Theme: “Do well in everything and everyplace”
Text: 1 Kings 2:1-4, 46
Introduction
How was your 2021? and What do you expect in 2022? For some, the year 2021 could have brought news on death, ailments, sickness, failures, hardships, and vulnerability. It could have been days of hopelessness and months of anxiety for some. it could have been a year of unmet expectations, disappointments, waiting for a long duration, and yet to realize what you want for yourself, for your children and grandchildren.
My dear brothers and sisters, here is a word from the Lord. I was praying a month ago while I was preparing the Intouch for Jan 2022. The word of the Lord came to me as inspiration. It is a word for wellbeing, a word for happiness and success. This word is the continuation of the promise God has given you. I call you to trust in him and believe in his word, move forward with these words of blessings.
The Lord promises that you will ‘do well in everything and everyplace’ (I Kings 2:2). I would like to quote from three different versions about this sentence: Amplified Bible puts “you may do wisely and PROSPER IN ALL THAT YOU DO and wherever you turn.” The Century Bible translates “In this way, you will SUCCEED IN WHATEVER YOU DO and wherever you go.” And the VOICE Bible scripts “you will be successful in everything you do NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE.”
God promises that your success and prosperity are not based on any human mercies, their favour, not on natural environments but purely God’s grace and his favour. The promise is you will succeed in whatever you do, and wherever you turn, wherever you go, and wherever you are.
God promises to be with you in your present and your future but the prerequisite is Obedience. The prosperity is not because of your intelligence, skills, talents, and wisdom but by absolute obedience to the Word of God. I will deal with this more in the second point of our meditation.
Please come along with me to know what King David told King Solomon and advised him, 1 Kings 1:14 has three things for a successful life, to prosper in your business, to grow in your profession, to have more intelligence, and to grasp power during your class hours and in all your endeavours.
They are as follows:
1. Demonstrate your maturity,
2. Devote yourselves to the Laws of the Lord God, and
3. Destroy all that is evil in your kingdom
Then the Lord would establish your kingdom.
1. Demonstrate your Maturity (1 Kings 2:1-2)
Illustration:
Last wishes of a Man:
Before his death, a man handed over three envelopes to his wife and instructed her that she should open envelopes in the order of the serial numbers he had marked. He asked her to do exactly what was written in them.
The man died, his wife opened the envelops:
"The first envelope contained Rs. 10,000 with a note, 'Please use this money to buy a nice Coffin box'. So, she bought a casket with such a comfortable lining that he should rest very comfortably.
"The second envelope contained Rs. 25,000 with a note, 'Please use this for memorial service and provide biriyani'. She arranged with an excellent caterer good food to satisfy his soul.
"The third envelope contained Rs. 1, 00,000 with a note, 'Please use this to buy a nice stone. She went to Jewellery and bought a beautiful Diamond – (Adopted).
Now we read the last wish of King David. The death bed of David became a time of turbulence, trembling, and shaking to the house of Judah. There was confusion about who would take over the United Kingdom of Israelites. David had seven sons. Unfortunately, the firstborn Amnon was killed for sexually harassing his step-sister Tamar. Not anything great about his second son Kileab. But, his third son Absalom was killed by Joab in the battle. The fourth son Adonijah raised his head against his father David. About the fifth son Shephatiah and the sixth son Ithream, no records were found on them (2 Samuel 3:2-6).
With the given situation, Absalom and Amnon were dead, So, Adonijah had tried to overtake the Kingdom from David ignoring the Promise of God. Joab joined the treason against King David and Solomon. So, Bathsheba, mother of Solomon approached King David to secure the Kingdom for Solomon. So, after Solomon was crowned as new King to succeed Emperor David.
The age of Solomon at his accession as King was unknown but he was young and tender according to the scriptural references (1 Chronicles 22:5; 1 Chronicle 29:1). Solomon vouched for it through his prayer that he was a little child (1 Kings 3:7). Josephus, probably reflecting the tradition of his time, fixes Solomon’s age at fourteen. But the OT scholars fix his age at twenty.
You demonstrate maturity means or refers to the confidence in doing things and being courageous while taking decisions. You be a good and strong leader of your time. “be strong; show what you’re made of! Do what God tells you” (The Message). The counsel was like the apostolic direction (1 Corinthians 16:13).
It refers to the fortitude or strength of mind that was required to discharge the onerous functions of the king (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown). He has to arm himself against the subtle devices, against the flatteries and importunities, against terrors and dangers from revengeful men, and against his weakness, partiality due to fear or favour, and against all those evil thoughts and passions towards great wealth, glory, and uncontrollable power (Matthew Poole).
Illustration:
Once I visited a house. They took me to a room where a bay was lying on the cradle. I asked “how many months old baby? They replied she is not a baby she is 23 years Old Woman. But never grown always baby.
We should show our maturity in the things we are entrusted with. People around us must understand and testify that we are growing in patience, in sacrifice, in love, and in relationships. We must mature in handling defeats, disturbances, failures, and disappointments. Check you are showing any progress and maturity.
