We’re wrapping up 1 Chronicles with King David’s last instructions. In chapter 28, he’s getting Solomon ready to build the Temple. The chapter opens this way:

David called together all the leaders of Israel—tribal administrators, heads of various governmental operations, military commanders and captains, stewards in charge of the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons—everyone who held responsible positions in the kingdom. (1 Chronicles 28.1, MSG)

This would be a boring sentence, except the text had just listed all those people (1 Chronicles 27). I’m reminded again of what we quoted from Peterson’s introduction to 1 Chronicles:

The task of Chronicles was to recover and restore Israel’s confidence and obedience as God’s people. Names launch this story—page after page of names. Holy history is not constructed from impersonal forces or abstract ideas; it is woven from names—persons, each one unique. There is no true storytelling without names. Chronicles erects a solid defense against depersonalized religion. – From The Message, Introduction to Chronicles

The book begins with nine chapters of names and ends with five chapters of names (23 – 27 – we wrote about the musicians a few days ago). God’s story moves along with real people in real places. David is acutely aware of his place:

GOD chose me out of my family to be king over Israel forever. First he chose Judah as the lead tribe, then he narrowed it down to my family, and finally he picked me from my father’s sons, pleased to make me the king over all Israel. And then from all my sons—and GOD gave me many!—he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of GOD’s rule over Israel. (1 Chronicles 28.4, 5, MSG)

David is aware of his place AND his responsibility: to help Solomon do his job well.

Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat; and the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated gifts… (1 Chronicles 28.11, 12, MSG)

David gave Solomon the plans, and, as we’ll see in the next chapter, the materials. But more importantly, he gave Solomon encouragement:

Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it…Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. (1 Chronicles 28.10, 20, MSG)

Be strong, courageous, and do the work. It’s a good word. The same word the Lord gave to Joshua:

Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul…Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.” (Joshua 1.6, 9, MSG)

Words have power. Here’s what Luke said about John the Baptist:

There was a lot more of this—words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them. The Message! (Luke 3.18, MSG)