THE LORD’S RESPONSE TO SOLOMON (1 KINGS 9:1-9)

REFLECTION The theme for our reflection is ” the Lord’s response to Solomon” King Solomon had prayed for the Lord’s presence to abide with the nation. God appeared to Solomon and responded “I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built,…

Jean-Paul Agidi

Oct 8, 2022

3 minutes

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is ” the Lord’s response to Solomon” King Solomon had prayed for the Lord’s presence to abide with the nation. God appeared to Solomon and responded “I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with the integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ (1 Kings 9:3-5). In other words, God gave Solomon a conditional response that if Solomon walks before him or if he is faithful and obedient to Him then His glory and blessings shall abide with him and his reign but if he leads the nation to worship other gods then the sanctions in 1 Kings 9:6-9 will apply. In summary, God will deny them His protection and providence.

Dear friend in the Lord, having a covenant relationship with God is not a right but a privilege reserved for those who fear the Lord and are obedient to him. In this covenant relationship, God has promised to be our God and to respond to our needs according to His will, our only responsibility is to remain faithful and obedient to Him. Worshipping other gods or replacing God with other things or activities nullifies the covenant relationship. ““I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:2-6). God shares His glory and honour with no other god, the greatest act of ungratefulness and disservice one can do to himself or herself is to give God’s gratitude or praise to another person or god. Let us be watchful lest we become disobedient by giving our time and attention to worldly desires which can be likened to idolatry. God requires our faithfulness and obedience and He will also remain faithful to us. Shalom

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, strengthen us to be faithful and obedient till the end. Amen.