Scripture Daily

Context No. 2083 of 4322 · 1 Kings

Context · Reflection

1 Kings 2:1-7: in context

1Now the days of David came near that he should die; and he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2“I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man; 3and keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself. 4Then the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’ 5“Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist and in his sandals that were on his feet. 6Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.

As David's death approaches, he gives a final charge to his son Solomon. Amid some practical instructions, his central word is not about power or wealth or the securing of the throne, but about God. I am going the way of all the earth, he says. Be strong therefore, and show yourself a man; and keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes and commandments, as written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all you do. A dying father's deepest concern for his son is that he walk faithfully with God.

What David charges Solomon with, at the very end, reveals what he most valued. He was a king; he could have used his last words to secure his dynasty, amass counsel about power, warn against political enemies. And he does give some practical instruction. But the heart of his charge is about God: keep the charge of the LORD your God, walk in his ways, keep his commandments. This is what David most wanted for his son, more than a secure throne or worldly success: that he would walk faithfully with God. At the threshold of death, the true priorities show, and David's was that his son would keep faith with God. There is something instructive here about what we most want for those who come after us, and what we pass on to them. It is natural to want for our children success, security, prosperity, and to spend our energy passing on the counsel that secures these. But David's dying charge points to a deeper priority: that they would walk with God, keep his ways, remain faithful to him. This is the inheritance that matters most, deeper than any worldly provision. Be strong, David says, and keep the charge of the LORD your God. And this charge is one to be passed on deliberately. These words shall be on your heart, Moses says; and you shall teach them diligently to your children. The faith we hold is meant to be handed on, most of all to those who come after us, as David handed his charge to Solomon. This searches what we most desire for those in our care, and what we are passing on to them. Is our deepest concern, like David's, that they walk faithfully with God, and are we passing that charge on to them deliberately? Or do we spend ourselves passing on lesser things, worldly counsel and provision, while neglecting the charge that matters most? David's dying words to his son were, keep the charge of the LORD your God, walk in his ways; and the deepest thing we can want for those who come after us, and the most important thing we can pass on, is that they keep faith with God and walk in his ways.

What do I most desire for those who come after me, and what am I passing on to them, and can David's dying charge to Solomon, be strong and keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, make my deepest concern for them, as it was his for his son, that they walk faithfully with God, so that I deliberately pass on the charge that matters most rather than only the lesser things of worldly counsel and provision?

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