1 Kings 9:1-9: a reflection

1When Solomon had finished the building of the LORD’s house, the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do, 2The LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before me. I have made this house holy, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually. 4As for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances, 5then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘There shall not fail from you a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6But if you turn away from following me, you or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7then I will cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have made holy for my name, out of my sight; and Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8Though this house is so high, yet everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss; and they will say, ‘Why has the LORD done this to this land and to this house?’ 9and they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them, and served them. Therefore the LORD has brought all this evil on them.’”

After the temple is finished, God appears to Solomon and sets before him the path of blessing: to walk before God in integrity of heart and uprightness, as his father David had walked. If you will walk before me as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, God says, to do according to all that I have commanded you, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom. God does not call Solomon merely to outward observance, but to walk before him in integrity of heart, wholehearted and upright, doing what God has commanded, as David had done. This walking before God in integrity of heart is the path God sets before him and blesses. This shows the call to walk before God in integrity of heart, wholehearted and upright. Walk before God in integrity of heart, wholehearted and upright. God calls not merely for outward observance, but for an upright heart. To walk before God is to live wholeheartedly and honestly before him. Live before God with an undivided, upright heart.

Notice the path God sets before Solomon. It is not merely to keep up the outward forms of religion, or to perform the right rituals, but to walk before God in integrity of heart and in uprightness, as David had walked: to live wholeheartedly and honestly before God, with an undivided heart, doing what God commanded, not merely outwardly but from the heart. This is the path of blessing God sets before him. And it holds the pattern for our own walk with God. God calls us not merely to outward religion, to keeping up appearances or performing the right acts, but to walk before him in integrity of heart: to live before him wholeheartedly and honestly, with an undivided, upright heart, from which our obedience flows. To walk before God is to live our whole life in his presence, before his face, with a heart that is upright and undivided toward him, not merely going through outward motions while the heart is elsewhere. This is what God calls us to and what he blesses: not outward show, but an upright heart walking before him. We do well to walk before God in integrity of heart, wholehearted and upright, living our whole life honestly in his presence rather than merely keeping up outward forms. Walk before God in integrity of heart, wholehearted and upright. God calls for an upright heart, not merely outward observance. Live your whole life honestly in God's presence, with an undivided heart. Let your obedience flow from a heart that is upright toward God.

That is worth taking to heart, for God calls us to walk before him in integrity of heart, wholehearted and upright, and this is the path he blesses, as he set it before Solomon. We can settle for outward religion, keeping up appearances while the heart is elsewhere; but God called Solomon to walk before him in integrity of heart, as David had. Walk with an upright heart. Do not settle for outward forms while your heart is divided; walk before God in integrity of heart, living your whole life honestly in his presence. Walk before God in integrity of heart, wholehearted and upright, living your whole life honestly in his presence rather than settling for outward forms, as after the temple was finished God appeared to Solomon and set before him the path of blessing, to walk before him in integrity of heart and uprightness as his father David had walked, doing all that God had commanded, so that God would establish his throne; for God does not call merely to outward observance but to walk before him in integrity of heart, wholehearted and upright, doing what he has commanded not merely outwardly but from the heart, which is the path God sets before him and blesses, and holds the pattern for our own walk with God, since God calls us not merely to outward religion or keeping up appearances but to walk before him in integrity of heart, living before him wholeheartedly and honestly with an undivided, upright heart from which our obedience flows, so that to walk before God is to live our whole life in his presence with a heart upright and undivided toward him, not merely going through outward motions while the heart is elsewhere, which is what God calls us to and blesses, so that we do well to walk before God in integrity of heart.

Lord, after the temple is finished, you appear to Solomon and set before him the path of blessing: to walk before you in integrity of heart and uprightness, as his father David had walked. If you will walk before me as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, you say, to do according to all that I have commanded you, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom. You do not call Solomon merely to outward observance, but to walk before you in integrity of heart, wholehearted and upright, doing what you have commanded, as David had done. This walking before you in integrity of heart is the path you set before him and bless. Show me the path you set before Solomon. It is not merely to keep up the outward forms of religion, but to walk before you in integrity of heart and in uprightness, as David had walked: to live wholeheartedly and honestly before you, with an undivided heart, doing what you commanded, not merely outwardly but from the heart. This is the path of blessing you set before him. And it holds the pattern for my own walk with you. You call me not merely to outward religion, to keeping up appearances, but to walk before you in integrity of heart: to live before you wholeheartedly and honestly, with an undivided, upright heart, from which my obedience flows. To walk before you is to live my whole life in your presence, before your face, with a heart upright and undivided toward you, not merely going through outward motions while my heart is elsewhere. This is what you call me to and what you bless. Take that to my heart. Keep me from settling for outward forms while my heart is divided; help me walk before you in integrity of heart, Lord, wholehearted and upright, living my whole life honestly in your presence, with an undivided heart from which my obedience flows toward you.