1 Kings 2:2-3 (NIV)
"I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, 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,…”
God had made promises to David and David wanted to be sure his son understood how important it would be to follow God, not wander off the path and lead the people astray. David heard God’s promise that his descendants would remain in office as kings, only when they honored and obeyed God.
“Walk in His ways,” sounds like an easy command. With so much at stake one would think it not too much of a strain to continue on this path. Solomon had so much worldly riches; one would think he would have been content and happy.
Solomon had a good example in his father, who before he died, shared valuable advice with him. It was up to Solomon to accept the advice and follow it or reject it and go his own way. We can learn from this too. There are people in our lives who try to share their experiences with us so we do not make the same mistakes as they. They want to help us, but sometimes we just don't hear or won't listen. As we read through The Story this week we will learn about Solomon and if he heeded his father's last words.
Read 1 Kings 1-2 here
Listen to 1 Kings 1-2 here
1 comment:
Although at first I drew a blank about what these chapters are about other than history, further thought/prayer lead me to 4 things.
1. These chapters model Romans 8:28 and Genesis 50:20 The bad thing that God turns to good is described in 1 Kings 2:5-6 and 2 Samuel 3:22-39, a politically motivated murder committed by Joab. God turns that to good by bringing it to Solomon’s attention (through David) so Solomon can use the punishment Joab deserved anyhow as a way to solidify his grasp on the kingship, a kingship that brings Israel peace and unprecedented prosperity. The security that resulted also freed up Solomon to write the book of Proverbs, which continues to bless us today. That’s a pretty good turnaround from a despicable murder.
2. The chapters also show us few things about how dynamic Romans 8:28 and Genesis 50:20 describe works. The good did not come right away and it not come to the immediate victims of the bad (the survivors of the man Joab murdered), but it did come. Further, it was exponentially more powerful than the initial bad. That shows us that we need to look more broadly for the good God can bring out of bad situations. It also shows us that God doesn’t just hand that good to us: Solomon had to take affirmative, and unpleasant, action to deal w/ Joab before the good could come about.
3. These chapters, particularly 1 Kings 1:6, illustrate the consequences of failing to heed the oft repeated biblical teaching about the need to discipline our children when they are young. See Proverbs 10:1,13:24, 17:25, 19:13, 19:18, 22:6, 23:13-14, 29:15, 29:17; Sirach 30:1-3. Maybe Proverbs talks about it so much because its author—Solomon—was one of the folks on the receiving end of those consequences.
4. These chapters also illustrate the principle that no amount of earthly “strength” can thwart God’s plan. By earthly standards, Adonijah appeared to be a very strong contender to take over David’s throne: he was David’s oldest surviving son, there were no doubts about the propriety of his mother (as opposed to those about Bathsheba), he was good looking, and he had powerful allies. But that was not God’s plan, so all that faded away very quickly once push came to shove. Scripture repeatedly recognizes that dynamic. See Psalm 27:1-3; 56:10-11; 118:6; Isaiah 50:7-9; Isaiah 51:7-8; Romans 8:31;
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