Show yourself a man

This weeks study will be in 1st Kings starting in chapter 2. from the amplified version we read:

1 Kings chapter 2, verses 1 to 4

1WHEN DAVID'S time to die was near, he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2I go the way of all the earth. Be strong and show yourself a man;
3Keep the charge of the Lord your God, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may do wisely and prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,
4That the Lord may fulfill His promise to me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and mind and with all their soul, there shall not fail you [to have] a man on the throne of Israel.

Written here is the words of a great King who hasn't much time left here on the earth. There was trouble brewing for solomon, his brother Adonijah had self proclaimed himself as King. There was going to be some tough measures to be taken place and Solomon was going to have to rely on God for his strength to firmly establish His rule. Although Solomon's kingdom would reign in peace there was a condition to be met. For david to put a condition on his blessing is very remarkable, it is because He knew that it was God that has established the rule of solomon, and God was going to do great things, but he also knew you have to do it God's way or everything will fall apart. Solomon was different then David's other sons, Solomon was not nearly aggressive Adonijah who just took the kingdom by assumption (He was wrong he died) or Absalom who tried to take the kingdom by force (He was wrong he died). Solomon did not need the aggression but the most important thing was to do what's right and He would live. Not only would He live but if his sons kept the Lords commands there would be a dynasty unlike any other.

Eventually that dynasty lead to Jesus. Everything the Lord has established has and will reign forever.

So my challenge to myself and to anyone who reads this is, how important is it for You to keep the charge of the Lord, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies?