The Best Advice A Father Could Give to His Son

1 Kings 2 (New King James Version) - "1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, 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; 4 that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel." - King David to his son Solomon, shortly before David's death

David was not only a king, a warrior, and a prophet; He was also a father to several sons. And like all good fathers, David wanted to impart his sons with some guidance they could apply to their lives. As the king of Israel for over 40 years, David had lived a life full of triumph and tragedy. At the end of his life, he had a lot of personal experience to offer his son, Solomon, as an example of how to conduct himself as the future king of Israel and as a man. Instead of putting the focus on himself as the example to follow, he pointed Solomon towards God. He extolled the virtues and benefits of following God, letting the tragedies of his life speak as examples of the consequences for not following God.

David understood that proving one's self as a man was not based on lustful conquests, being victorious in battle, or having others fear him. Proving one's self as a man could only be accomplished by committing one's way to God, and following His precepts. Today, we often seek to manifest our manhood or womanhood by exalting ourselves, or reducing ourselves to the behavioral least common denominator of the masses. In truth, many of us are really seeking The Right Path to take, as well as The Right Person to follow and emulate. We just don't realize it. How wonderful it is that David's advice to his son Solomon is as applicable today to all of us, as it was 3000 years ago.

Given the opportunity to elevate himself in the eyes of his son, Solomon, David deferred to God as the source of peace and abundant living. As a father, no greater advice could be given to my children, whether son or daughter, than to counsel them to commit their way and life to God in Jesus Christ. While I could try to have my children follow my life's examples, I love them too much to do so. While my life has been filled with triumphs and accomplishments, like David's, it has also been filled with sin, heartache and tragedy. The model of my life is flawed and distorted. But the advice of David to follow God, manifested in the person of Jesus Christ, is the gold standard to follow. This is the example I will put before my children to follow. I will counsel them to do so, and pray they take heed. Their very lives depend on it.