But Who Am I?

From 1 Chronicles

David speaking of provisions for building the temple:

“Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the LORD?" 1
Chronicles 29:5

The respond by offering their service and money:

“And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the
LORD” 1 Chronicles 29:8

And then they rejoiced:

“because these had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered
freely to the LORD; David the king also rejoiced greatly.” 1 Chronicles 29:9

David blesses and praises the Lord and then says these beautiful words:

"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer
willingly? For all things come from thee, and of thy own have we given thee.
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were;
our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O LORD our
God, all this abundance that we have provided for building thee a house for thy
holy name comes from thy hand and is all thy own. I know, my God, that thou
triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my
heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen thy people,
who are present here, offering freely and joyously to thee. O LORD, the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep for ever such purposes and
thoughts in the hearts of thy people, and direct their hearts toward thee. 1
Chronicles 29:14-18

After freely giving their prized earthly possessions up to the Lord, they find joy in their hearts. This joy must have cleared the smog out of their hearts because it is followed by a heartfelt realization, “but who am I, who are we?” This whole time I cling to my earthly possessions and marvel in their beauty while, as Saint Augustine says, “if they had not been in you they would have not been at all.” Life is a shadow and will not last. Such simple and profound realizations, but even the realization is a gift from God. David thus says, “keep for ever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of thy people, and direct their hearts toward thee.”