“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.”
– 1 Kings 2:2–3
These words from King David to his son Solomon, as Solomon is becoming king, represent the encouragement that we see God giving to his people all throughout the history of his people. Like, you read 1 Kings 2:2–3, you can’t help but to think about God’s words to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.” That’s exactly how this exhortation from David to Solomon starts.
God, help us to spread your Word to others around us and far from us.
And remember Joshua 1, “Be strong and courageous. Don’t let this book, the law, depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night. Be careful to do according to all that is written in it, and then you will make your way prosperous. Then you will have good success.” So, here, God’s saying through David to Solomon, “Keep the charge of the Lord your God, walk in his ways, keep his statutes,” it just lists God’s Word in different ways, “his commandments, his rules, his testimonies, as is written in the law of Moses so that you may,” what? “Prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”
1 Kings 2:2–3 Reminds Us to Keep God’s Commandments
This is Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. It’s like he’s “a tree planted by streams of water, bearing its fruit in season.”
Are you hearing this over and over and over again? God is making clear through his Word that if you want true prosperity in your life, true blessedness, happiness in your life, you want success in all that you do, wherever you turn, the key is keeping God’s commands, walking in God’s Word, meditating on it day and night, and acting carefully to do according to what God has written in it.
Does that describe your life? Are you meditating on his Word day and night? And are you careful to follow all that God has written in it? Do you want happiness in your life? Do you want success and prosperity in your life? Not according to the world’s definition of success and prosperity, but according to God, your Creator, who’s designed you and made you, do you want to experience success and prosperity according to his design, happiness according to his design? Then meditate on his Word day and night, and keep it, be careful to do according to it.
1 Kings 2:2–3 Leads Us to Pray for Deliverance
God, we pray that you would deliver us from worldly definitions of success and prosperity that ignore your Word. We pray that you would help us to keep your Word. Help us to meditate on it day and night. We pray that your Word would be constantly on our minds, in our hearts, and evident in our lives. And that you would help us to obey your Word and to walk in it. And, as we do, to find your strength in it, your peace in it, courage in it to do all that you are calling us to do. Help each of us today, we pray, to live in this way. Help us to live meditating on your Word and walking in obedience to your Word. And help us to experience the prosperity and success you have designed for us.
And God, not just for us, for people around us, that you would use us to proclaim your Word to people around us, that they might experience success and prosperity. God, help us not to just focus on this in our lives.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray for the Unreached
God, help us to spread your Word to others around us, far from us. God, we pray for the Hanunoo people of the Philippines. We praise you for the church in so many parts of the Philippines. But know there are parts of those Philippine islands, particularly further south, where people do not know the gospel. God, we pray for the Hanunoo people. We pray for the spread of your Word to them. And we pray that they might experience prosperity and success. And that you would help us to be obedient to your Word. Help us to make disciples of all the nations, that they prosper and succeed that’s found in you and your Word. God, we pray all of this based on your Word, Joshua 1, 1 Kings 2:2–3, Psalm 1, and so many other places, in Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