The author of the Book of Hebrews says maturity refers to the people who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:14). Let us press on to maturity (Hebrews 6:1)
2. Devote to the Laws of the Lord God (1 Kings 2:3-4)
Illustration:
A little girl pointed to a Bible on their bookshelf that was never opened, and she asked her mother, "Mom, Whose book is that?"
Her mother was quite troubled by her daughter’s question and she replied, "Why honey, don't you know? That is God's book!"
Then the child told her mother, "Mom, Don't you think that we had better give it back to God? No one around here ever reads it." (Adopted)
David’s second advice to Solomon was to devote you to the word of God. In fact, promises never came at free of cost. God demands certain things. In other words, the Promises of God are conditional and fulfilled ‘based on continuous obedience’ (Barnes). Honour the laws of the Eternal God, and live by His truth. Be faithful to His laws, His commands, His judgments, and His precepts. Then the Lord will give you wisdom and counsel, assistance and strength, protection and defence (Matthew Poole). Wycliffe adds a word that God not only commands but orders to carry the duty with obedience.
The three words statutes, commandments, and judgments refer to the three portions of the divine law. They are ceremonial, moral, and the judicial ordinances revealed by God in the Mosaic code. Testimonies interpreted of those pieces of evidence of God’s will towards man which is made clear by His dealings with bygone generations (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges).
Of course, we can indeed walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies. Truly speaking, it is impossible to draw any clear and sharp distinction between these four words. The force of the accumulation of practically synonymous terms is to represent the law in its entirety (Pulpit commentary).
So obey the entire Bible and its teaching whenever it reaches you. Jesus taught us: but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. God promises that if we put Him first, He will take care of the rest (Matthew 6:33). Jesus told Pharisees, and priests of his days to search the scriptures to find messiah and the eternal life (John 5:39). All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Believers in Thessalonica became noble by examining the scriptures (Acts 17:31). Cell groups will enable you to become nobler in thinking and acting wisely. The word of God is a Lamp to feet and the Light to the path (Psalm 119:105). This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8). Your faith increases through reading and hearing of the scriptures loudly (Romans 10:17). Only it can keep us pure (Psalm 119:9).
3. Destroy all that is evil in your kingdom (1 Kings 2:5-46)
Illustrative Quote:
A child wrote an advisory note in her class:
“When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don’t answer him.”(Adopted)
David told Solomon to destroy the evil men from his sight, to remove those likely to rebel against him, and reward those who had remained loyal to him. He warned strictly to watch over his enemies and their activities. He said never show mercy to them. Be careful about those who lead you to sin, misguide you, wrongly feed you, and misadvise you. Don’t go by the values of the face but by the heart. Be careful about the kisses of enemies and warnings of friends.
After the death of David (10-12), Solomon soon found opportunities to get rid of his opponents. Adonijah was the first to be killed. Adonijah was executed for treason (1 Kings 2:23-25). Solomon dealt with Abiathar, the high priest for supporting Adonijah. Abiathar was dismissed from his priestly work. So, the priestly work of Eli’s descendants came to an end (1 Kings 2:26-27, 1 Samuel 2:27-9.2.36). Joab was executed. He had no right to ask for mercy by clinging to the altar, as he had been guilty of wilful murder (I Kings 2:28-35, Exodus 21:12-2.21.14). Joab should have been punished for the murders he had committed (2 Samuel 3:30; 2 Samuel 20:10) but spared for many years. Now the final treason against Solomon brought death. Joab was followed by Shimei, a relative of Saul who had always been opposed to the throne of David (2 Samuel 16:5-10,16:14). Solomon would not allow him to leave Jerusalem (1 Kings 2:36-38). When Shimei went to Gath in search of runaway slaves, Solomon saw this as defiance of his authority. Shimei was promptly executed (I Kings 2:39-46).
Adonijah means my Lord is Jehovah, but his activities are not exhibiting the Lordship of Yahweh. We should be careful about sanctimonious people who speak pious words but are poisonous in their hearts and heads, first cut off from such people if you can’t bring them to repentance. Abiathar means father of abundance or excels. He has shifted his loyalty from the man of God to the ungodly. He was a man of survival and not to be trusted. Do not believe in people such as persons who do not stand for justice and truth. Joab means Yahweh is my Father. But never adhere to the law of the Lord. He does all ungodly, sins against the Law of the Lord. Three of them are identical to hypocrites. Jesus warned about the hypocrites and instructed how we need to deal with them. ‘So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach’. (Matthew 23:3 )
However, it may look beautiful, pleasant, which gives pleasure desist the devil and his evil devices. Always prepare to eradicate the evil men from your sight. Do not learn their techniques, their undignified acts, inhuman values, and ungodly ways. Our success is depended upon how we deal with our evil practices and routine laziness and ungodly things. God would establish when we do his will and deal mercilessly with our evil habits, systems, and practices.
Conclusion: Let us move on to maturity, keep tuning our ears to the Word of God, and leave aside all that is harmful and not helpful for spiritual life. Do well in all things and everywhere.
