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Walk In His Ways
Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 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; 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.’ 1 Kings 2:1-4 NKJV
As some of you already know, Bruce and I were both widowed when we met. More correctly, when God had us meet.
When we married, we combined my 6 children with Bruce’s 4. He also had 3 former foster children who are counted as additional family. To that, we adopted 7 Tanzanian full orphans through our church. That made our family count up to 20. Mind you, there are also 25 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and spouses of the older generations.
I think of the advice that we want to share with them all.
Little Mary in Tanzania is only 5, yet, in a few months, Bruce’s eldest son will be turning 60. Bruce is in his early 80s, and I am in my mid-70s.
We have lived a long while now, and God has taught us a lot of things.
Like all parents, we want to share that knowledge with our children.
When we read this passage, we know exactly how King David felt. He realizes he will soon pass away, and knows his son Solomon will then be the new king.
No doubt, David realizes what Solomon will likely face while leading the great Israelite people.
David tells him to be a man and keep the ways of God. He mentions God’s statutes, commandments, judgments, and testimonies. In other words, David points Solomon to the Law of Moses.
We live in a time where the world also has the words of Jesus and has seen the power of His resurrection.
How much more with which we are blessed!
The Holy Spirit will indwell when asked, and will thereafter teach us “all things.”
What a vast store of understanding is available to believers!
David reminds that if Solomon follows God, He will prosper.
We realize that prosperity of the soul is all that truly counts in this life and for eternity. We know that God will bless in all ways, those who follow Him. No, I do not mean that there will be a flow of things we can do without, for if we have food and adequate clothing, we have all we need. We should be clinging to the value of spiritual growth, ever seeking the Holy Spirit to further lead and guide us into truth. We should be reading the Bible, and daily, hourly, moment by moment, we should be seeking God through conversation with Him. If He is our true dearest Friend, we should desire His fellowship more than the next breath of air that we draw.
God promises to be with us. We read this in the following passage:
11 Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying: 12 “Concerning this [a]temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My [b]word with you, which I spoke to your father David. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.” 1 Kings 6:11-13 NKJV
As we seek and obey and ever follow God, He will dwell among and within us.
What a glorious truth and blessing. How life changing will it be to feel so close to God, that you KNOW His Presence is with you. Turn to Him for all of your decisions, seek His Will above your own, talk with Him, and read His Word.
What a blessed life awaits as we put God first and OBEY OUR GOD.