“And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Chronicles 28:20 Mean?
David speaks to Solomon before the entire assembly of Israel — and his words are the last major charge from father to son in Scripture. "And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it" — three commands: be strong (chazaq), be courageous (amats), and do it (aseh). The first two are internal. The third is external. The strength and courage exist for the doing. David isn't calling Solomon to feel something. He's calling him to build something.
"Fear not, nor be dismayed" — two prohibitions that remove the obstacles to the doing. Fear (yare) — the dread that stops you before you start. Dismay (tachat) — the collapse that stops you in the middle. Don't let either one halt the work.
"For the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee" — David makes it personal: my God. Not the God of the nation generically. The God David knows from personal experience — from the lion, from Goliath, from Saul's pursuit, from decades of kingship. David is transferring not just a commission but a testimony: the God who was with me will be with you. The same God. The same presence. The same faithfulness.
"He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work" — the promise has a scope: until the work is finished. God's presence isn't just for the beginning. It covers the project through completion. The one who starts with you finishes with you. The "not fail, nor forsake" echoes Moses' charge to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8). The words pass from leader to leader, generation to generation: God stays until the end.
Reflection Questions
- 1.David says 'do it' after 'be strong and courageous.' Where are you stuck in preparation when God is asking for action?
- 2.David transfers his personal testimony: 'my God will be with you.' Whose testimony of God's faithfulness has given you courage for your own calling?
- 3.The promise lasts 'until thou hast finished all the work.' How does knowing God stays through completion change your fear of the middle?
- 4.Fear and dismay are the two things David prohibits. Which one — the dread that stops you before you start, or the collapse that stops you in the middle — threatens you most?
Devotional
Be strong. Be courageous. And do it. David's last charge to Solomon is three words that cover everything.
David is dying. The temple that consumed his vision will be built by his son. The plans are drawn (vv. 11-19). The materials are gathered (29:2-5). Everything is ready except Solomon's nerve. And David — the man who knows what it takes to face impossible assignments — looks at his young son and says: be strong. Be courageous. And do it.
"And do it." The two words that separate preparation from accomplishment. David had spent years preparing for the temple — collecting gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, stone (29:2). But preparation without execution is just hoarding materials. The strength and courage David commands exist for one purpose: to produce action. Don't just feel strong. Build.
"For the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee." David says "my God" — the possessive is deliberate. He's testifying. The God who carried me through Goliath's valley and Saul's pursuit and Absalom's rebellion — that God. My God. He'll be yours too. David isn't giving Solomon an abstraction. He's giving him a relationship — one he can vouch for because he's lived it.
"He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work." The promise has a timeline: until it's done. Not until you feel like quitting. Not until the first setback. Until you've finished. God's presence is completion-oriented. He doesn't accompany you to the halfway point and then evaluate whether you deserve the second half. He stays until the work is done.
If you're standing at the beginning of something that feels too big — a calling, a project, a season of obedience that stretches beyond your capacity — David's charge is for you. The God who was with David will be with you. He won't fail. He won't forsake. And the scope of His presence covers the distance between where you are and where the work is finished.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And, behold, all the courses of the priests and the Levites,.... Which David had lately fixed to take their turns in the…
The Lord God - my God, will be with thee - "The Word of the Lord my God will be thy assistant." - T.
As for the general charge that David gave his son to seek God and serve him, the book of the law was, in that, his only…
Be strong God's help in the planning is a pledge of God's help in the accomplishment. Cp. 1Ch 28:10, 1Ch 22:13. The work…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture