1 Kings 2:1-12 vs.

"Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God"

Several times in my 22 years of ministry I have had the privilege of being with a family in the final hours of a loved one’s death. If you have been in this kind of situation you know what I am saying.

Each time it has happened I have felt as though I was standing on holy ground. The final conversations, the last squeezing of each other’s hands, the concluding kisses, there is a sacredness to them.

When we are not afforded this opportunity to say good bye, we often lament not having had the chance to say one more time, I love you.

1 Kings 2:1-12, invites us to enter into holy grounds, into the chamber of King David, and be privy to the last words of a father to his son.

Picture yourself in David’s situation, your 70 years old, you have been King of the Israelites for 40 years. During your reign the kingdom has become united, you ushered Israel into the golden years, and the nation is God centered. Your health is declining, you know your time is short so you have declared your son king.

What do you say to your son?

What pearl of wisdom can you leave him with, that will be a guiding light for him? What valuable lesson did you learn from life that you want to impart on your son?

David said,
"Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in the ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn."

David is not some coach standing on the sidelines with his players, trailing with two minutes left to play, giving them a pep talk. He is not telling his son to persevere, as Sir Winston Churchill did when he addresses the graduates of Oxford University saying, "Never give up!" "Never give up!"

David is giving to his son Solomon, the keys to the kingdom, not just the keys to the throne of Israel, but the keys to the throne of God.

Be strong.

David is not telling Solomon to work out regularly, to take out a membership in Gold’s Gym. David is not talking about bulging biceps and rock hard abs. Nor is David talking about building a strong military defense. The kind of strength David is referring to, is the kind David spoke about in Psalm 121,

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth."

Strength comes from trusting God. Strength comes by walking in God’s way, by keeping His statutes, by depending upon God. Today, unfortunately depending on someone or something, even depending on God is seen as a weakness. We live in an age of the self made man or woman. Stand on your own two feet, be completely independent, owe nothing to anyone.

This is the very thing David is warning David against. David is stressing to Solomon the need to make God and His laws, the center of his personal life and the life of the nation.

Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God.

To be strong, will take courage.

In God’s Little Devotional for Men, there is a story told about a renowned preacher, Henry Ward Beecher, who while in Indianapolis, preached a series of sermons about gambling and drunkenness. He soundly denounced the people of the community who profited by these sins.

The next week Beecher was accosted on the street by a would-be assailant. Branding a pistol, the man demanded that Beecher make some kind of retraction.

"Take it back, right here!" he demanded with an oath, "Or I will shoot you on the spot."

Beecher calmly replied, "Shoot away!" The man was taken back by his response. Beecher walked away at that point saying over his shoulder as he left the scene, "I don’t believe you can hit the mark as well as I did!"

Courage involves more than convictions. It involves a willingness to speak and act in order to bring about change.

David was saying to Solomon, it won’t be enough to just believe in God’s ways, statutes, commandments. You must be willing to speak out, speak up, and stand up. You must be willing to walk and to keep the ways and commandments of the Lord.

This is advice, which we all need to heed.

Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and where you turn.

David gives Solomon this advice, with an assurance.

"Then the Lord will establish His word that He spoke concerning me; ‘If your heirs take heed to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a successor on the throne of Israel."

David gave well seasoned advice to his son. It would be up to Solomon to follow it.

History tells us that Solomon did not follow David’s advice and they lost the throne. Although God did fulfill His promise to David that his line would go on forever. God did this by sending Jesus, who was born of Joseph and Mary, who were of the house of David.

Jesus’ birth, his life, his death and resurrection, does not negate the advice David gave to Solomon. While you and I are saved by grace and not by works. We would be wise to follow the advice of David. For David’s advice is no different than the advice of Jesus who said,

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

Jesus goes on to say,
"They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." (John 14:21)

All David and Jesus can do is advise you and me.

As it was up to Solomon, it is up to you and me to follow it OR not. Just realize that as there are blessings for following, there are consequences for not.

Amen

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