Making Dynastic Men part 1
Dynastic Man Making (part one)
And David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God--my God--will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD. 1 Chron 28:20
Imagine that your life is coming to an end and you are allowed to look back over all you have done and who you will leave behind. You make your way to the ageless entrance of eternity. Your limbs and body are frail with the wear and tear of this world. Your hands tell a story of labor and love, strength and weakness, prayer, praise and pain. Your eyes are dim and no longer 20/20. Yet, for this moment, your sight will be crystal clear through the third eye of your mind. What would you want to see? What will your dynasty look like? Who will carry the devotion to the covenant you have made with great God of heaven? What would you see?
David, Israel’s greatest King is facing this very moment. He is being carried out to an assembly that illustrates years of bloodshed, sorrow, and more than these, the mighty hand of God. He lifts his failing body to show himself a warrior king one last time. David saw how God made him into the man he is and he trusts the Lord, God of Israel to do the same for Solomon. (Please read 1Chron. 28:1-20.)
The purpose of this article is to observe the principles of scripture exercised by David so that we dynastically make men that will carry on a legacy of faithfulness. In order to do this we want to recognize the things that David did in the making of the man Solomon.
David charted the course for Solomon. David saw Solomon as the man who would build the temple of God. He embraced a vision for his son. David also encouraged that vision. In like fashion, we must cast a vision for our young men and encourage them to realize those goals. Many of our youth are living under there potential because they don’t have vision for their lives. This is, however, a two-part venture. David had a part and Solomon had a part.
David, first of all had in-sight. One cannot chart the course for someone else if they are clueless as to where they are going. David knew who he was, what his purpose in life was and he was diligent to make it happen. David, second of all, had up-sight. He had a historically consistent relationship with God. Men must know God in order to be a man of God, or a man at all. David’s confidence in seeing Solomon succeed was in the God who had helped him through the inabilities of being a king and the insecurities of managing his kingdom. David knew God personally, and so must we. David, last of all, had out- sight. David could dream big for Solomon because he had the proper in-sight for who he was and a consistent up-sight for who God is. This allowed his out-sight to be big. When we limit what we see our children’s future to be, there is a problem with our in-sight and our up-sight.
That was David’s part in charting the course, but Solomon had a part as well. Solomon had certain attributes and actions that were in place. Notice his attributes. First, Solomon was malleable. In order for our young men to have their visions revealed and realized they must be able to be shaped. They must be in a teachable posture. Solomon sought after the wisdom of God (1Kings3). Second, He was anointed. God positioned Solomon. He was given purpose. He was empowered by the Spirit of God to accomplish that purpose. Our young men must understand that only God can give position, power, and real purpose. Third, Solomon was noble. He was royalty. He had the posture of royalty, the speech of royalty, the dress of royalty and the attitude of royalty. In like fashion our young must have a mind that recognizes they are children of the King. We must impart higher standards of posture, speech, attitude, and dress. In fact, we must impart nobility.
Solomon was not only of the right heart, but he had the right actions for realizing this vision. He was fixated on the goal. He lived for the temple. He acted daily on the building of the temple. He focused on growth. He continued to increase in wisdom and understanding. Solomon forgot about the past. He could not rule by relying on David; he had to move into his own rule. Solomon fought for the future. He did not allow friends, family, or foes to stop him from realizing the vision God had for his life. The Temple of God was built by Solomon’s continued devotion to seeing the course through until the end.
In this lesson, we see that the making of Dynastic Men demands that we “Chart the Course”. In our next lesson we will see the importance of “Communicating the Covenant”. Real men understand the need for living a life of purpose and seeing more for the men who will come after them. Our obligation to God is the making of dynastic men and women will do the same, infinity. Do it!