Skip to content When Leaders Let Go: Lessons from David's Farewell Jun 29 · 15 min ...more
When Leaders Let Go: Lessons from David's Farewell
June 29, 2026 · 15 min
A sermon calling leaders to humbly release power and urging the next generation to watch, learn, wait, and step in at God’s timing.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand June 29, 2026 · 15 min · Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
A sermon calling leaders to humbly release power and urging the next generation to watch, learn, wait, and step in at God’s timing. ...more Show the full description Show less A sermon calling leaders to humbly release power and urging the next generation to watch, learn, wait, and step in at God’s timing.
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Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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David's Kingdom Organization and Farewell Address 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to stand on the word. Thanks for joining this morning as we complete 1st Chronicles as we look at chapters 27 through 29, verse 11 of chapter 29. Yours, oh lord, is the0:21 greatness, the power, and the glory, the victory, and the majesty for all that is in heaven and earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, oh lord, and you are exalted as head overall. What a great0:33 verse. Alright. Today's passage is like a a movie that is so good, you wanna stay and read the credits. You don't wanna miss the compelling close. In fact, you'll want more. Well,0:44 today, in these 3 final chapters, we find, I I tell you, a a powerful and inspiring passage of scripture. What we have is essentially the last words0:56 and actions of David, not the words on his deathbed, but the words and actions that he took with intentionality as he knew that his time was coming to a close. So what David does here is he cast the vision for1:08 the nation as he gives them his last recorded instructions to the people and to Solomon in the presence of the people before he steps down from the throne and transfers leadership of the kingdom1:20 to Solomon. And by the way by the way, this is something to to notice, to note in David is that most David is that most Old Testament kings after him, well, they died on the throne, or, I mean, they were either killed1:32 or they died on the throne because they didn't wanna give up power. There is a message here about the transferring of leadership from 1 generation to the next. Now we've been reading that David god1:44 told him Solomon was going to to come behind him. It was gonna bring, or build rather the temple. And so David begins to to prepare prepare Solomon, begins1:56 to acquire the materials and the plans for what would be the major initiative of Solomon's reign, and that was building the temple. And then when it was time when it was time,2:07 he stepped down and Solomon took over. But also notice that Solomon, unlike some of David's other sons, didn't try to usurp his father's authority or advance himself2:19 until it was the right time. He respected his father. And I would just say this because I've I've watched, a lot of, successions from, you know, 1 generation2:31 to the next in ministries. And and for leaders when it is time to go, let go. And And for aspiring leaders, you know, the the younger generation, the next generation, watch,2:43 listen, and learn, and wait until it's your turn. Alright. Chapters 28 and 29 will be our focus. Okay? Chapter 27 continues the organization of the kingdom that2:55 David undertook and put in place. And by the way, I I really think you see David at his best toward the end. He is putting in place, as we looked at last time, organizing the nation,3:07 putting leaders in place. Place. He has civil leaders to assist in the governing of people that he puts in place. And by the way, there is value in looking at the organizational structure of government as seen in the3:18 Bible. There's a lot to be learned from that. Centralized control and power are not the model even in a monarchy as we have here in the Old Testament. Other leaders were appointed at multiple levels to ensure3:31 there was justice and there was order for all of the people. Also, a a significant focus of chapter 27 is the military. David created a distinctive structure of3:42 12 divisions of 24000 men each that served 1 month each year, essentially a trained reserve force. Israel in fact, Israel's military still3:54 operates in a in a similar fashion today, and this provides a couple of things. 1, it keeps the nation from becoming a militaristic country. If it and also4:06 if additional help is needed, you mobilize these additional divisions. So you you're not you don't have everybody, out on the field at the same time, and it helps the economy because people are4:18 back there working. But it also has a unifying effect when there's a national emergency, and I've seen this in Israel. Everybody's affected by it. Not so much here in the United States, but it has a unifying4:34 heart of chapter 28 in David's instructions to the people of Israel and to his son, Solomon, as he prepares to step down from being king. This is his farewell addressChristians in Civic Leadership 4:46 to the nation. Verse 2 of chapter 28. Then King David rose to his feet and said, hear me, my brethren and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of4:57 the Lord and for the footstool of our God and had made preparations to build it. Notice where David begins. He cast the vision for what really had been his top priority, but God told him he couldn't do it, and5:09 that was establishing the temple, the place of the presence of God in Jerusalem. But it's more than a building. Look at verse 8. Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord and in the5:21 hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the lord your god, that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.5:33 So this is his message to the people. David repeats here the instructions of Moses. Observe the word of god and obey it if if you want to stay in the land of promise and pass it on5:45 to your children. I mean, if you don't, then, you know, don't worry about it. Do whatever you want because your time is gonna be short. Then he turns to Solomon, verse 9. As for you, my son Solomon,5:58 know the God of your father and serve him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind. For the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intents of the thoughts. If6:10 you seek him, he will be found by you. But if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. So look what he says here. Know the God of your father,6:22 meaning have a personal relationship with God just as I have. Number 2, serve the Lord with a loyal heart and a willing mind, meaning his faith and his relationship6:34 with God should produce actions for God, not lip service. Don't give lip service to God. Give God your heart. And then look at the this promise. If you seek6:46 him, what? You will find him. Ideally, this is what we should look for in leaders, a personal relationship with God and a commitment to follow him. Now I I I6:58 know that's not always possible, especially in our as we've become more of a secular country. In fact, Christians have shied away from serving in government because, really, in many ways, because of