“Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and give you success as you follow his directions in building the Temple of the Lord your God. And may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, that you may obey the Law of the Lord your God as you rule over Israel. For you will be successful if you carefully obey the decrees and regulations that the Lord gave to Israel through Moses. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart! 1 Chronicles 22:11-13
As David is denied the privilege of building God’s temple and passes the responsibility on to his son Solomon, his words echo those of Moses in Deuteronomy 31:7-8, when he was passing on to Joshua the responsibility for leading the people in the Promised Land. Both include an assignment, an encouragement, and a promise.
The assignments are significant. At first glance, it can look like these elders are passing on an overwhelming responsibility. Both new leaders are entrusted to fulfill God’s will in a way their highly esteemed predecessor could not. But they also receive a blessing of assurance that God will be with them. They will accomplish these tasks because it is his will for them.
This blessing and commission, given long before Jesus came, is built on the same promise of grace and presence we receive in Christ. As followers of Jesus, we have also been given a task, an encouragement, and a promise. Matthew 28:18-20 is the “great commission.”
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Make disciples of all the nations? That’s too big a job. There is no way we could do it on our own. But the promise is that Jesus is there with us. It is by his authority, not on our own, that amazing things are going to happen. Joshua brought the people into the Promised Land and Solomon built the temple, and you are going to bring others into God’s Kingdom.
Do not be afraid or lose heart – God has promised to always be with you as you follow him.
Questions for reflection:
- Have you ever taken on something that seemed impossible? What convinced you to give it a try? How did it turn out?
- Despite being powerful leaders, Moses and David each had a vision they were not able to fulfill. By setting up their successor to continue after them, their dreams eventually came to fruition. What vision has God given you that is bigger than you or your lifetime? What are you doing to set up a successor, who can carry on into the future?