Wednesday, April 17, 2024

“And she [Bathsheba] bare a son, and he [David] called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him” (2 Samuel 12:24).

“And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in all the statutes of David his father” (1 Kings 3:3).

“We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

It is beautiful to see that the Lord speaks of His love to Solomon as soon as he was born. If you read the next verse in 2 Samuel 12, you will see that the Lord actually sent Nathan the prophet, who also called Solomon by another name—Jedidiah, which means “beloved of the Lord.” This does not mean that the Lord has special favorites among His people, but He did have His eye on Solomon, as the one who was to take the throne of Israel after David.

As a result, we see Solomon as a mature individual, having ascended the throne of Israel, spoken about as loving the Lord, and walking in obedience to the law that his father David had walked in. This is because he had enjoyed the Lord’s love for him, and then his own heart responded to the Lord’s love by loving the Lord in return.

An older brother used to remind us, “Never try to love the Lord more than you do! Just think of how much He loves you!” If we enjoy His love, our love will flow back to Him without any effort.