CROWNED | 1 Kings Chapter 3

PODCAST

Week 1 / Day 3

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back to Day 3 of our Crowned Series!  In today’s reading, you are going to get a break from all of the difficult-to-pronounce names as the narrative focuses almost exclusively on Solomon himself

READ

So go ahead and take a moment to read 1 Kings 3.  As you do, take time to slow down and really think about the words you are reading, making note of anything that stands out or questions that you may have for future study.  

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REFLECT

If you remember, the foundation of yesterday’s discussion centered around one key teaching:  It is our motives, not our actions, that matter most!  And today, we are going to continue to build on that foundation.  

As chapter 3 begins, we read of Solomon’s marriage alliance with the Pharaoh king of Egypt (verses 1 & 2) and then shift quickly to his commitment to walk with the Lord just as his father, King David, had done, and recounts a dream in which he encountered the Lord, in verses 3-9.  It is in that dream that Solomon gives thanks to the Lord for the love He had shown his father, David.  Let’s read that prayer of thanksgiving, found in verse 3, together.

“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.” 1 Kings 3:6 (ESV)

Solomon clearly thought highly of his father and had a deep love and appreciation for the Lord and the way he walked with and blessed his father, David.  However, if you know David’s life story, the words spoken by Solomon don’t seem to fully line up with the life he lived. 

Let’s take a moment to look at a few highs and lows of David’s life:

On one hand, we see David as a humble shepherd, who was anointed as future King in 1 Samuel 16, and as the warrior who defeated the giant Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.  But on the other hand, we read of him caught up in a scandalous affair with Bathsheba and being called out for murder in 2 Samuel 11.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t immediately think of someone who is guilty of adultery and murder when I hear words of praise such as “he walked before the Lord in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart”!  And yet, these are the very words Solomon uses to describe his father.  

Now, before you begin to think “well, maybe Solomon didn’t know about David’s past”, let’s remember that Solomon is a RESULT of David’s past!  Don’t forget - Solomon’s mother is Bathsheba - the woman with whom David had an affair and ultimately had her husband, Uriah, killed in an attempt to cover up the sin he had committed.  No, Solomon was not the child born of that affair; that child passed away shortly after birth (2 Samuel 12), and yes, David did end up marrying Bathsheba following the death of her husband, Uriah.  However, the legacy of the moment would have lived on, not just in the official record but also in social chatter, and Solomon would have grown up with knowledge of his father David's negligent acts.  ​

You could also argue that Solomon, having a relationship with his father and being the one who is about to inherit his father's vast and wealthy kingdom, was choosing to “read between the lines” a bit - seeing his father the way he wanted to see him and not the way he really was.  However, that theory is blown out of the water when you read what the LORD says about David in verse 14.  Let’s read it together.

“And if you [Solomon] will walk in My ways, keeping my statutes and my commands as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 1 Kings 3:14 (ESV - Emphasis Added)

Ok.  There’s NO WAY you can argue the LORD didn’t know about David’s past, and yet here He is speaking the same words over David as Solomon - praising him as “faithful”, “righteous”, and “upright”, having “walked in the Lord’s way” and “keeping His commands.”  

Is this one of those “the words don’t mean what we think they mean” moments?  I mean, I, knowing David’s past transgressions so clearly, would at least denote the words of praise with a “he was faithful and upright….most of the time” or “after some struggle, he ultimately…walked in the Lord’s way”.  But that is not what we read in scripture.  Not from the words of Solomon and not from the words of the Lord.  So the question we are left with is why?  Why are these the chosen words of legacy from both Solomon, a man who knew him well, and the Lord, our God, who knows Him fully?

Because, as we learned yesterday, motive matters more than actions.  Now, don’t get me wrong!  I’m not saying that David had pure motives when he acted in sin because He absolutely did not!  HOWEVER, unlike Joab, when confronted with the reality of his sin, David didn’t run to the Lord, desperate for shelter, but rather desperate for surrender.  Where Joab’s motive was to avoid consequence, David owned his actions and faced the consequences, both before God and man.  

I don’t know about you, but my life story looks far more like David’s past and very little like the words or praise and legacy spoken about him by Solomon and the Lord.  And so, if you are anything like me, then today’s passage should breathe fresh hope into your heart and life as you are reminded that:

1. Your past decisions may impact your future, but they don’t define it!

If you were to read the story of David’s act of infidelity with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), you would find that the child born from that act did not survive.  So not only did David carry the burden of what he had done, but he also carried the weight of the loss of a child.  There was a definite impact on his future self.  However, his future was not defined by that act, for having come to the Lord with a repentant heart, David did what was right, married Bathsheba, and ultimately fathered four additional sons through her, including Solomon.

The Lord didn’t just forgive David’s past; He redeemed it!  And He does the same for you and for me!  Isn’t God so good??  

2. Your legacy is built on motive and movement, not moments.  

What does that mean?  It means the Lord knows we aren’t perfect and yet He chose us anyway.  And though He desires for us to live lives of holiness, He also offers unending and unmitigated grace in this messy middle we call life.  

For as Roman 5:8 says,

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (NIV)

You see, the Lord loved us at our worst, even to the point of death.  And that same, deep, limitless love reaches us even in our most difficult, embarrassing, shame-filled moments.  So no matter what your past has held, if you have accepted Him as your personal Lord and savior, then it is HIM, not your past, that holds your future.  The question is, will you trust Him with it?

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RESPOND

1. David’s life included both remarkable faithfulness and serious failure.  How does his story challenge the way you typically define a person’s legacy - by their worst moments or their redeemed future?  What past decisions, mistakes, or seasons of life, if any, are you still allowing to shape YOUR identity today?

2. In today’s study, we discussed how David responded to his sin with surrender and repentance rather than self-preservation.  Are there any areas in your own heart and life that need to be brought to light and surrendered rather than swept under the rug in an attempt to self-preserve, cover up, and forget?  What are they?  What can you do to address them?

3. Romans 5:8 reminds us that Christ loved us at our worst, but, as the cliche saying goes, “He loves us too much to leave us that way.”  What are some consistent actions and spiritual habits you currently practice that help you in reflecting Him more clearly?  What are some actions/habits that are keeping you from reflecting Him more clearly that you need to change?  What spiritual habits do you need to adopt? 

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WORKS CITED

Enduring Word

Blueletter Bible

Jesusalive.cc