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.
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer willingly after this manner? for all is of thee, and of that which is from thy hand have we given thee.
David has just gathered a huge store of treasure for the temple. Israel's leaders gave freely alongside him. Then, in his prayer, David hands the whole pile back to God instead of taking any credit.
The verse is not modesty. It is a statement about ownership: God has a claim on everything, and what we hand over was already His. One writer draws this out from the older practice of the tithe.
Tithes mean that the one who receives them has a right to the whole, just as God has a right to all that we have. Yet He graciously accepts what we give Him. King David, with a thankful heart, cried out, "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.
David's question opens the verse. Once he knew whose the gold was, the thought of putting God in his debt collapsed.
"Who am I?" What a question! David was nothing, and God was all and in all. If he had ever held the thought that he could offer anything to God, he held 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… God must be the giver, man the receiver. "Who," says the apostle, "has first given to Him?"
The same writer carries this past David's day. Eternity settles who the real Giver is, for a king and for a guilty sinner alike.
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. What a blessing that it is so! What a blessing for the poor, guilty, broken-hearted sinner to see in God the giver of all — of life, pardon, peace, holiness, everlasting glory!
If everything was already His, does the offering still matter? One writer says it does, because of the heart behind it.
The king and his people are nothing in the presence of God. All that they can willingly offer Him comes from Him, and they only give Him what they have received from His hand… All this abundance they are offering Him comes from Him, and all of it belongs to Him. Yet He takes pleasure in the uprightness of the king's heart, who willingly offers everything, and in the uprightness of the hearts of the people, who do the same.
One writer points to the attitude that ruins a gift: confidence in our own work.
We can only present something to God in the spirit of resting from our own works. Suppose we come trusting in what we have done to obtain the things we bring to Him. That is not acceptable to Him. We must remember that everything belongs to Him first, as David says, "of your own have we given you" (1 Chron. 29:14).
David's hands were full of gold. Ours hold something else.
"You received without paying; give without pay" (ver. 8). What do we have that we did not receive? "Of your own have we given you," said David… God fills our hands now with Christ, and it is Christ whom we bring to God in our worship. Nothing counts with God but Christ.
One writer sets David beside the givers in Macedonia. In each case they gave something before they gave money.
With such words ringing in our ears and in our hearts we will give generously. We owe far more than we will ever be able to give. David said, "Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you" (1 Chron. 29:14). Paul writes about the believers in Macedonia who had sent money to fellow believers in Judea: "they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us" (2 Cor. 8:5)… In all these cases God was uppermost in their minds. They gave themselves and all that they had to Him, in appreciation of His grace to them.
- Source. God has a right to the whole. A hundred per cent comes from His hand, even when we give back a tenth.
- Self. "Who am I?" ends every attempt to make God our debtor. God must be the giver, and man the receiver.
- Surrender. Only a heart at rest from its own works can give. Confidence in what we did spoils the gift.
- Substance. God fills our hands with Christ, and Christ is what we bring back to Him in worship.
- Satisfaction. All of it was already His. Still, He takes pleasure in the upright hearts that give it willingly.