Sermon Tone Analysis

March 5, 2012

By John Barnett

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Psalm 30 is titled that it is for a dedication.

The NKJV, KJV, and NAS all translate it as a dedication of the “House of David”.

But the ESV and NIV clarify what house is being referred to, by translating this superscript as the: “Dedication of the Temple”.

The Temple was on David’s heart and mind as a boy in Psalm 132, and as a man when he was told that his son would build the Temple, because of all the bloodshed David had experienced.

So rather than being crushed to not build the House of the Lord, David prepared for that event with all his might.

*David Was Excited about Serving the Lord*

That moment is what we will soon see in I Chronicles 22-29, but first the 30th Psalm.

PSALM 30 (ESV) A PSALM OF DAVID.

A SONG AT THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.

1I will extol you, O LORD, for *you have drawn me up*

and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

2O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and *you have healed me.*

3O LORD,* you have brought up my soul from Sheol*;

*you restored me to life* from among those who go down to the pit.

4*Sing praises* to the LORD, O you his saints,

and *give thank*s to his holy name.

5 For his anger is but for a moment, and* his favor is for a lifetime.*

Weeping may tarry for the night, but* joy comes with the morning.*

6As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."

7By your favor, O LORD, *you made my mountain stand strong;*

you hid your face; I was dismayed.

8To you, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy:

9"What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it tell of your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!"

11*You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,*

12that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

*O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!*

It would be easy to say that David is quite elated with God’s goodness in this Psalm.

In just twelve verses David finds an equal number of ways to exalt in the Lord.

David is so grateful that the desire of his heart since he sat on the hillsides watching the sheep was a step closer.

David was getting ready to officially turn over all that he had systematically invested in the coming house of the Lord.

But, before we look at the exact amount David was going to give to the Lord, join me for a thumbnail sketch of Biblical History.

The world of the Bible had three basic financial classes of people: destitute, poor laborers, and rich.

We could also say the world back then was made up of:

*The Rich, The Poor & The Destitute*

These classes were defined as:

• *Destitute:* these are the beggars who do not even have enough for today.

This word is used in the Sermon on the Mount for the “poor in spirit”.

Spiritual beggars who can’t make it even a day without God.

• *Poor Laborers: *these are those who work all day to earn enough to buy food on the way home for the next day or two.

They live close to the line, never destitute, never any extra, just barely making it.

• *Rich:* the rich were those who had more than what was needed for today or this week.

They did not have to work sunrise to sunset just to survive.

They had things laid up, saved, stored away.

They had what we would call: investments, savings, retirement preparations and so on.

For most of us today, we are in the class God's Word calls rich.

We have more than we need to make it through today and tomorrow.

We are rich because we have discretionary income.

Most of us spend our lives doing what we were called to do: support our family and make it through life.

That usually takes most of what we earn.

But sometimes, after we provide for our families and have enough to live on: there is extra.

More than what we just need for supporting our lives.

That situation is where David found himself in I Chronicles 22.

As we turn back to I Chronicles 22 think about the past years of the blur of life that David has lived through.

David moved out of his family home, joined Saul’s army, got married, lived on the run, raised a family, provided a home, food, necessities, and so on for all his wives and children.

But still after all those obligations of home and family life were met: David found that there was more left each month and year than he ever spent.

The test of David’s life and character was what he did with that “extra”.

One of the most fascinating studies in the life of the most written about man in God’s Word is in this area of what David did with his treasures.

What he did with the unexpected blessings and financial treasures that came his way through life.

I like to call this study:

*How David Systematically Invested*

*His Hard Earned Treasures With God*

*I Chronicles 22-29; Psalm 30*

This study reveals David’s heart.

Remember how Jesus told us in Matthew 6:19-21 that where our treasures are, there is where our hearts really are?

David shows us where his heart was by what he did with his treasures.

We need to quietly think on his example and ask ourselves where we are showing that our hearts are by where we are systematically investing our treasures.

Three thousand years ago the greatest human fortune ever amassed on Earth was passed on from father to son.

Please turn with me to I Chronicles 22.

1 Chronicles 22:1-19 (NKJV) /"Then David said, “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” 2 So David commanded to gather the aliens who were in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God. 3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance beyond measure, 4 and cedar trees in abundance; for the Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. 5 Now David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries.

I will now make preparation for it.”

So David made abundant preparations before his death.

6 Then he called for his son Solomon, and charged him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel.

7 And David said to Solomon: “My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the LORD my God; 8 but the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight.

9 Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around.

His name shall be Solomon,[a] for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days.

10 He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

11 Now, my son, may the LORD be with you; and may you prosper, and build the house of the LORD your God, as He has said to you. 12 Only may the LORD give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. 13 Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the LORD charged Moses concerning Israel.

Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed.

14 Indeed I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the LORD one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond measure, for it is so abundant.

I have prepared timber and stone also, and you may add to them.

15 Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance: woodsmen and stonecutters, and all types of skillful men for every kind of work.

16 Of gold and silver and bronze and iron there is no limit.

Arise and begin working, and the LORD be with you.” 17 David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18 “Is not the LORD your God with you?

And has He not given you rest on every side?

For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and before His people.

19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God.

Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the LORD.”/

King David in 970BC gave Solomon *1 million talents of silver* (that means somewhere between about 100 million pounds of silver, or 50,000 tons of silver).

That amazing amount of silver would be worth $30 to $50 billion dollars today at recent market closes of about $32/ounce.

David also gave Solomon *100 thousand talents of gold* (that is about 10 million pounds of gold, or 5,000 tons of gold).

That amazing amount of gold would be worth about $276 billion dollars today at $1725/ounce.

*David Had Vast Treasures*

Just to help put this into perspective for us living in 2011, David who lived in 1000 BC had 1 million more pounds of gold, than we as a nation have in Fort Knox, the largest gold holdings, of the wealthiest country ever in history, the USA.