1 Reis 9

1 Reis 9

MacArthur comments on the meaning of forever - God was not saying He will dwell in that building forever, since in less than 400 years it was destroyed by the Babylonians (cf. 1Ki 9:7-9). He was saying that Jerusalem and the temple mount are to be His earthly throne as long as the earth remains, through the millennial kingdom (see Isa 2:1-4; Zec 14:16). Even during the New Heaven and New Earth, the eternal state, there will be the heavenly Jerusalem, where God will eternally dwell (see Rev 21:1, 2). (SEE The MacArthur Bible Commentary: A Faithful, Focused ... - Page 406) 1 Kings 9:4 "As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, if : 1Ki 3:14 8:25 11:4,6,38 14:8 15:5 Ge 17:1 De 28:1 2Ch 7:17,18 Job 23:11,12 Ps 15:2 26:1,11 Pr 20:7 Zec 3:7 Lu 1:6 1Th 4:1,2 integrity: Pr 10:9 28:18 Related Passages: 1 Kings 3:6; 14+ (SOLOMON CLEARLY KNEW HOW HIS FATHER HAD WALKED) Then Solomon said, “You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. (3:14) “IF you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.” 1 Kings 11:34+ (GOD SHOWS SOLOMON MERCY BECAUSE OF DAVID'S WALK! FATHERS - OUR WALK HAS HUGE RIPPLE EFFECTS, POSITIVELY AND NEGATIVELY!) ‘Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; ANOTHER CONDITIONAL PROMISE TO SOLOMON As for you, if - The condition is stated. If indicates something will happen only if specific conditions are met. This is reminiscent of the blessings and cursings in Lev 26 and Deut 28. Yahweh now expounds those conditions. It is interesting to recall that Jehovah's warning words echo David's last words to Solomon in 1 Kings 2:3+ some 40 years earlier... “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ THOUGHT - Dear father or dad, have you blown it at some point in your life? (That's almost rhetorical for most of us have to one degree or another). David sinned, but he never served other gods as Solomon would (1Ki 11:5). But take heart from David, a man just like us with many shortcomings, but because of the amazing grace, mercy and forgiveness of Jehovah, David became a man for all men to model (the good aspects) and you can do the same for your family by choosing to forget "what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Php 3:13-14+) Brothers, may God's Spirit and Word strengthen all of us to become men like David and ultimately men like Jesus. Amen You will walk before Me as your father David walked in integrity (tom; Lxx - hosiotes = a disposition that acts out of regard for the moral law of God) of heart and uprightness - Note the critical word is "AS" which is a term of comparison (simile). God presents David's walk as the pattern Solomon (and all of us) should emulate. David describes this walk in Psalm 101:2 declaring " I will give heed to the blameless way. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house in the integrity (tom) of my heart." Note that integrity is associated with the heart, the control center of our being. (See Integrity - A Whole Heart; Daniel-Man of Integrity; Jon Courson's discussion of why integrity matters; The power of personal integrity by Dyer, Charles H - Borrow book). THOUGHT - Integrity (from "integer" = the whole of anything, a whole number not a fraction - think "whole character" not a fraction of one!) speaks of the unimpaired state of one's mind and heart, of moral soundness and purity, of incorruptness, of uprightness, of honesty. Just as we would talk about a whole number, so also we can talk about a whole person who is undivided. A person of integrity is living rightly, not divided, nor being a different person in different circumstances. A person of integrity is the same person in private that he or she is in public. Integrity has the same root word as does the word integrated. A leader of integrity has taken the principles that govern his life, internalized them, and integrated them into every area of his life. Integrity is not like a weathervane that changes direction with every shift of the social winds, as sadly Solomon's life would soon dramatically demonstrate. And remember reputation is what men think you are, while character is what God knows you are. Are you a "WYSIWYG" person? This stands for "What You See Is What You Get." It speaks of congruency between what you verbalize and what you practice. Your "life" matches your "lips"! Dearly beloved, would you say that you are walking with integrity? John