1 Kings 2:1-4 When
the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. (2) I
am about to go the way of all the earth, he said. "So be strong, show
yourself a man, (3) and observe what the LORD your God requires:
Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements,
as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and
wherever you go, (4) and that the LORD may keep his promise to me:
'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me
with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne
of Israel.'
It was now time for Solomon to take his place as king of
Israel. And David, when the time drew
near for him to die, gave Solomon a charge.
Other versions, like the ESV, translate this Hebrew word as a
“command”. A charge was not advice, or a
suggestion. This was something that
David commanded Solomon to do, now that he was going to take over his reign as
the king of Israel.
(1) When
the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. (2) I
am about to go the way of all the earth, he said. "So be strong, show
yourself a man…
Be strong, show yourself a man. As we’re reading this, I’m sure there are a
lot of thoughts entering our minds of how we should be showing ourselves to be
“men”, and women, of this world.
But look at David’s charge:
(2) I am about to go the way of all the earth, he
said. "So be strong, show yourself a man,
(3) and observe what the LORD
your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his
laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper
in all you do and wherever you go…
David’s understanding of what it is to be a strong king, to
show himself a man while reigning over Israel? Simple.
Observe what the LORD
your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his
laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper
in all you do and wherever you go
I know this is what we want for our children – for them to
prosper in all that they do.
That’s what David desired for Solomon – if he was to reign
over Israel, make the right decisions and judgments, and show himself a man, he
just had to observe what the Lord his God required.
David didn’t point Solomon to his experiences, his exploits,
his accomplishments and successes. It
wasn’t in what David did, but in who David trusted and obeyed. This trust and obedience in God was the very foundation that he wanted
Solomon to have.
He did not point Solomon to other worldly wisdom or guidance, as we see in the book of Proverbs, what Solomon was now passing on to his sons. He pointed Solomon to God and His Word, his love for God and observance of His Word. This was to be the very foundation and life of Solomon, as he now reigned as king of a nation.
It wasn’t just what David desired…it’s what he believed, and
lived, as a “man after God’s own heart”.
If we think about it, and we are honest with ourselves, this
may be farthest from what many of us would charge or command our children to do
in our deathbeds.
If we follow God’s story, from Genesis to Revelation, you
will notice that He consistently told His creation – love me, obey me, and you
will be the men and women I want you to be.
You will see the success and life that I have prepared for you.
But sin destroyed that, brought us to focus on our self, and
be dependent on our self. We have rebelled and are now trusting in our self, in our education and accomplishments, to show ourselves
men and women in this world who have brought success in our own way.
It is even disguised in the saying “God helps those who help
themselves”, a saying that sadly many Christians adhere to, and even pass on,
not realizing how unbiblical it is.
We tell
our children – “Study hard, work hard, don’t let anyone fool you or take
advantage of you, make lots of money, and you will be a successful man and woman in this
world. And then we add ‘oh, by the way, don’t
forget God’”. Sadly, God becomes a
footnote in the charge that we give our children for life and success, rather than the very foundation.
Completely opposite of what God tells us is the very
foundation, and philosophy of life that we are to follow, summarized in David’s
own words - Observe what the LORD your
God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and
requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all
you do and wherever you go
This was the same thing God told Joshua, and what He passes
on to all. Just follow the story of
David. When he walked in obedience to
God and His Word, he was successful.
When he disobeyed, that’s when trouble came upon his life.
It’s the same thing we read in Solomon’s life. When he walked in God's wisdom he had success. When he followed his flesh, it brought his downfall.
What David believed, and lived, he passed on to his
son. As a man after God’s own heart, he
wanted his son to be the same. To be strong,
and show himself a man, and be successful as king. And all he had to do was observe what the
Lord his God required.
When we are about to die, and we are to give a charge, or command, to our children –
I wonder, what will we leave them?
Actually, we don’t have to wait until we die. Are we living and teaching this to our
children today? Is this what our life is
showing them?
(2) I am about to go the way of all the earth, he
said. "So be strong, show yourself a man,
(3) and observe what the LORD
your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his
laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper
in all you do and wherever you go…
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