In 1 Kings 1 we read how one of King David's sons wanted to place himself on the throne, instead of following procedure. His name was Adonijah, he was a spoiled child who grew up to be proud.
Adonijah set himself up to become King, only to have Solomon move ahead of him to take his rightful spot on the throne. Solomon was promised the throne by his father King David. After Solomon became king, he could have had Adonijah killed for trying to step ahead of Solomon, but instead gave him a second chance.
As King David lay on his death bed, he gave Solomon some final advice. After telling Solomon to follow all the commands of the Lord, he goes in to tell Solomon to settle a few old scores David had from men who crossed him.
Later in chapter 2 Adonijah pushes Solomon again, this time he pays with his life. Solomon later has opportunity to kill both of the men that his father wanted him to kill, and he gets the opportunity and kills both. Now he has full control of his kingdom.
This passage says to me to be patient. God will accomplish His will at His time. He will create opportunities for us at His time.
In the passage from Matthew 6:1-18, we read about Jesus teaching about giving, prayer and fasting. In all three He says to do these things in private and not for show, like hypocrites. We need to take time daily to be by ourselves reading the Bible and praying, not doing it for others to see and be impressed, but rather so that we can grow stronger in our faith and closer to the people God wants us to be. God cares about our true relationship with Him, not a fake relationship we put on for others to see.
3 comments:
In our NT passage we read that the world is not a stage. If we're doing something to put on a show, we are simply acting, and it is not coming from our hearts.
Sometimes it's nice to be noticed and acknowledged for the "behind the scenes" efforts that I put in. I need to remember that God sees all and one day He will reward me for those efforts. A reward that will be greater than the acknowledgment I can ever receive on earth.
David showed some serious lack of foresight in regards to his parenting. He was clearly no disciplinarian and there were some serious consequences to that. Did he not realize that, as men in line to the throne, his sons' character would greatly influence an entire nation? Our children may not have that great an influence, but they will still have an influence on someone. Obviously, adults are responsible for their own actions, but we cannot discount the importance of good parenting when it comes to the integrity of the future generation.
I think this is one area where it is good not to do things in secret. The point of our Matthew passage was that we should not act pious in order to be rewarded here on earth. But we do need to make sure our children see us pursuing holiness because our actions always speak louder than our words. We certainly can't use this passage as an excuse not to be purposefully in living out our faith in clear view of our children's watchful eyes.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
This was a good reminder for me.
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