Word of Encouragement (02/29/2024)
And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?" (1 Kings 3:6-9)
In v. 6, Solomon gives thanks to God for fulfilling His covenant to David: “...you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.” As you know, the crux of God’s covenant with David had to do with his offspring: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son...” (2 Sam. 7:12-14).
Solomon must have been deeply humbled and grateful that this promise was fulfilled in him! David had a lot of sons by his many wives. Many of them were handsome and competent (e.g., Adonijah and Absolom). But God chose Solomon to succeed David and sit on his throne. What an awesome privilege!
According to the covenant, it was incumbent on him to build a temple for the LORD. This was understandably a big project. As such, it could have been perceived as a big burden. But Solomon did not think of it that way. He must have been told by David how much he wanted to build a temple for God but was not allowed to because he was a man of war and shed much blood (1 Chron. 28:3). He was able to fulfill the dream that his great father had harbored but was not allowed to pursue!
Also, Solomon did not just look at what he had to do; he was able to see the rich blessings God had bestowed upon him. His heart was filled with gratitude when he surveyed God’s wondrous grace, by which He established him as king over Israel. And what did God say about his throne? “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever”! Which king on earth received such a promise from God? When our hearts overflow with gratitude, the chores we have to doturn into privileges we get to do.
According to God’s promise, Solomon was able to build a temple for the LORD. He did not spare any expense because his heart was wholly in it. We wonder, however, whether he knew that he was not the promised Son of David. Maybe, maybe not. Yes, he was able to build a majestic temple for God. But it was not indestructible. What about the promise that his throne would last forever? Maybe he understood it to mean that his dynasty would not come to an end, not lacking a descendant of his to sit on his throne. But that was not what God had in mind. There would come a greater Son of David, who would build a living and indestructible temple for God and reign on His throne forever—Jesus Christ our Lord, David’s Lord, and Solomon’s Lord. God kept His promise. And by this greater Son of David, we have been redeemed and brought into His eternal kingdom of heaven. May God fill our hearts with gratitude and joy unspeakable so that we will receive His commands as delightful privileges!