"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT KING DAVID'S DYING WORDS OF WISDOM"
1Kings 2:1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying:
1Kings 2:2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.
1Kings 2:3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His
commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;
1Kings 2:4 that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions and a prayer:
King David had reigned as King for 40 Years. He is called in Scripture a "man after God's own heart" He is also portrayed for us in Scripture as a man, a normal man, meaning, he made mistakes like any man. He had his share of sin. But, he also like any Godly man, repented and sought forgiveness, and found grace from God. He is a man who gained wisdom as many of us do, through the mistakes and sins of in our lives. Thus it's worth listening to his dying words of advice to his son Solomon who was about to assume the responsibilities of leadership over Israel as the new king.
1. David's last words were words of wisdom.
1Kings 2:1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying:
David was drawing near to death. David's last words are recorded for us here. They are indeed words of wisdom.
He charged his son Solomon. The word charged, or charge has the idea and meaning of to command, to appoint, to order, to ordain. David had made his share of mistakes, and he was hoping that through the wise counsel he was giving, that it might keep Solomon on the right track. Thus, He charged his son to take his advice.
2. David started by saying two things to Solomon.
1Kings 2:2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.
(1) Be strong. Or take courage. Courage is indeed something we can take, or receive from the Lord. It means to strengthen, prevail, be firm, be resolute.
Paul said the same thing in 1st Cor 16:13 Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. So, this is something we can be, it's a matter of making the choice to do so. It's a good bit of advice for sure.
(2) And prove yourself a man. Or "and be a man" I'm certain the idea here is be what you ought to be. Be the man who does what he is supposed to do. Live up to what God has made you to be. It's similar to take courage, and it's again something we choose to do. Be a man Solomon. You will need to be this in order to do what is before you.
3. Here are two more specifics of Godly wisdom, along with a promise.
1Kings 2:3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His
commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;
(1) Keep the charge of the LORD your God. To walk in His ways. To keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgements and His testimonies as it is written in the law of Moses. In simple terms, obey what God has said. Do what God has said. Walk in the ways of the Lord. Look to the Word of God, and then by His grace do what He has told you to do. This obedience is exactly what Jesus did, and He is our example for walking with God.
Heb 5:8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
(2) That you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn. This is really the fruit of obedience to God.
And, it's that we prosper in what we do, and in the ways that we go. The word prosper means, to understand, to be prudent, to have insight, to comprehend, to have success.
This is the same thing that God told Joshua as he was assuming his role of leadership.
Joshua 1:7 “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
4. Finally, here's how this reads in the NLT 1 Kings 2:4 If you do this, then the LORD will keep the promise he made to me: ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’
Some questions:
1. Have you ever been given good advice that you did not take? And, what was the result?
2. Do you believe that God can give you all that you need to live for Him, and serve Him?
3. Isn't it a blessing that the ways of the Lord are given to us in His Word. It's like a roadmap for us.
4. And, isn't it a blessing that God has given us faith to believe Him.
5. Would you take a moment right now to think about how the Lord is speaking to you, and what He is directing you to do, and would you yield yourself to Him in that regard?
6. Finally, will You also by faith thank Him, that through His Word, and your obedience, that He is going to bless you in what He has called you to do?
A prayer:
Father, day by day, You give us daily bread. Not only for our bodies, but for our souls. Thank You for both of them. King David is in heaven today, we will meet him when we arrive there. Thank You for sharing his life story with us. From being a boy who slew a giant, to being a man who fell prey to temptation, and suffered the consequences of his sin. He finally repented and confessed his sin to God, and was forgiven and restored to his kingdom. He had other failures as well, and many, many victories. He was a man who had learned to trust in God, and found God to be faithful. Thank You Lord for giving us his story. May we learn from his wise words, and be wise men and women of God. In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
