“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever” (I Chron. 28:9).
If you were on your deathbed, what charge would you give to your child? David charges Solomon to make it his life’s work to know David’s God and to serve the God of his fathers. The most cherished teacher a son can have is his own father. Fathers teach their sons in ways neither the father nor the son realizes. He teaches via morning devotions, untailored conversations as well as the attitude he displays in times of crisis.
Your child cannot drift into a knowledge of God. Knowing God is the fulfillment of an intentional pursuit on the part of all the child’s family members.
David charged his son to not only know God; Solomon was responsible for serving God. One of the methods your forefathers used to teach their children about God was to ask them questions to which the children already had memorized the answers. One of the vehicles employed in this question and answer form of teaching is called The Larger Catechism (1648).
The first question in The Larger Catechism is “What is the chief and highest end of man?” The answer is “Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.”
Your children cannot glorify God or enjoy Him unless they serve Him with a “whole heart.” God never wants a divided heart. If your heart is halved, you have misapplied your knowledge and aborted your service.
David places his kingly finger on the quintessence of the undertaking when he challenges his son to serve the Lord with a “willing mind.” Why must your child embrace an undivided heart and a settled willingness of mind? Because the Lord God “searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts.”
When Solomon’s father was a younger man, he cried out to the God of his fathers praying, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me an know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Ps. 139:23f.). Have you ever cried out to God? Did you ask Him to search your heart?
David’s closing exhortation is for Solomon to seek God. Your son will not know how to seek your God unless you model what it means to be a seeker of the living God. Jesus says, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mk. 10:14).
Your example will permit your child’s seeking Christ. God’s kingdom belongs in the hearts of God’s children. Does your example propellingly permit your child’s search for your God?
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