David’s Chosen Son (Solomon): Roughly 3,000 years ago, King David was the most powerful and successful king of ancient Israel. David’s reign brought peace, prosperity, and plans to build the temple before handing the kingdom to his chosen son, Solomon. How would young Solomon handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy? Would he learn to be a wise and godly king? Could he overcome the plotting of his enemies, the dysfunction of his family, and the temptations of virtually unlimited wealth, fame, and women? What would be his legacy? Recorded on Sep 14, 2025, on 1 Chronicles 28 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of our series, Solomon: The Legacy of a King.
Sermon Transcript
Today is so exciting for me because we get to start a new sermon series called Solomon: The Legacy of a King. And this will be a longer series, running all the way to about the end of February, but we have a lot to cover! In addition to following his story in the historical record of 1 Kings, we will also look at a few examples of his writings from the Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes. As we’ll see, King Solomon was a complex man. His story started some 3,000 years ago, when David, his father, was the most powerful and successful king of ancient Israel. David’s reign brought peace, prosperity, and plans to build the temple before handing the kingdom to Solomon. In our text today, we’ll see some of David’s expectations for his chosen son. But how would King Solomon handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy? Would he learn to be a wise and godly king? Would he reign and rule according to justice and righteousness? Could he overcome the plotting of his enemies, the dysfunction of his family, and the temptations of virtually unlimited wealth, fame, and women? We know David’s legacy. What would be his legacy? We’ll see this over the course of our series. But besides being just a fascinating story, Solomon’s story reveals so much about who God is and what he wants for his kingdom and his people. Most importantly, Solomon’s story is a vital part of the history leading up to the ultimate son of David and anointed king, the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you ready? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to 1 Chronicles 28:1. We’ll read through the whole chapter and unpack it as we go.
1 Chronicles 28:1–10 (NIV), “1 David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the warriors and all the brave fighting men. 2 King David rose to his feet and said: “Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. 3 But God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’ 4 “Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. 5 Of all my sons—and the Lord has given me many—he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 6 He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.’ 8 “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever. 9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.” So David gathered all of the most important people in his administration, his generals, warriors, officials, and, of course, his son, Solomon. And David reminded them of his story, that God had chosen his tribe, family, and eventually, God chose him to be the king over all Israel. But even after all his success, David still had something left undone. He had wanted to build a house for Yahweh, the Lord God Almighty. But God said no. David was a warrior, and God didn’t want his house to be a house of war. Solomon was to be the one to build the temple. Now, you might wonder, why in the world wasn’t there already a temple built for the Lord that had brought his people into the Promised Land some 400 years earlier? Well, you might remember from our series last year, but during the Exodus from Egypt, Moses received the Law at Mount Sinai, including instructions for building the tabernacle or tent of meeting. The tabernacle was where the ark of the covenant and the other articles used for worship were. But because they weren’t in the Promised Land at the time, the tabernacle was a tent that could be moved around with the people. The tribe of Levi was responsible for taking care of all these things and facilitating worship wherever the Israelites went. And so, for about 400 years, the central place of worship was the tabernacle. But during this time, Israel moved into the Promised Land of Canaan. After the time of the Judges of Israel, they established the monarchy, first with the disastrous King Saul. But then, under King David, they had a good king who fought many battles and won peace on every side from their enemies. David built a unified, wealthy, and secure kingdom. He built Jerusalem into a proper capital city. But as he enjoyed his hard-won peace and prosperity, it bothered him that God’s house was still only a humble tent. But he wasn’t the guy to build the temple. So here, at the end of David’s reign, he knew his time was coming to an end, so he gathered all the VIPs and gave some final commands. First, he solemnly charged the officials, leaders, and powerful people to “Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.” (v. 8) David knew that Israel’s future would rise or fall not on their loyalty to the monarchy, but to their loyal love of the Lord their God and their commitment to obey God’s word and follow his ways. Second, David addressed his son, telling Solomon to acknowledge and serve God with all his heart and mind. “…for,” because, he said, “the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” (v. 9) God doesn’t just want us to go through the motions of worship or obedience. He doesn’t want our lips to sing his praises but our hearts to remain far from him. God wants us to love him through and through. This is what a relationship with God is all about. It’s not a list of rules or religious works to curry God’s favor or blessing. It’s a relationship with a relational God who wants us to know/love him just as he knows/loves us. This is what David had enjoyed throughout his life. And this is what he wanted for his son. This is what I want for my kids/friends/you, too! And it’s not impossible. It’s actually possible to have a relationship with the creator of the universe. As David said, if you seek him, he will be found by you. Isn’t that an incredible promise? God wants to be found. But David is saying that if Solomon, as the king, has this kind of relationship with God, then things will go well for him. Now, does this mean that he won’t have any problems or difficulties? No. If you know David’s story, and as we’ll see with Solomon’s story, you’ll know that isn’t true. But in general, life tends to go better when you live how you were created to live. However, there’s a warning here too. “…if you forsake him [the Lord], he will reject you forever.” As Solomon approaches his reign as king, he has two paths set before him. One way is God’s way. The other way is his own way. One way leads to life, light, and love. The other way leads to darkness, destruction, and death. This is an important thing for anyone to consider. What path are you going to follow in life? But especially for Solomon, since he had such a huge responsibility ahead of him. He was chosen by God and by his father to be the next king and to build a house as the sanctuary of the Lord. How do you think young Solomon felt in this moment? Having his famous father give him this charge in front of all the most influential people in the kingdom. Every eye was on him. What path would he follow? But dad wasn’t done. David had a lot more to say about this building project.
