1 Chronicles 28:9
Are we committed to serving God completely and willingly? To know God and serve Him with sincerity and zeal, such is our duty! From “David’s Charge To Solomon” we can also learn what can serve as our motivation as God searches our hearts. David tells Solomon “...for the Lord searches all hearts”. Solomon later confesses “...You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men” - 1 Kin 8:39. Today it is still the same. Jesus knew the hearts of men during His earthly ministry - Jn 2:24-25 “But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” Jesus continues to search the minds and hearts of all - Re 2:23 “And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.” There is no way we can hide our hearts from God. David understood this - Psa 139:1-12 “A Psalm of David. O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night," even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”; He 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” -- Since we cannot hide, why not obey and serve Him willingly?
God understands and knows the intents of the human mind. The Lord “understand all the intents of the thoughts”. He understands “every motive behind the thoughts” (NIV). “not only the thoughts of the heart, when regularly formed and ranged in order, but even the very beginning of them, the first motions of the mind, and before they are well formed”
- Gill. – Even though we may succeed in our motivations and intents from others there is no way that we can hide our motives from God!
Reinforcing our motivation to know God and serve Him with a loyal heart and willing mind, is the two-sided promise found in “David’s Charge To Solomon”. If we seek Him He will be found by us - 2 Chr 15:1-2 “The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” For the Lord is seeking those whose heart is loyal to Him - 2 Chr 16:9a “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” The key is to seek Him with all our heart - Jer 29:13-14a “You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the LORD”; Mt 7:7-8 ‘"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”; Ja 4:8-10 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” -- Are we making a diligent effort to find God, to learn and do His will?
If we forsake him He will cast us off forever – see 2 Chr 15:2b above; Isa 1:28 “But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.” Even as the Lord promised to do to Israel - 1 Kin 9:6-9 “But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?' Then they will say, 'Because they abandoned the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the LORD has brought all this disaster on them.'" Even as Jesus warned His disciples if they did not bear fruit - Jn 15:1-2,6 ‘"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” – “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” -- How sad and terrible to go through life and death without God at our side!
How much better to go through life and face death with God! - Isa 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Just as David later encouraged Solomon - 1 Chr 28:20 “Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.” If we want the encouraging promise spoken of by David, accept the duty spoken of by David...!
