1 Chronicles 28

David's Last Words



1 And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes,

and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course,

and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds,

and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king,

and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men,

and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.

2 Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren,

and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for

the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God,

and had made ready for the building:

3 but God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because

thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.

4 Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father

to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler;

and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my

father he liked me to make me king over all Israel:

5 and of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen

Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

6 And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts:

for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

7 Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do

my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.

8 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD,

and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments

of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it

for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.

9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father,

and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind:

for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations

of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee;

but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

10 Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build

an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.

11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch,

and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof,

and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof,

and of the place of the mercy seat,

12 and the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts

of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about,

of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries

of the dedicated things:

13 also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work

of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service

in the house of the LORD.

14 He gave of gold by weight for things of gold, for all instruments of all

manner of service; silver also for all instruments of silver by weight,

for all instruments of every kind of service:

15 even the weight for the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps of gold,

by weight for every candlestick, and for the lamps thereof: and for the

candlesticks of silver by weight, both for the candlestick, and also for

the lamps thereof, according to the use of every candlestick.

16 And by weight he gave gold for the tables of shewbread, for every table;

and likewise silver for the tables of silver:

17 also pure gold for the fleshhooks, and the bowls, and the cups:

and for the golden basons he gave gold by weight for every bason;

and likewise silver by weight for every bason of silver:

18 and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the

pattern of the chariot of the cherubims, that spread out their wings,

and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing

by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.

20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do

it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with

thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all

the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

21 And, behold, the courses of the priests and the Levites, even they shall

be with thee for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with

thee for all manner of workmanship every willing skilful man, for any manner

of service: also the princes and all the people will be wholly

at thy commandment.



Psalms 127



A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.



1 Except the Lord build the house,

those who build labor in vain;

except the Lord guards the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) It is in vain for you to rise up early,

to stay up late,

and to eat the bread of hard toil,

for He gives sleep to His beloved.

3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) Look, children are a gift of the Lord,

and the fruit of the womb is a reward.

4 (Isa 30:29; Ps 62:8) As arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior,

so are the children of one's youth.

5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) Happy is the man

who has his quiver full of them;

he shall not be ashamed

when he speaks with the enemies at the gate.



Psalms 127

[1] Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it:

except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

[2] It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of

sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

[3] Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is

his reward.

[4] As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

[5] Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be

ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.



2) Our Daily Bread for 25 May 2026 Titled

Finding Rest by Karen Pimpo



2 Samuel 15:23-27,2 Samuel 15:29-31





23 (2Sa 16:2; 1Ki 2:37) The whole land wept with a loud voice as

all the people passed by. Now the king was crossing over the brook Kidron,

and all of the people were crossing over on the road to the wilderness.

24 (Nu 4:15; 2Sa 8:17) And also Zadok and all of the Levites with him

were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God,

and Abiathar came up until all of the people had finished

passing from the city.

25 (Ex 15:13; Jer 25:30) The king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back

to the city. If I have found favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me

back and allow me to see both it and its resting place.

26 (1Sa 3:18; 2Sa 22:20) But if He should say now, 'I take no delight in you,'

here I am. May He do to me what seems good to Him."

27 (1Sa 9:9; 2Sa 17:17) The king also said to Zadok the priest,

"Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace with your two sons,

your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.

29 So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem,

and they remained there.

30 (Est 6:12; 2Sa 19:4) David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives,

weeping as he went. His head was covered and he went barefoot.

Then all of the people who were with him each covered his head

and went up, weeping as they went.

31 (2Sa 16:23; 17:14) Now it was reported to David that Ahithophel

was conspiring with Absalom, and David said,

"O Lord, make the advice of Ahithophel folly."



[23] And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed

over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people

passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.

[24] And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark

of the covenant of God: and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went

up, until all the people had done passing out of the city.

[25] And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city:

if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again, and

shew me both it, and his habitation:

[26] But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let

him do to me as seemeth good unto him.

[27] The king said also unto Zadok the priest, Art not thou a seer? return

into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and

Jonathan the son of Abiathar.

[29] Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem:

and they tarried there.

[30] And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went

up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that

was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they

went up.

[31] And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with

Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel

into foolishness.



Psalm 3:5



5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) I lay down and slept;

I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.



[5] I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.



"Tactical napping" is a series of guidelines for soldiers for effective, ten

to thirty minutes of sleep. While experiencing a rush of adrenaline,

loneliness, or anxiety, sleep-deprived soldiers may not be able to relax. Tips

include using earplugs and reading before bed. They're even offered

military-grade, caffeinated chewing gum to reduce grogginess after a nap.



It’s when we most need rest that it’s often difficult to find. King David

experienced this after fleeing into the wilderness to escape his son Absalom's

treason. David and his followers wept aloud at his betrayal with their heads

covered in mourning (2 Samuel 15:30-31). In fact, "the whole countryside wept

aloud" (v. 23). It was around this time that David cried out, "Lord, how many

are my foes!" (Psalm 3:1). Perhaps thinking about past troubled nights,

however, David continued, "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the

Lord sustains me. I will not fear" (vv. 5-6). David realised that God, not

Absalom, was in charge of his situation. David even sent the ark of the

covenant back to Jerusalem, acknowledging that the future was fully

in God's hands (2 Samuel 15:25-26).



Sleep feels especially fleeting when we're facing adversity in our waking

hours, but it's a good reminder of how many things are outside our control.

Yet God sustains us and, as we trust Him, He can help us lie down in peace.



Reflect & Pray



What keeps you from true rest? How can your surrender to God produce peace?



Dear God, thank You for keeping watch while I sleep and when I wake.





When God created mankind, He designed us with the necessity to rest.