And David blessed Jehovah in the sight of all the congregation; and David said, Blessed be thou, Jehovah, the God of our father Israel, for ever and ever.
The chapter has just described the people offering willingly and rejoicing. David's blessing comes from a heart moved more by God's glory than by anything that ever happened to him.
So we see how grace draws out grace, and how much deeper David's joy was over God's glory than over anything of his own. We never hear of anything like such an expression of joy over what happened to himself. "Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly." It is the king now, not the priest.
The title David uses is not a general one. Israel was the new name given to Jacob, and the God addressed here is the God who met him and made him promises.
Then (vv. 10-19) David blesses the Lord. He blesses Him as the God who at Bethel had made promises to Jacob, calling him Israel (v. 10). This is the God who had said to him: "I am the Almighty God: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you; and kings shall come out of your loins" (Gen. 35:11).
David does not bless God out of thin air. He gathered this knowledge over a lifetime, and it spread to everyone listening.
David was a reverential worshipper of the God whom he knew so well. He had proved his God through the varied experiences of life. He wrote his psalms under various trials and pressures. Through them he learned a great deal about the majesty, greatness and loving-kindness of his God... When David had finished blessing God, he urged the congregation to follow his example. They did so willingly. How true the saying, "Example is better than precept."
The same writer applies this to worship today. It is not about imitating one another, but about reverence and sincerity, with no easy phrases that mean nothing.
Blessing God has an effect on the one doing it. As David names what belongs to the Lord, he ends up asking who he is.
"Who am I?" What a question! David was nothing, and God was all and in all. If he had ever entertained the thought that he could offer anything to God, he entertained it no longer. It was all the Lord's, and He, in His grace, had allowed them to offer it all. Man can never make God his debtor, though he is always trying to.
This is the same king who once counted his fighting men out of pride. One writer sets the two scenes side by side:
David, in the presence of all the assembly, blesses the Lord, ascribing all his glory to God. He and the people were only strangers and passing travellers, as all their fathers were... How beautiful and acceptable to God is this low place of humility and thanksgiving — the only right place! How different it is from the boastful human spirit that led him to count Israel (1 Chron. 21)!
David blesses God "forever and ever" — far beyond his own remaining days. The same writer looks past that assembly to a far larger gathering.
This was a feast of the Lord, and it anticipated a greater feast and a greater congregation. Then the Son of David will say, "My praise shall be of You in the great congregation" (Ps. 22:25). Not many people at that time may have been able to rejoice in what it pointed to. Even so, it does point forward to a future feast — one that later rebellion and shame will never overshadow.
- Grace starts it. David's blessing is not manufactured. Grace received draws out grace given back. His joy over God's glory runs deeper than joy over his own success.
- Grace names Him. He blesses the God of Israel our father — the God who met Jacob at Bethel and promised him a nation and kings.
- Grace is learned. David learned this praise through a lifetime of trials and pressures. It did not come from a moment of enthusiasm.
- Grace empties. The more David blesses, the smaller he gets: "Who am I?" — the opposite of the pride that once counted his army.
- Grace spreads. He blesses God in front of the whole assembly, and they follow willingly. One writer sees that gathering as a picture of a greater congregation still to come.
Thine, Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the splendour, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is thine thine, Jehovah, is the kingdom, and thou art exalted as Head above all;
David is at the end of his life, and he has gathered gold, silver, bronze and stone for a temple he will never build. The leaders of Israel gave with him, and now the old king turns from that pile of treasure and blesses God in front of the whole assembly.
This praise is not routine. It comes from a king, and what moves him is not his own success.
So we see how grace draws out grace, and how much deeper David's joy was over God's glory than over anything of his own. We never hear anything like this expression of joy over what happened to him personally. "Then David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly." It is the king now, not the priest.
David names five things: greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty. He hands every one of them back to God. That is not modesty. It matches the way God works.
It is a moment of great joy and importance for believers. It comes when we see that everything God does aims to secure His own glory. This right belongs to no one else. He is the "Father of glory" — every ray of true glory has its source in Himself. He is the "God of glory" — in His sovereignty He has the undisputed right to administer it.
