“Take Courage And Be A Man”

I love the passage from the first book of Kings that recalls the death of King David. This great warrior king is coming to the end of his life, and what a life it has been ….a life filled with incredible “ups and downs”. A simple shepherd boy who is anointed by Samuel as the future king, he kills the giant Goliath rescuing Israel, he experiences contention with King Saul, he reign for 40 years, and his legacy continues to Jesus. And let’s remember that despite being a “man after God’s own heart”, he was flawed and sinned grievously at times. And now this incredible life is coming to an end. 

Listen to David’s final words to his son Soloman. ”When the time of David’s death drew near, he gave these instructions to his son Solomon: “I am going the way of all flesh. Take courage and be a man.Keep the mandate of the Lord, your God, following his ways and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn, and the Lord may fulfill the promise he made on my behalf….. . David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years.”  ( 1 Kings 2:1-4,10-12)

This is a beautiful and strong final discourse of a father with his son. He wants his son to do well; he’s giving him clear instruction.  “Take courage and be a man”. David knows that the road will be hard for Soloman… he needs to be a man of courage if he is to succeed; he also needs to “observe the commands of the Lord”. Solomon had mixed results in his life, but that’s for another BLOG. 

As a father, I can’t think of a better farewell message to your son (or daughter) as you pass on….. “take courage and be a man of God…be a woman of God”. Don’t expect an easy road… keep your eyes on the Lord and his commandments and ways. If you do, all will be well. 

So for now, let’s all take David’s admonition to heart, and courageously follow the directions of the Lord “that we may succeed in whatever we do and wherever we turn.” And that will be very good news.