1 Chronicles — Chapter 28

David the king rose up and said: Hear me, my brethren and my people... I thought in my heart to build a house in which the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the footstool of our God, might rest. Lapide: \"Footstool of our God\" — the ark is so called because upon it the Cherubim joined their wings to form a throne, while the ark itself was like the footstool beneath God's feet. See Exodus 25.

Yet the Lord God of Israel chose me of all the house of my father, to be king over Israel for ever: for of Judah He chose the princes; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father. Lapide: The Hebrew, Chaldee, and Septuagint read \"prince\" in the singular — meaning princes who succeed one another in continuous series, according to Genesis 49:10: \"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a leader from his thigh, until He come who is to be sent\" — namely the Messiah, Christ, who was to be born of Judah and David.

And thou, Solomon my son, know the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the thoughts of minds. Lapide: \"Know\" means recognise — firmly believe and frequently think upon and esteem God's immense majesty, power, justice, and goodness; let this knowledge and frequent meditation impel thee always to worship, fear, and love Him.

And David gave to Solomon his son the description of the porch and of the temple, and of the cellars, and of the upper chambers... and of the house of propitiation. Lapide: \"The house of propitiation\" = the Holy of Holies; for in it was the propitiatory (mercy seat) above the ark, from which God, propitiated, gave oracles to the high priest and benefits to the people.

For the altar of incense he gave the purest gold to make the likeness of the chariot of the Cherubims spreading their wings, and covering the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Lapide on the \"chariot of the Cherubim\" (merkaba): These Cherubim on the altar of incense were distinct from the Mosaic and Solomonic Cherubim of the Ark — placed in the Holy Place over the altar of incense to form a throne for God to receive the smoke of the incense offered below. The word merkaba (chariot) signifies not four Cherubim but two who, facing each other with wings joined, formed a quadrate — a foursquare throne.

All these things, said he, came written by the hand of the Lord upon me, that I might understand all the works of the pattern. Lapide: God described the entire plan of the Temple in a tablet and delivered it through the hand of an angel to David, that he might deliver it to Solomon. A parallel with the Tabernacle: \"Look, and make it according to the pattern which was shewed thee in the mount\" (Ex. 25:40). God gave not only a drawn plan but a verbal explanation in writing, so that David and Solomon could understand every detail. Thus the Temple was not a human invention but a divinely revealed archetype.

And David said to Solomon his son: Act manfully, and take courage, and do: fear not, and be not dismayed: for the Lord my God will be with thee, and will not leave thee, nor forsake thee, till thou finish all the work for the ministry of the house of the Lord. Lapide: These words mirror Joshua's commission (Josh. 1:6–9) — the same divine promise sustains each leader called to a great work for God. Courage is grounded not in human resources but in the presence of God.