Word of Encouragement (11/26/2024)
Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: "Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. (1 Chron. 29:10-13)
All kinds of praises gush out of David’s mouth. It is as if no matter what he says in praise of God, he is not satisfied. He knows that God deserves more and better than what he is able to give. So, he goes on with more praises, piling praise upon praises.
David praises God for His divine attributes: “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty” (v. 11). He wants to acknowledge God’s surpassing greatness as the one and only true God. He attributes to God “the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty.” Notice how he uses the definite article, “the,” in conjunction with the virtues. This is to signify that whatever greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty God possesses, they all singularly belong to God as His divine attributes. It is not that God possesses them in a greater measure and better quality than others; He is the essence and fullness of those virtues, apart from whom they don’t exist.
David also acknowledges God as the sovereign Master of all: “…all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all” (v. 11). He owns all things. The heavens and the earth and all that they contain belong to His kingdom. All things are under His dominion, for He is “exalted as head above all.” He does not share His glory as the sovereign Lord of all with any other. No other being in heaven and earth can challenge His sovereign authority. He alone is the Creator; everything else is made. There is an infinite chasm between Him and everything else in power and authority. Everything must prostrate before Him and worship Him.
David recognizes that it is God’s divine prerogative to give and also take away: “Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all” (v. 12). Unless God grants them, we cannot take riches and honor for ourselves. God may use our efforts to grant His gifts, but our efforts alone cannot attain anything without God’s permission. We all have experienced the frustration of doing our best in vain. We also know that not everyone who is in a high position is the most qualified person. And not everyone in a low position is there for a lack of effort and ability.
So, we should thank God and praise His glorious name. We may not feel as jubilant as David seems to feel in this praise. Having finished the preparation for the temple construction and having seen how the leaders and people of Israel joined in this venture, David was feeling ecstatic. We may find ourselves in the valley rather than on the mountaintop. But let us remember that, no matter what circumstances we may be in, God is still God, and He is worthy to be praised. We must also admit that we are more blessed than we deserve (in material blessings). But when we think about all the spiritual blessings God has bestowed on us in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3ff), more praises should gush out of our mouths, don’t you think? Let us spend some time meditating on all the benefits of our salvation in Jesus Christ and praise God’s glorious grace!