King David rested with his ancestors after he reigned forty years over Israel and handing the throne over to Solomon. Before David passed in chapter 2, he offered his last words to his beloved son.

The words of King David to Solomon were like those of the old Moses to young Joshua. While Moses told Joshua to be strong and courageous (Deut. 31:7), David charge Solomon to be strong and act like a man (1 Kings 2:2). One can only imagine the fears of young Solomon. His brother, Adonijah had just forcefully attempted to take the throne for his own, only to be taken back by Solomon through the pleas of Bathsheba and Nathan. Who knows what will happen when David passes on. On top of that, the shoes of King David were huge to fit in. David had been a great king who united the kingdom and brought peace and prosperity to the entire nation. God walked with David and greatly blessed him during his reign. How would Solomon do as his successor? What if Solomon fails? What if the people overthrow him? One can only imagine the fears of a young man attempting to take over a prosperous and mighty kingdom of its time.

David after walking his entire life with God, summarized his journey with Yahweh.

“Observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go..”

This were the same commandment that Moses gave to Joshua and the Israelites before they entered the promised land. From generation to generation, this remain THE unchanging truth to the life more abundant that God promised. It is to walk in obedience to God and keep His Word!

Obedience to God and His Word must form the foundation of how we live our lives. Solomon was bold to show kindness to Abiathar the priest even when he understood that his throne might be at risk because of the decision to be merciful. Solomon was courageous to put Adonijah and Joab to death because of their treacherous deeds, even though it was politically incorrect. Solomon’s decisions were made out of his fear of God more than his fear of man.

Cognitively we as Christians understand the need to obey God and His principles, but still when we are challenged to put it in our own lives, we can be easily swayed. How often do we fail to observe our Sabbath when we become busy at work and in school? How often do we stop loving people especially when the going gets tough. How often we stop trusting God because of health problems. Or when we face with a decision that requires us to be counter cultural, are we willing to trust and obey God?

A testimony: A friend of mine had been praying for the salvation of his parents for a long time, but because they were staunched Buddhists, they were not open to hearing the gospel. Through a divine appointment, God gave him an opportunity to organize a housewarming blessing. He was excited about the potential of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ during the blessing, but at the same time was fearful that his parents would be upset with him. We prayed together and went in by faith together on a weekday night to share about Jesus Christ.

The truth was it would have been easier to give in with a simple prayer without the sharing of the gospel. There will be no fear of possible confrontation. However, God gave us peace to share boldly and we trusted that God was with us. God’s favor was on us that night, we had a great evening over meal and a good spiritual conversation after the blessing. They asked some heart felt queries about ancestor worship and after some good clarification, we sense the wall of hostility broken. We were deeply amazed and encouraged to see God’s favor over us that night.

We desire to be alive in Christ and to encounter the Spirit powerfully at work in our lives. This must be a life that is willing to walk in obedience to God by keeping His commandment. Dear brothers and sisters, are you willing to take that step of faith to enjoy such spiritual vibrancy?