READING: 1 Kings 9
“And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules . . . .”
1 Kings 9:4
Solomon had led the way in building God’s temple. God had heard his mighty prayer in 1 Kings 8, and now God had said, “I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time” (1 Kgs. 9:3). The Lord’s attention was focused on His nation. He loved them, and in that love He called them to follow Him fully. They were to “walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules” (1 Kgs. 9:4).
If they did not follow Him, however, the results would be disastrous: “Then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’” (1 Kgs. 9:7-8). The very temple that Solomon had built would become a “heap of ruins” if the people were to “turn aside” (1 Kgs. 9:6) from following God. Of course, that’s exactly what happened in Israelite history.
What catches my attention is the warning of this text. Today, the Hebrews celebrate. In days to come, though, disobedience would be both extensive and costly. Such stories remind me that I must choose every day to be obedient to God without compromise. Yesterday’s obedience is no guarantee of today’s victory.
ACTION STEPS:
- On this Lord’s day, rejoice that God allows us to worship Him.
- Follow Him today without compromise.
PRAYER: “Father, I worship You today. Help me to do the same tomorrow.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Proverbs 27-29