Day 121: 2 Chronicles 4, 5 and 6

Now arise, O Lord God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. (2 Chronicles 6:41)

Solomon’s final words of dedication over the new temple are borrowed from his father David. In a similar ceremony, forty years earlier, David and all Jerusalem brought up the Ark of the Covenant in a glorious procession to Zion, its new home. David wrote a song for the occasion which can be found in Psalm 132:8-10.

David proclaimed his faith that it was God’s presence which accounted for his success so far, and it would be God’s presence that would carry the young kingdom into the future.

By building the temple and employing David’s song for the celebration, Solomon affirms the continuity between father and son, between the God of David and the God of Solomon. God worked in the life and reign of David and God would work in the life and reign of Solomon.

Our spiritual lives are not lived out in a vacuum. There is a connection between parent and child. Your parents had, for good or bad, an influence on your walk with God. Your kids are watching you. Not only is their picture of God defined by their relationship with you, but they also learn how to live in relationship with God from what they see in your walk.

What did you learn about God from your parents? What are you teaching your kids?