Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be Solomon, the wisest man ever to live? His father was his hero, and happens to be my hero from the Bible too. The bond between those two must have been exceedingly strong. David cherished Solomon, and based on Solomon’s conversation with God, Solomon respected and looked up to his father and his father’s faith. Solomon had seen God bless his father because of his father’s devotion to Him.
Considering the life of David, at least the way he fathered Solomon, is of great insight when thinking about fathering your own children. Steve Farrar in his book “King Me,” which uses the kings in the old testament to model fathering principles, says that, “the Kings teach us that a good man cannot simply rely on his example to meet the needs of his son. A godly example is a great gift to a son. But the kings teach us that a man must be intentional in his fathering.” Farrar goes on to explain a concept that was revolutionary in my parenting. David not only poured into the life of his son Solomon, as evident when Solomon asked for wisdom (and the way he did it – I Kings 3:6-9), but David made plans for his son based on what He knew to be God’s desire for him. God blessed Solomon because of his father, and because he followed what his father had taught him, at least at first.
David charged his son, Solomon, at the end of his life, “Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.” (That’s I Kings 2:2-3)
“WE ARE MEN OF ACTION…”
So, Dad… I want to challenge you! Read this verse again, as if it’s for you, this time!
“Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”
God has a plan, and you are who you are on purpose, for a purpose. In fact, I would argue that fatherhood is the greatest purpose of all that God has placed upon you in this moment of your life. Do you treat it as such? If you have a child – you are a Hero!
You can do it! Stand Strong, and show yourself a man!
(Are you confident you know what it means to be a man? Would you like to be? That’s what the first post of 2018 is all about!)