GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
1 CHRONICLES 22:11-13
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11 “Now, my son, may the LORD be with you. May you succeed. You will build the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken about you. 12 But may the LORD grant you discretion and understanding, so that when he gives you charge over Israel you will keep the law of the LORD your God. 13 Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the judgments that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed.
Here we have a question that will rise up all by itself: When did David say these words? They are not “the last words of David” (1 Samuel 23:1-7), but they are the same kind of charge or last will and testament that Jacob gave to his sons before he died; that Moses gave to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:23; Joshua 1:6-9), or the Great Commission of Christ that he gave in Galilee before returning south to Jerusalem for his ascension into heaven (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18).
This is a blessing, and it could have been spoken by David to his son at any time after Solomon had been named as David’s successor (1 Kings 1:30-40). But it seems to follow along in the same vein as the advice David gave Solomon in 1 Kings 2:1-12. There, after David had named Solomon to be king and while David still lived, he gave Solomon good advice about who to trust and who not to trust. David told Solomon to give special favor to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead because they were loyal to him when no one else was (1 Kings 2:7). But he also pronounced death sentences on Joab and Shimei (1 Kings 2:5,8). From the Holy Spirit, Solomon gained wisdom in dealing with Jews as well as foreigners. As Solomon confessed: “He will judge your people in righteousness” (Psalm 72:1). He read the hearts of men with skill and insight. This could only begin with an understanding of the word of God itself, and devotion to carrying out the word of God as a leader of the people.
David makes his point by beginning with a blessing: “May the LORD be with you.” This was the blessing of David’s ancestor Boaz (Ruth 2:4) and of David’s friend Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:13). It echoes the blessing of the priests upon God’s people (Numbers 6:24). Since the Lord is present only with his people for their eternal good, the blessing “the Lord be with you” is one of the finest things a Christian can say. Adding, “May you succeed” is possible only when the Lord is present, for “unless the LORD builds the house, its builders build in vain” (Psalm 127:1).
The strong words, “You will build the house of the LORD your God” is followed immediately by the acknowledgement of God’s own words: “as he has spoken about you.” Without the Lord’s blessing on a project, can any project succeed? What happened to the Tower of Babel? What happened to the city that Cain tried to build? The tower went unfinished (Genesis 11:8, and an unfinished tower will fall to ruin in the end), and the city of Cain must have gone unfinished as well, since the Lord promised that he would be “a restless wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:12). But Solomon was not going to build without God’s permission or command. He had both, and God’s blessing as well. The devil puts many obstacles in the way of practically everything that God’s people want to do or accomplish. For this reason Christians should constantly pray that God will ward off the devil’s mischief and sabotage in our lives, and that God would grant a favorable outcome to everything we undertake.
David also prays that the Lord would give his son “discretion and understanding.” Such understanding takes thought, experience, and knowledge. Solomon had the benefit of the wisdom of Abraham, of Moses, of Joshua, and of his father David. He also knew about the wise judgments of the prophets Samuel, Nathan, and Gad. David’s prayer for his son is that when he became king, he would not wander away from God’s word and God’s holy wisdom. Even though the reader may know that Solomon did indeed wander away from God, and that the kingdom was torn from his family by God on account of this, Solomon later in life returned to God and repented of his ways, and God allowed the tribe of Judah to remain under the rule of David’s house even after the rest of the tribes collapsed like an unfinished tower when the Assyrians came.
David finishes his blessing with a little chiasm, a little poetic blessing that follows the A-B-B-A pattern, since “Be strong” and “Do not be dismayed” echo one another by saying “be this but not this,” and “Be courageous” and “Do not be afraid” do the same thing with still clearer words. It is a concise, satisfying, and brilliant piece of poetry worthy of any Psalm, and which echoes Joshua’s words to Israel when the Lord gave him victory over the five Canaanite kings (Joshua 10:25). King Hezekiah, certainly supported by Isaiah his prophet, used the same words when Sennacherib the Assyrian marched on Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32:7).
Be brave with your faith; do not be afraid.
Be energetic with your Christian life; do not be lazy.
Be loving to everyone around you; do not be mean.
Jump up to help and be eager to lend a hand; do not hold it back.
Dig deeply into the word of God; do not leave it on a shelf.
Stay close to a godly man; do not avoid his company.
Let your Gospel light shine; do not hide it under a basket or a bowl.
Pray without stopping, and do not fail to pray before you eat, or sleep, or begin a new task.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – 1 Chronicles 22:11-13 Blessing and advice