1 Chronicles 29:12
Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
Both riches and honor come from God, who reigns and rules over all, with power and might in his hand to make great and to give strength and success to all. It belongs to David's prayer and final charge to Israel as materials and willing offerings were gathered for building the temple, urging the people to support the work and remain faithful to God's commandments. What the people offered had first come from God and remained His, so in giving they were only returning to Him what He had provided. Even their willingness to give was His gift, for without His power moving their hearts the offering and the building would not have been possible, leaving no ground for boasting or for claiming that gifts earn His favor. He is the source of all human ability to prosper, become strong, and become great, so human greatness and strength depend on Him alone. He gives strength to all and keeps His people safe in His hands amid conflict and trial, carrying out His purposes and overturning the plans of the wicked, so His servants should trust Him without fear, remain humble, and never regard His work as dependent on themselves.
Sovereign Source and Temple
Both riches and honor come from God, who reigns and rules over all. Power and might are in His hand, and it belongs to Him to make great and to give strength and success to all. All power and strength come from Him, and He gives greatness, strength, and the ability to prosper and become strong to His servants. He has power to work for His people and to strengthen them, to carry out His purposes, to overturn the plans of wicked people, and to protect and keep His people amid conflict and trial.
The verse is David's prayer and final charge to Israel while materials were being gathered and willing offerings were being brought for building the temple. In that setting he urged the people to support the work of building and to remain faithful to God's commandments. His prayer joined the truth of God's universal reign to the people's willing offerings for the temple.
What the people gave for the temple had first come from God and still belonged to Him. They were returning to God what He had provided, for riches belong to Him and all that is offered to Him already belongs to Him. Israel's wealth itself was His gift, so the offering was not their own independent contribution but His property placed in their hands.
Israel's willingness to give was itself His gift. Without His power moving their hearts, the offering would not have been made and the building of the temple would not have been possible. Those who give therefore have no grounds to boast, and cannot claim that their gifts earn His favor.
Strength, Service, and Humility
Riches, honor, power, strength, rule and might come from God, who reigns over all and gives human beings the ability to prosper, become strong and become great. Human greatness and strength depend on him alone, for only he has power to make people great. All true greatness and strength therefore have their source in his sovereign hand.
The work of his servants does not depend on them alone, because he carries out his own purposes and gives success and strength to those who serve him. He has power to work for his people and strengthen them, and he overturns the plans of wicked people arrayed against them. He gives strength to all and keeps his people safe in his hands amid conflict and trial, protecting them as they face opposition. Believers can therefore trust him without fear, and must not regard his work as dependent on themselves.
Because greatness comes only from his hand, people should be humble and trust in God rather than esteem themselves. Applied to knowledge, this same sovereignty means all true human science comes from the God of science. True higher education therefore includes knowing God and Jesus Christ.