Everything in heaven and earth is God's. So the huge offering David has just made was never his own. He only hands back what he first received.
Abram paid him tithes. That was the homage a subject owes a king. Tithes mean the person who receives them has a right to the whole. In the same way, God has the right to all that we have. Yet He graciously accepts what we give Him. With a thankful heart King David exclaimed, "For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you" (1 Chron. 29:14). One hundred per cent comes from Him, even if we give Him a tenth.
The verse ends by calling God "head above all." That title gathers up everything the song has just named.
This remarkable song of praise shows what the Spirit of God links with the position of headship. The list is greatness, glory, majesty, riches, might, power and splendour. These things belong to God as Head above all. They show us what God is — supremely and infinitely above everything He has created. But these same things also wonderfully describe what belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ in the headship God has given Him.
The list here says "splendour." Older translations use that word where the ESV has "victory."
Commentators carry that title forward. In the New Testament it belongs to Christ, who holds first place.
He is pre-eminent! He both made and sustains all… An earthly, visible head is much more to man's taste, but Christ is Head of the Church. In Ephesians He is Head over all things to the Church… Headship is a wonderful theme. He is head of every man, head of the nations, cornerstone, head of all rule and authority, head over all things. He is the head. Gladly we say, "and you are exalted as head above all." He is pre-eminent.
David says the kingdom is God's while standing in a kingdom of his own. Faith says it now; the world will say it later.
To Him alone belong the kingdom, and the glory, and the power (Dan. 2:44; 1 Chron. 29:11). For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. Faith delights to own this truth. Now and then humbled human pride has even been forced to admit it (Dan. 4:37). Soon it will be the homage of all the kingdoms of this world (Rev. 11:15).
- Grace starts it. David's praise is grace answering grace — his joy over God's glory runs deeper than any joy over his own reign.
- Glory returns. David names greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty only to hand them all back. God alone holds the right to His own glory.
- Giving is returning. Heaven and earth are already His. Every gift is one hundred per cent His before it is ours, and He graciously accepts what we hand back.
- Headship gathers all. "Head above all" gathers the whole list: greatness, glory, majesty, riches, might, power, splendour. The same list describes the headship God has given Christ.
- The world will follow. What faith owns today, the kingdoms of this world will own out loud one day.
and riches and glory are of thee, and thou rulest over everything; and in thy hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make all great and strong.
Near the end of his life, David stands before the whole assembly. He has prepared great wealth for the temple. Yet he does not point to what he has done. He traces it all back to God.
David's joy here is not in what he has given. One writer shows what God's blessing does to the person who receives it:
Here we see how grace draws out grace, and how much deeper David's joy was over God's glory than over anything of his own. We never hear him speak such joy over anything that happened to himself… "But who am I?" he says. Nothing makes a person so humble, so aware of his own nothingness, as the rich blessing of the LORD.
Each clause hands something back to God: wealth, standing, rule, strength. One writer sets out the chain of reasons David gives, showing why each item belongs where he puts it:
Then he celebrates His greatness, His strength, His glory, His splendour and His majesty. He does so because all things in heaven and on earth are from Him. The kingdom and the exaltation are His, for He is Head above all things. Riches and glory come from Him, for He rules over all things. Power and might are in His hand and He is able to make great and give strength to all.
David is not naming random attributes. He gathers them around one phrase — God exalted as head above all — and a writer points out that the same cluster is later attached to Christ:
This remarkable song of praise shows what the Spirit of God ties to the position of headship — greatness, glory, majesty, riches, might, power and splendour. These things belong to God as Head above all. They show what God is — above everything He has created, beyond all measure. Yet these same things also describe what belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ in the headship God has given Him.
If it is in God's hand "to make great and to give strength," then a strong man is a man carrying borrowed strength. David's own life shows both the danger and the right use of it:
God had gifted David with great physical power and David held nothing back in his service for God. He would not be so foolish as to claim for himself the power to prepare for the temple. He would remember what Moses said: "You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:18). … Power aimed the wrong way can destroy. Power directed by a good purpose can achieve noble things… His purpose guided him in the use of his power.
