David was officially installing his son, Solomon, to be the next king of Israel. He also was commissioning Solomon to build God's house - the temple. With his calling, Solomon had promises from God that brought great privilege and great responsibility. Unconditionally, God called him to be a son. God would be a father unto him. Conditionally, God promised to bless Solomon's kingdom for future generations of his posterity. The condition was that Solomon must stay true to the Word of God. A study of Solomon's life will show that God stayed true to him as a father. But God could not bless Solomon's future posterity. Because of the inconsistency in Solomon's life, God would later divide the Kingdom (I Kings 11:1-13ff).
In I Chronicles 28:9, David makes an important challenge to Solomon. Solomon needs to know the Lord in an active personal way. He needs to serve the Lord with all his heart and mind. Then David warns Solomon that God is paying close attention. God knows and understands the inner thoughts of man. God invites Solomon to seek and to follow the Lord. If Solomon turns from following Him, the Lord will reject his work. See I Corinthians 9:24-27; 3:9-17; II Timothy 2:1-7.
David's last words, in II Samuel 23:1-4, describe godly rulers, "… He that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." He went on to say that a godly ruler is like a bright sunrise on a cloudless day, like the glistening of the sun on grass after a rain. How well it is stated, in the second psalm, that kings should fear the Lord and serve Him.
- The Kingdom of Christ is consuming - The kingdoms of this world are His (Psalm 2:1-8 cp. Revelation 11:15).
- The Kingdom of Christ is coming - Christ is coming to claim His kingdom. He will judge the nations and their leaders (Psalm 2:9 cp. Acts 17:30-31; Matthew 6:9-10).
- The Kingdom of Christ is calling - There is time today to repent (Psalm 2:10-12; Matthew 3:1-2; II Corinthians 6:2).
Kings have a lot of power and authority. But kings must realize that they answer to the one and only true King, who knows all and is involved with all the thoughts and affairs of men. He graciously rules now, giving time for mankind to consider and repent. Our Lord shall judge. Our Lord shall reign in the earth, even as He does in heaven. He shall rule with a rod of iron. See Daniel 4:34-35; Psalm 2:9; 94:1-23; Isaiah 40:1-31; Revelation 2:26-27; 12:5; 19:11-16.
What about the rest of us? Should we not also heed David's call to know the Lord, seek Him, and serve Him with all our heart and mind? Should we not also heed David's warning that, if we forsake the Lord, He will also forsake us? That can be applied to individuals and to nations (Proverbs 14:34; Psalm 9:15-20; 50:1-23; Isaiah 45:21-25).
If you don't know the Lord:
- Seek Him while He may be found - now, today!
- Call on the Father to forgive you and accept you through the blood offering of Jesus Christ.
- Ask Christ to come into your life, so that you may know that you are born again!
See Isaiah 55:6-13; Acts 17:24-31; John 5:24; 14:6; Romans 3:19-26; 10:8-13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:8-10.
If you do know the Lord:
- Give Him your full attention.
- Feed your soul with His Word
- Talk to Him about all your cares and concerns.
- Talk to Him about all His cares and concerns.
- Serve Him with all your heart, in accordance with all of His instructions.
See Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; II Timothy 3:14-17; II Peter 2:2-11; Matthew 28:18-20; Revelation 22:12; I Corinthians 3:9-17; II Corinthians 5:1-10, 14-17; James 2:12; I Peter 5:5-10 (I Peter 5:7 cp. Ezekiel 9:4; Malachi 3:16-18; Matthew 5:4-6; 6:19-33).
To be Continued… | 
