Preparing Gold and Silver for Building the Temple

[1 Chronicles 22:14] “With great pains I have provided for the house of the LORD 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it.”

[1 Chronicles 29:3-4] “Moreover, in my devotion to the house of my God, I have a private treasure of gold and silver, and I give it to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy house: 3,000 talents of gold, from the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house.”

[1 Chronicles 29:6-7] “Then the leaders of fathers’ houses, and the leaders of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers of the king’s work, gave willingly. They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron.”

One talent is equivalent to 3,000 shekels (Exodus 38:25-26), or approximately 34.2 kilograms. David had already prepared “100,000 talents of gold and 1,000,000 talents of silver.” Later, he additionally offered his personal savings of “3,000 talents of Ophir gold and 7,000 talents of refined silver,” totaling 3,522.6 metric tons of gold and 34,439 metric tons of silver, all for the construction of the Temple. The leaders of Israel also “willingly and wholeheartedly” offered massive quantities, including 171 metric tons of gold, 342 metric tons of silver, 615.6 metric tons of bronze, and 3,420 metric tons of iron.

Solomon, relying on maritime trade, was the wealthiest man on earth, receiving “666 talents of gold in one year,” totaling only 26,640 talents over forty years. David, who did not rely on trade but solely on God in battle, accumulated four times as much gold as Solomon over forty years. (However, David’s gold was all used to build the Temple, leaving none for himself, while Solomon’s gold was entirely for himself, used to build his palace.)

Whether it was Moses building the Tabernacle (Exodus 35:5) or David preparing for the Temple, God required those involved in the construction to first have a willing and cheerful offering. This meant not just willingly offering gold and silver, but more importantly, “willingly offering themselves to the LORD.” David understood the terror of sin and the sweetness of salvation, which led him to love God “with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might” (Deuteronomy 6:5), diligently preparing materials for the Temple throughout his life.

Building the church is similar: a recognition of sin leads to a deep love for God; and a love for God “with all our heart and soul” leads to a service of “presenting your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). It is only when believers “first give themselves to the Lord according to God’s will” (2 Corinthians 8:5) that God can accept our service and offerings.

David loved God and valued God’s presence so much that he no longer focused on “accumulated gold and silver,” but rather “loved the house of my God.” His hope was not for prosperity in this life or a lasting name after death, but to “dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). Although David did not see the physical Temple completed, God had revealed it clearly to him in the spirit, and he had already “dwelt in the house of the LORD forever” in his spirit (Psalm 23:6).