“Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
~ 1 Chronicles 22:13
Hi James and Ellen,
A talent of gold about 3,000 years ago weighed 75 pounds. 100,000 talents of gold would weigh 3,750 tons. There are 120,000,000 ounces in 3,750 tons. Gold on this morning’s market – which was about 17 years ago as of today’s editing of this missive, was at $455.60 an ounce. Your grandpaa’s pocket calculator showed error when he tried to calculate out how much 100,000 talents of gold would be worth on today’s market. Calculating by longhand, 100,000 talents of gold on the market 17 years ago was worth $54,672,000,000.00. An ounce of gold as of today’s editing of this missive is now worth $1811.50. A talent of silver about 3000 years ago also weighed 75 pounds. 1,000,000 talents of silver would weigh 37,500 tons or 1,200,000,000 ounces. Silver on the morning’s market about 17 years ago was at $8.06 an ounce. An ounce of silver as of today’s editing of this missive is now worth $24.23. 1,000,000 talents of sliver as of today’s editing of this missive on today’s market is worth $9,672,000,000.00. Your grandpaa has fried his brain trying to figure out in today’s dollar prices how much gold and silver in today’s dollar prices that David gave to Solomon – who was one of his kids, to use for the building of a house for God to reside in on planet Earth. Your grandpaa has a hard time picturing what 3,750 tons of gold and 37,500 tons of silver would look like. Your dad’s car weighs about a ton. Visualize a parking lot – like at a sports stadium complex someplace, which has somewhere around 40,000 cars parked in it. That is about the bulk amount of how much gold and silver that David gave to his kid to use for a house for God to reside in on planet Earth. You are probably thinking that your grandpaa is using bad data as . . . your grandpaa just checked another Bible that he has which has a cross reference to a talent and to the pure gold candlesticks that were to be made to go into the temple that God asked Moses to make to reside in on planet Earth among His specially chosen guys and gals. This Bible says that a talent of gold when Moses was alive – which was around 3500 years ago, weighed 93 pounds and had a dollar value at that Bible’s printing of $5,760,000.00.
David wanted God to have an awesome place to reside in on planet Earth. David wanted God’s house to be on planet Earth the most magnificent, famous and splendid of any house or place that would ever be seen in any nation or country on planet Earth. God told David that because of all the guys that he killed and who he had killed that He did not want him to be the guy to build Him a house to reside in on planet Earth. The Chronicler recounts in detail in his Chronicles Book – in 1 Chronicles 22, what took place in the preparation for the construction of an awe-inspiring house – which was actually a temple, that would become God’s house to reside in among His specially chosen guys and gals in the city of Jerusalem. The report that the Chronicler scribed has David supplying his kid with more than enough iron to make the nails for the gateway doors and more bronze than could be weighed. The Chronicler also has in his report that David had some guys from the areas of Sidon and Tyre bring more cedar logs from their area to the city of Jerusalem than could be counted. The Chronicler also has in his report that David put together a team of craftsmen including stonecutters, masons and carpenters to begin the God-House project as soon as he died.
God made it clear to David that Solomon was to succeed him as king. As David was passing on the baton to his kid Solomon to begin the God-House project, David gave his kid an admonition to stay true to the laws that God had given to His specially chosen guys and gals to obey and to live out in their lives. David told his kid what the chronicler scribed in verse 13, “Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” David told Solomon that after he had died that Solomon was to begin the construction of the temple that would be God’s house to reside in on planet Earth so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and all the sacred articles would have a place to be placed. Because God had told him that Solomon was who He wanted to build Him an earthly house to reside in on planet Earth, David assured his kid that he would have peace during his reign as king over the Israelite people group’s guys and gals. Is your dad hoping that you will take on his hopes and dreams when . . . your grandpaa’s dad has never communicated to your grandpaa that he expects your grandpaa to take over the farm that your grandpaa’s dad farmed and which his dad had helped him to buy. Solomon grew up as a king’s kid in an environ that was full of opulence. Your grandpaa grew up as a farm kid in an environ that had very little luxury in it. Your grandmaa’s dad worked for a Wilmington, Delaware company called Hercules. Your grandmaa’s ma graduated from Goldie Beacon. Goldie Beacon is a vocational school that is located in Wilmington, Delaware. Your grandmaa grew up a city gal. Your grandmaa’s environs growing up as a kid had very little extravagance in it. Your grandmaa graduated from P.S. DuPont High School. P.S. DuPont High School is located in Wilmington, Delaware. When your grandmaa graduated from P.S. DuPont High School, P.S. DuPont High School was one of the most prestigious high schools in the United States. Your grandmaa’s classmates voted your grandmaa to be one of their shyest classmates. Your grandpaa graduated with about forty other guys and gals from Volga High School. Volga High School is located in Volga, South Dakota. Your grandmaa and grandpaa have no idea what it is like to have a limitless supply of wealth to tap into for whatever – like Solomon had. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know what it is like to have been tapped by God for a vocation that passes on an infinite supply of hope that is found in knowing Jesus Christ as one’s Savior.
1 Chronicles 22 (542)