1 When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

2 David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. 3 The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men. 4 “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said, “shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be officers and judges, 5 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.” 6 And David organized them in divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 The sons of Gershon were Ladan and Shimei. 8 The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. 9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers' houses of Ladan. 10 And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. 11 Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, therefore they became counted as a single father's house.

12 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. 13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should make offerings before the Lord and minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 But the sons of Moses the man of God were named among the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief. 17 The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. 19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.

21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters; their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them. 23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

24 These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses, the heads of fathers' houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 25 For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.” 27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward. 28 For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. 29 Their duty was also to assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size. 30 And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, 31 and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord. 32 Thus they were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord. – 1 Chronicles 23:1-32 ESV

This chapter continues to record David’s preparations for Solomon’s ascension to the throne as well as the future construction and care of the Temple his son would build. David has grown old and knows that his days are numbered, so he is making the most of his remaining time as king to prepare the way for his son’s reign. But the transfer of power would not be as simple and trouble-free as verse 1 seems to indicate. The opening verse of this chapter severely truncates the story of Solomon’s ascension to the throne. In a single verse, the chronicler records the transfer of power from David to Solomon, while the author of the Book of First Kings takes two chapters to cover this same event. According to 1 Kings 1, there was an internal struggle over who would replace David as king.

David had a son named Adonijah who was officially the second-oldest of all his sons. When David’s firstborn son, Absalom, staged a coup and took over the kingdom, he was eventually killed by Joab, David’s military commander. His death paved the way for Adonijah to become the logical heir to David’s kingdom. But God had other plans. It seems that Adonijah had copied a page out of Absalom’s playbook and attempted to stage a coup. This young man mirrored the actions of his older step-brother and tried to establish himself as the next king of Israel.

About that time David’s son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, “I will make myself king.” So he provided himself with chariots and charioteers and recruited fifty men to run in front of him. Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “Why are you doing that?” Adonijah had been born next after Absalom, and he was very handsome.– 1 Kings 1:5-6 NLT

Adonijah was a spoiled and compulsive young man who felt he rightfully deserved to be the heir to David’s throne. But God had ordained that Solomon would be the next king of Israel. He had clearly communicated this message to David.

“…you will have a son who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace with his enemies in all the surrounding lands. His name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’” – 1 Chronicles 22:9-10 NLT

At some point, David shared this news with Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba. When she received news that Adonijah had declared himself to be the next king of Israel, she confronted David.

“My lord, you made a vow before the Lord your God when you said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will surely be the next king and will sit on my throne.’ But instead, Adonijah has made himself king, and my lord the king does not even know about it.” – 1 Kings 1:17-18 NLT

The elderly David was completely oblivious to what was going on in his own family. He was unaware of his son’s coup attempt and the risk it posed to all his plans for Solomon and the future Temple. But God intervened and used Solomon’s distraught mother to bring this matter to David’s attention. Even Nathan the prophet got into the act, asking David if he had sanctioned Adonijan’s claim to the throne. This entire scenario happened virtually overnight, leaving David’s plans for Solomon and the future Temple in a state of confusion. He was forced to act quickly and put the matter of his successor to rest. He assured Bathsheba that her son was the designated heir to the throne.

“As surely as the Lord lives, who has rescued me from every danger, your son Solomon will be the next king and will sit on my throne this very day, just as I vowed to you before the Lord, the God of Israel.” – 1 Kings 1:29-30 NLT

David wasted no time, ordering a hastily prepared coronation service for Solomon. Normally, this event would have taken place after David’s death, but Adonijah’s actions necessitated a change in plans.

So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the king’s bodyguard took Solomon down to Gihon Spring, with Solomon riding on King David’s own mule. There Zadok the priest took the flask of olive oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon with the oil. Then they sounded the ram’s horn and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” – 1 Kings 1:38-39 NLT

Solomon would serve as David’s co-regent until his death. By anointing Solomon as his official replacement and allowing him the privilege of sitting on the throne of Israel, David had ended any and all speculation regarding the next king of Israel. He had also ensured that Solomon would be in place and prepared to carry out the construction of the Temple.

So Solomon took the throne of the Lord in place of his father, David, and he succeeded in everything, and all Israel obeyed him. All the officials, the warriors, and the sons of King David pledged their loyalty to King Solomon. And the Lord exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and he gave Solomon greater royal splendor than any king in Israel before him.– 1 Chronicles 29:23-25 NLT

But before David died, he had one last mission to accomplish, and that is what the rest of chapter 23 covers. Knowing that Solomon was still a young man and that the construction of the Temple was going to be a massive undertaking, David had gathered all the materials necessary to make it happen.

“My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God himself! Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building the Temple of my God. Now there is enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, as well as great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and all kinds of fine stone and marble.” – 1 Chronicles 29:1-2 NLT

But David knew that a well-crafted and finely appointed building would not be enough. The house of God would require oversight by the priests of God. At this point in time, the Tabernacle was still in operation in Gibeon and under the care of the Levitical priesthood. But when the Temple was completed in Jerusalem, the entire sacrificial system would need to be transferred to this new location. For this to happen, David appointed a second team of Levitical priests to serve at the Temple complex.

“From all the Levites, 24,000 will supervise the work at the Temple of the Lord. Another 6,000 will serve as officials and judges. Another 4,000 will work as gatekeepers, and 4,000 will praise the Lord with the musical instruments I have made.”– 1 Chronicles 23:4-5 NLT

David had always intended the Temple to be the new dwelling place of God on earth. It was to replace the Tabernacle and serve as the primary place of worship and sacrifice for the people of Israel. The design of the Temple mirrored that of the Tabernacle but on a much grander scale. David knew that this new house of God would need to be holy and set apart just as the Tabernacle was. It would require the oversight and care of the Levites, the tribe that God had set apart for this duty. In all his preparations, David painstakingly adhered to the Mosaic law, ensuring that every detail of the Temple was in keeping with God’s commands.

Like Moses before him, David made sure that each of the clans of Levi was assigned duties that reflected their God-ordained roles. The Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites were each given duties to perform in the future Temple. In a sense, David created two teams of Levites to care for the two sacred houses of God.

And so, under the supervision of the priests, the Levites watched over the Tabernacle and the Temple and faithfully carried out their duties of service at the house of the Lord. – 1 Chronicles 23:32 NLT

During the construction phase of the Temple, both sanctuaries would require oversight by the Levites. However, once the Temple was complete, the primary emphasis would shift to the new location in Jerusalem. Before his death, David designated Solomon to be his co-regent and the future king of Israel. But he also reorganized the Levites so that they could adequately care for the Tabernacle and the Temple. He left nothing to chance. Every detail was covered and every contingency was considered. With all the planning for the Temple completed and the future reign of Solomon firmly established, David would rest easy and live out the remaining days of his life with the assurance that his legacy would continue and his dream of building a house for God would come to fruition.

“The Lord, the God of Israel, has given us peace, and he will always live in Jerusalem. Now the Levites will no longer need to carry the Tabernacle and its furnishings from place to place.” In accordance with David’s final instructions, all the Levites twenty years old or older were registered for service. – 1 Chronicles 23:25-27 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.