1 Chronicles 28:11-19 (NIV), “11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 12 He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. 13 He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service. 14 He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles to be used in various kinds of service: 15 the weight of gold for the gold lampstands and their lamps, with the weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand; 16 the weight of gold for each table for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables; 17 the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls and pitchers; the weight of gold for each gold dish; the weight of silver for each silver dish; 18 and the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave him the plan for the chariot, that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and overshadow the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 19 “All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.” Do you get a little sense from this as to why David was so successful? David was a man who made big things happen. He was a man of bold action. When a giant taunted the Israelites and insulted their God, and no one had the courage to face him, David went out and killed that giant, Goliath. When the Israelites had enemies all around them, David went out and led the army to defeat everyone. And when he got it in his head to build God a temple, he didn’t go halfway with the plan. I’m convinced he would’ve built it himself if God hadn’t expressly told him he wanted Solomon to build it. So David gave Solomon all the instructions that God had inspired him to design. But it wasn’t just a blueprint. He also gave Solomon instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, those who would work in the temple. He also gave Solomon all the gold and silver needed to make all the articles for worship for the temple. He also gave Solomon the plan for the ark of the covenant, the place where God had promised his presence would be in the Holy of Holies at the heart of the temple. He also commanded the officials to help him. Finally, we don’t see it here, but David gave a huge personal gift of wealth to fund this project and called all the other wealthy people to give to the project as well. The temple would be known as Solomon’s Temple, but it was really David’s temple, right? It was his desire, his plan, his money, his officials, and his kingdom that made all this happen. I wonder how Solomon felt about this? David never asked Solomon if he wanted to build the temple. I suppose he could’ve chosen not to do it once his father passed away. But I would imagine he felt tremendous pressure to do what his dad wanted him to do, regardless of how he felt about it. Solomon was also probably wondering if he could live up to his father’s expectations for him. David had been such a great man. Would Solomon be a great man, too? Of course, David wasn’t perfect. Solomon’s mother was Bathsheba, a woman with whom David committed adultery before having her husband, Uriah, killed in battle to cover it up. That was David’s worst failure. However, our God is a redeemer. So their son, Solomon, was the one God picked to be the king after David. But even with this terrible sin, David repented and was forgiven and became the archetype of a good and godly king. Would Solomon learn from his parents, or would he fall into temptation to use his royal power/status for his own sinful gain? We’ll see. But all this would make it pretty hard for me to sleep at night. With so much pressure, such high expectations, and so many unknowns, I don’t know about Solomon, but I would have been really worried that I wasn’t going to be able to handle it all. Now, David certainly wasn’t a fool. Do you think he anticipated any of these complicated emotions in his son? Let’s find out.
1 Chronicles 28:20-21 (NIV), “20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. 21 The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.” This is God’s word. And here, David gives his son some real encouragement. He does say to “Be strong and courageous, and do the work.” which is tough. But he follows that with a wonderful promise. You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to be discouraged. You can find courage. You can keep your hope. Why? Because “the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.” It’s as if David is saying, “I know you’re young. I know you’re probably nervous about all of this. I know you might be questioning the plans or even your own abilities. I’m sure you’re wondering how all this will play out. But I’ve been there. I know what that’s like. I know what it feels like to have that pit in your stomach when every eye is on you. But the most important thing for you to remember is that our God is faithful. He will not fail you. He will never leave you or forsake you. You should acknowledge him, love and obey him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. But what is far more important than anything you do for God is the fact that God is faithful. Anytime you’re anxious, you should remember that Yahweh God, my God, is with you.” And I just love this. David speaks right to his son’s heart. If you’re a parent here today, are you paying attention? David has very high expectations for his son. But he gives him what he needs. And he speaks to the fears or insecurities of his heart. But also, on top of God’s faithfulness, David assures Solomon that he will have plenty of help from within the kingdom. The priests and Levites were all ready for the work, the skilled craftsmen were all ready for the work, and the officials and all the people were ready for the work. Solomon didn’t have to carry all the weight himself. Solomon would have a ton of help. So, now, at the beginning of this series, I want to ask again, how would King Solomon handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy? Would he learn to be a wise and godly king? Would he reign and rule according to justice and righteousness? What would be his legacy? For Solomon, we’ll just have to see as we work through our series. But what about you? Here’s a big question for you: What will your legacy be? Let’s face it, none of us will ever be a king or queen. But we all have work to do, the good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do. And we all have the choice of what path we will follow in life — either God’s way or our way. And we, too, will all face many temptations in this broken world. Will we learn to be wise and godly men and women? Will we live according to justice and righteousness? What will be our legacy? As David counseled his son, so I say to you today, be strong and courageous, and do the work. Whether you’re at home or work or school or anywhere else, do not be afraid or discouraged. Have courage. Keep your hope. For the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Will everything be easy? Will everything go your way? No, but that’s ok. God is faithful. If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for a while now, I’m sure you have experienced his faithfulness in your life. But nowhere is God’s faithfulness clearer than in the gospel. If God was willing to send his one and only son, Jesus Christ, to seek and to save us when we were lost, will he not provide what else you might need today? Nothing is more costly than the cross of Christ. But God was faithful to save. All you have to do is believe in him. You don’t have to carry all the weight of life on your own. When anxiety creeps in or when temptation starts to pull on your heart, or if you just aren’t sure about your own abilities, put your faith and trust in Jesus. When he is the king of your life, you don’t have to worry about your legacy. It will all be a story about Jesus and the faithful love of God. Let us pray.
