When the ark of the covenant was finally brought back to Israel, King David was overjoyed. He was so filled with a spirit to worship, and praise to God, that he danced before the ark with no regard for who was watching. This is one of the reasons he was called a man after God’s own heart. Then his wife Michal came in. She “despised him in her heart,” the Bible says, she was filled with contempt for him because she considered his actions dishonoring and shameful for a man of his position (remember I said don’t allow others to intimidate your decisions based on their disillusions of what a man should be). David told her, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord – and I will celebrate before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes…” (2 Samuel 6:22)
David’s desire to honor God was very apparent in his worship, but he too needed a wake-up call in parenting. And God certainly got his attention, and I believe this history is written in the scriptures to get our attention as well.
Absalom, David’s first born, killed his half-brother, because he raped their sister, then de-throned his father making David flee. His second born, Adonijah, also set himself up as king and I Kings 1:6 specifically says “His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, ‘why have you don’t thus and so?’” If it is unclear to you at this point, this is not good parenting.
However, when we see Solomon being born, II Samuel 12:25 records that David not only named him Solomon, but also Jedidiah which means beloved of the Lord (nick-names!). David’s intentionality with Solomon and passing down his love for the Lord, and his plans for Solomon’s life was in accordance with what God was teaching the children of Israel in, “You shall teach them (God’s commands) diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lied down, and when you rise,” (Deuteronomy 6:7).
I want to commend this verse to you as well, because knowing how the creator of life intended life to be used, is the best information you can get …and it sits as the second-best thing you can give your children.
The best thing you can give you children, is the training to apply the truths within God’s word. I know that sounds backwards, you have to know them to apply them, but my point is don’t you dare stop short with simply knowing the information! Let the it drive you to action, bold action!