the7:10 media and a small but, vocal element of our society that is openly hostile to Christianity and biblical truth saying, oh, this violation of separation, church, states, Christians, you can't be involved. Now I7:22 think there's been a lot of pushback in in recent years to this, which is good. But a couple of thoughts on this point. I mean, who really cares what those people think? We shouldn't. Our7:34 concern should be what god thinks. What has he called us to do? To advance his kingdom, to be faithful to the truth, to be salt and light. So the question is, alright, how do7:46 we know what god thinks? If we were to be concerned about what he thinks, how do we know what he thinks? God's word tells us what he thinks. Alright? That's why we need to be in the word of god. Secondly, the very thing7:57 that the world, that is the legacy media and groups like ACLU, Faithful America, Southern Poverty Law Center, what they're against is what we need more of, more Christians running for and being8:09 elected to public office at every level and upholding biblical standards and morality. The biblical standards of truth and morality, that's what we need. Our8:21 schools should not be promoting the deception of transgenderism, or they shouldn't be hiding this information from parents as they are in many places. Public8:33 library should not be promoting perversion with drag queens and other DEI programs. Now this requires how do we fix that? Alright? How does how do we fix that? This requires more Christians participating in the process,8:45 showing up to school board meetings, city council meetings, voting. And and, yes, standing against the godless progressive agenda as, in some cases, as candidates. This8:56 agenda is designed to destroy the family and the public presence of Christianity in our society, and we need to stand against it. Presence of Christianity in our society, and we need to stand against it. So you say, why9:06 does it matter? Well, look again at part, the last part of verse 9. This is the instruction that David gave to him. But if you forsake him, he will cast9:18 you off forever. Alright. Like David's charge to all Israel, if being a Christian nation is nothing more than a bumper sticker, it changes nothing.9:30 But if it is a genuine conviction, it should shape every aspect of our lives and our nation from our homes and churches to our schools, our businesses, and,9:41 yes, civil government. Alright. Let's move on. I'm sure I probably, got some people riled up here. Let me move on. Verse 10. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a9:53 house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it. He said, get it done. Verse 11. Then David gave his son, Solomon, the plans for the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upperTemple Plans and Call to Courage 10:05 chambers, its inner chambers, and the place of the mercy seat. Now through verse 19, we have all the materials and the plans that David put together for Solomon to build the temple. Notice also that it was the Holy10:17 Spirit that directed David in in the planning. Verse 20. And David said to his son, Solomon, be strong and a a good courage and do it. Do not fear nor be dismayed for the10:28 lord, god, my god, will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the lord. Now this is something that you don't want10:40 to miss. Why would there be fear associated with building the temple? A building. That's all it is. Building a building. All the material and the plans were provided.10:52 It wasn't like Solomon had to go out and create a, you know, a a fundraising campaign and raise the money. It was already there. All he had to do was put it together. Well, 1st, here here's why he had to be strong and11:04 courageous. Anytime God is about to do something, Satan is about to oppose it. And we must understand that anything God calls us to, the forces of darkness, which are real, will oppose in11:16 some form or fashion. And so we have to be committed this the the the call to be strong and courageous is to obedience to the word of God. Now look at the promise. He, that is God, the11:27 lord God will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Where have we heard that before? Well, Paul, quoting from Deuteronomy and from Joshua, wrote this in Hebrews chapter 13 verse11:39 5. Let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have, for he himself has says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Verse 6, we so we may boldly say, the11:51 lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me? And Jesus himself giving his disciples instructions on building, not a temple, but a kingdom inPrayer, Conclusion, and Psalms Invite 12:03 Matthew chapter 28 verse 18. And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the father, the12:15 son, and the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And, lo, I am with you always even until the end of the age. So Solomon was young. His12:27 father was great. So Solomon was stepping into some big shoes or sandals in this case. There was probably some fear of failure as his undertaking would define him. And there12:39 are some parallels here for us in Jesus's instructions to go and build his kingdom. You see, everything we need has been provided. We don't have to get the materials to build the12:50 kingdom. God did that. If we obey, seek the lord, and lean on him, we cannot fail. Father, thank you. Thank you for your word, and and what a13:02 wonderful conclusion to this book. Lord, as we see David passing the baton to the next generation, preparing them for success, wanting them to succeed, even though it13:14 looks like Solomon may not have been his 1st choice, but yet, lord, you called Solomon. You said he was going to be the 1 that would come behind David and build the temple, and so David did everything he could13:26 to make sure that that was a successful effort. And, father, you provided all that was needed for Solomon to build this magnificent structure representing your presence. Lord, we've been13:38 called to build the kingdom, and we've been given everything that we need. Lord, may we not be fearful, but, lord, may we be strong and courageous, advancing truth, standing, Lord, unflinchingly13:51 for what we know to be true, that which is recorded in your word. We continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us and direct us on this journey and show us how to apply the truths of your word to our lives in this14:03 world in which we live. For we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Let me remind you. Guess what? We begin the book of Psalms. We're gonna spend the summer in Psalms starting14:15 tomorrow. So this is a great time to invite someone to join us on this journey. Simply text Psalms Psalms to 6 7 7 4 2, and I will send you a an14:26 ecard that you can then forward on to your friends and family to invite them to join us on this journey that is life transformative. Until next time, keep standing on the word.14:40 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day,14:52 you can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 David's Kingdom Organization and Farewell Address4:45 Christians in Civic Leadership9:58 Temple Plans and Call to Courage12:01 Prayer, Conclusion, and Psalms Invite15:01 Prayer and Transition to Psalms
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