How does 1 Chronicles 17:20 connect with Deuteronomy 6:4 about God's oneness? Setting the Context • 1 Chronicles 17 records David’s humble response after the LORD promises him an everlasting house and kingdom. • Right in the middle of David’s praise, verse 20 echoes the heartbeat of Israel’s greatest confession, the Shema found in Deuteronomy 6 :4. Key Texts • 1 Chronicles 17 :20 “O LORD, there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.” • Deuteronomy 6 :4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.” Shared Emphasis on God’s Absolute Uniqueness • Both passages declare the utter incomparability of Yahweh. • Deuteronomy 6 :4 proclaims that the LORD is “one”—a single, indivisible, exclusive deity. • 1 Chronicles 17 :20 reaffirms that same truth: “there is none like You, and there is no God but You.” Why the Connection Matters • David’s words do not introduce a new idea; they restate Israel’s foundational confession. • By echoing the Shema, David models covenant faithfulness—recognizing that the God who just promised him an everlasting dynasty is the very God Israel has always confessed as singular and unrivaled. Implications for Worship • Exclusive devotion: Because God is one and without equal, worship must be undivided (Exodus 20 :3; Matthew 4 :10). • Trust without reservation: If there is truly “no God but Him,” every promise He makes—including the Davidic covenant—stands secure (Psalm 89 :34-37). • Continuity into the New Testament: Jesus cites the Shema as “the most important” command (Mark 12 :29-30). The apostles echo it—“there is no God but one” (1 Corinthians 8 :4-6; Ephesians 4 :4-6). Summary 1 Chronicles 17 :20 answers Deuteronomy 6 :4 by showing that Israel’s kings, prophets, and psalmists all confess the same foundational truth: the LORD alone is God. David’s prayer unites royal hope with covenant creed, reminding every generation that God’s oneness secures His promises and demands our wholehearted allegiance. |
    |