e darics of gold , and 10,000 e talents of silver , and 18,000 e e talents of brass , and 100,000 e talents of iron . 8 Whoever possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord , in care of Jehiel the Gershonite . 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly , for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart , and King David also rejoiced greatly .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Chronicles 29:1-9
Commentary on 1 Chronicles 29:1-9
(Read 1 Chronicles 29:1-9)
What is done in works of piety and charity, should be done willingly, not by constraint; for God loves a cheerful giver. David set a good example. This David offered, not from constraint, or for show; but because he had set his affection to the house of God, and thought he could never do enough towards promoting that good work. Those who would draw others to good, must lead the way themselves.