Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: I Kings 15-17
I Kings 15:5
Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
Eight times! In the book of I Kings no less than eight times the Lord said directly, or alluded to, the fact that David did that which was right in the sight of God. It seems that the kings that followed David were compared to Him in regard to their obedience to God. David was the standard, the benchmark, perhaps the goal. Yet, he was not perfect. In the matter of Uriah, who was the husband of Bathsheba, David transgressed God’s law greatly.
But throughout the future list of the kings, their righteousness to God was measured by David. In fact, it was the righteousness of David that caused God to bless Israel, and especially the southern kingdom for ongoing generations.
God remembered David’s righteousness and future members of his family were blessed. Sometimes, it may be beneficial to stop and consider two aspects of this thing of God blessing future generations of a family based upon the righteous acts of a forerunner in that family.
One aspect to consider is this: “Am I being blessed by God today because of the righteous acts toward God of one of my long-passed relatives?” It would make sense that this could very well be the case. It was in the life of David’s offspring as well as some others in the Bible. But what about you? Is there a relative in Heaven that led such an exemplary life that your life is blessed. It could be that this is why we commonly ask “Why” so much. “Why am I blessed and others perhaps not so much?” “Why does God seem to bless that one, but not that one?” “Why does that person seem to have such a ‘charmed’ spiritual life while others struggle?” There are many such questions that have been asked of pastors through the ages. The only answer may be, in part, because God is blessing today, based upon the righteousness of someone in our past. We like to think that we stand on our own, and we are the only ones that can secure, or lose, blessings from God. But the Bible seems to indicate that the actions of those who have come before us bless us. Sometimes in spite of ourselves.
The other aspect to meditate on for a while about this thought is this: “How will my life impact the lives of my progeny (future offspring)?” It may!
I for one, truly believe that I have been called into the ministry because of those in my family that lived long ago. Through my mother, Francis Scott Key, is in the family tree. Through my father, Daniel Boone is said to be in our line. Perhaps this is why I write and love adventure outdoors. Who knows? Perhaps in Heaven we may learn more. But until then it is something to think about. It is also something that will keep us humble, and perhaps even spur us on to righteousness.
Dr. William T. Howe
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