David learned this praise in hard places. One writer links it to what he had proved of God, and to the effect it had on those listening:
David had proved his God through the varied experiences of life. He wrote his psalms under trials and pressures. Through them he learned a great deal about the majesty, greatness and loving-kindness of his God. His outburst of praise shows how much he had taken in a knowledge of God… When David had finished blessing God he urged the congregation to follow his example, and they willingly did. … In our worship there should be no easy phrases that roll off the tongue but lack sincerity or depth.
- Source — riches and honour come from God, not from us. He rules over everything (Rossier).
- Hand — power and might are in His hand. He makes people great and gives strength to all (Rossier). So every strong person carries borrowed strength.
- Reach — greatness, glory, majesty, riches, might, power and splendour mark God as Head above all. The same list describes what belongs to Christ in the headship God has given Him (An Outline of Sound Words).
- Use — power aimed the wrong way destroys. Power aimed at God's house builds. David refused to credit himself for what he had prepared (Truth & Testimony).
- Return — the richer God's blessing, the smaller the blessed man feels. David's deepest joy was in God's glory, not his own. His example carried the whole congregation with him (Kelly; Truth & Testimony).
And now, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
These words close a prayer David prayed in front of the whole congregation of Israel. The people had just given willingly for the building of God's house — so what is left to say when the gift came from God's hand first?
David's thanks come after the giving, not before it. One writer shows where his joy landed, and what that did to him.
So we see how grace draws out grace, and how much deeper David's joy was over God's glory than over anything of his own. We never hear of anything like such an expression of joy for what happened to himself... "But who am I?" he says. Nothing produces so much humility, such a true sense of nothingness, as the rich blessing of the Lord.
The verses just before this one spell out what that name holds. One writer walks through the list, and finds the same things in Christ.
This remarkable song of praise shows what the Spirit of God links with the position of headship: greatness, glory, majesty, riches, might, power and splendour. These things belong to God as Head above all. They bring before us what God is, supremely and infinitely above everything He has created. But these same things also describe, in a wonderful way, what belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ in the position of headship that God has given to Him.
What the people gave was already God's before they gave it. That makes thanks the only honest response.
When the people offered willingly to build the house, David gave thanks and acknowledged how fitting and right it was: "For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you." Here is the lesson taught in the tithes. But it goes beyond the mere rule there, in willing devotedness.
That does not stop God from taking what we bring. It only settles who gets the credit.
The Lord will graciously take from those who are taught to say, "Of your own have we given you," but eternity will declare God to be the great first Giver.
These words come from a man who had tested God for a lifetime. What he said also moved the congregation.
David had proved his God through the varied experiences of life. He wrote his psalms under many trials and pressures. Through them he learned a great deal about the majesty, greatness and loving-kindness of his God. His outburst of praise to God shows how deeply he had taken in a knowledge of God... When David had finished blessing God, he urged the congregation to follow his example. They did so willingly.
The same writer applies this to us. Worship should have real substance. It should not be phrases that "roll easily off the tongue but lack sincerity or depth."
So what can anyone actually give back to God? One writer answers that, and names the one thing that makes the offering possible.
People would gladly make God a receiver instead of a giver. But this cannot be. "It is more blessed to give than to receive," and God must have the more blessed place... God can accept the smallest gift from a heart that has learned the deep truth in those words, "Of your own have we given you"... Praise is all that we can offer to God. But we can only offer it in the full and clear knowledge that our sins are all put away. And we can only know that by faith in the value of an accomplished atonement.
- Given. Everything David and the people gave for God's house had come from His hand first. Giving a tenth or a fortune changes nothing about who owns it all.
- Named. David praises God's glorious name: greatness, glory, majesty, riches, might, power and splendour. One writer sees the same things belonging to Christ as Head.
- Humbled. God's rich blessing is what drew out David's "who am I?" Grace drew out grace. His joy rested on God's glory, not on his own record.
- Learned. This praise came from a lifetime of proving God under pressure. That is why it had substance, and not just fine phrases.
- Returned. Thanks and praise are what we can bring to God, the first giver of everything. Those who know their sins are put away can offer them freely.