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If – Then in 1Kings 6:12
If – Then in 1Kings 6:12
Here in 1 Kings 6 the temple that Solomon built is described and its glory is revealed. Then in verse 12, God gives this admonition and warning unto Solomon:
1 Kings 6:12 12 "Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father.
This bring to mind the statement that Samuel made to Saul: "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22). Such admonition was a repeated warning to Israel and her kings:
To Israel when they asked for the king – 1 Samuel 12:13-16
13 "Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 "If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. 15 "If you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers. 16 "Even now, take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes.
Rebuke of Saul – 1 Samuel 13:13-14 13 Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 "But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."
God’s statement to David Psalms 132:11-12 11 The Lord has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: "Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne. 12 "If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I will teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever."
Warning to Solomon from David: 1 Chronicles 28:9 9 "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
God’s admonition to Solomon 2 Chronicles 7:17-18 17 "As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, 18 then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.'
Now read Paul’s statement in Colossians 1:21-23: 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
This is NOT about perfect obedience or ‘earning’ salvation, It IS about faithfulness in serving God. God not only provides forgiveness when we obeyed the gospel and became disciples, He has provided the way for forgiveness AS disciples when we sin. In all of this, God is faith: 1 John 1:7-9 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In response, we are asked to be faithful to Him (Rev. 2:10).
Hugh DeLong
