Tim Keller | November 18, 2007
We are going through a series of case studies on prayer and spiritual encounters in the Bible. This great prayer, which comes at the very end of David’s life, gives us a fascinating message about the whole subject of spiritual encounters. The message is that giving — or financial generosity — is a key component in true spirituality and in a real spiritual encounter with God. This is what we’re going to see as we look at this passage and put it in the context of David’s whole life and, therefore, the rest of the book of 1 Chronicles.
We’ll see three things as we study the passage: 1) What David wanted for his people; 2) How David gave it to them: and 3) How we can have even more of it than they did.
When we look at David’s prayer and his hopes for Solomon, we see that being generous, feeling thankful, and sharing what we have are important parts of being close to God. The temple is a symbol of God being with us. It also reminds us that everything we own is a gift from Him. This goes against the false sense of security and love that money can sometimes give us. The act of giving can change us, and when we truly understand the message Jesus shared, it can change how we see God and money. Jesus is the ultimate bridge that connects us to God.