A Father’s Legacy
“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve Him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek Him, you will find Him. But if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as His sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.” 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (NLT)
What kind of legacy will you leave? Your impact today can leave a lasting impression in the lives of your sons and daughters and those who know you. David was the greatest King of Israel, and he was leaving a dynasty to his young son, Solomon. It was a daunting task for anyone to fill, much less a teenage boy who may have been thirteen-to-fifteen years old at the time. God anointed this young man for the task, and David knew it. Yet, he also knew that Solomon would need provision, direction, and preparation.
If you compare the accounts in 1 Kings 2 and 1 Chronicles 22-28, you will find a remarkable example of how to leave a legacy for your sons and daughters. In 1 Kings 2, the Bible says, “As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon: I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man.” (Verses 1-2 NLT)
Wow! What a charge to give your son! Can you imagine being Solomon and hearing that? Isn’t it amazing that God chose this young man of all of David’s children to be the heir to the throne? His mother was Bathsheba! He may have thought he would have been the least likely to have been chosen given the history of David’s illicit affair with his mother and murder of her first husband, Uriah. I love the grace of God! Despite the shadow of his past lineage, God told David that Solomon was His pick! Given what Solomon was about to take on, David tells him to take courage and be a man. I’m thankful he didn’t leave it at that. David continues to tell him how to be a man. In 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (NLT), David gives his son these four specific instructions. See if you can pick them out:
“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your (fathers) intimately. Worship and serve Him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek Him, you will find Him. But if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as His sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.”
What great counsel for leaving a lasting legacy of faith! David tells his son:
· Know the God of your father, not just as your father’s God but as your God. Know Him intimately. This kind of knowledge is relational, not merely academic.
· Worship God with your whole heart and a willing mind.
· Serve Him with your whole heart and a willing mind.
· Seek Him, and you will find Him.
He wraps it up by warning Solomon to take his task and relationship with God seriously and that if he forsakes the Lord, he will suffer severe consequences. Wise words we can impress on our children. What a challenge to live by!