1 Kings 2:1-4 – Be true to God

The farewell counsel of an older character to a younger one is common in the Bible. In Genesis 49, Jacob gave his farewell words to his twelve sons. In Deuteron9omy 33-34, we see Moses’ farewell words to the children of Israel. Then in Joshua 2, we see the leader’s farewell words to the second generation of the children of Israel whom he had led into the promised land. All the accounts were given to provide continuity by taking focus from one character to the new who had been introduced. So in 1 Kings 2:1-9, we see recorded for us the final counsel David gave to Solomon. The time for the old king was up so he gave his final words to Solomon whom he had just installed to take his place to rule Israel.  

David’s final counsel to Solomon has two parts. In this reflection, we will look at the part of his counsel recorded in verses 1-4, leaving the part of his counsel in verses 5-9 for our next reflection. Most of us find it easy to accept the first part, where he wisely counseled Solomon to keep God’s law and instructions given through Moses. However, we find it harder to reckon with the second part of the counsel where he gave Solomon some harsh and cruel political maneuvers. However, the first part was important as it deals with David’s call to Solomon to stay committed to God. This was to be the basis for how the new king was to carry the kingdom forward. The call to stay committed to God was not only important to Solomon but is also important to us today if we are to please God in our lives and ministries.

Solomon was to be strong and prove himself to be a man by “keeping the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses….”. David assured Solomon of two positive outcomes if he followed the instructions here. The first had to do with Solomon’s reign. He would surely prosper and experience success in his rule. The second had more to do with God’s promise to David. The LORD had promised that their faithfulness would ensure that someone in the Davidic line would always occupy the throne. This is more consequential because it has to do with the reign of  Jesus, the eternal King.

The call of these verses is for us to be true to God. These few verses provide for us key actions we must take if we are to experience success. We must keep the charge of God, walk in His ways, obey His Words, guard our ways, remain faithful to God, and follow Him wholeheartedly. The promise: when we do these disciplinarily, we ensure our progress with God in life and ministry.