I Kings 2:9
“But now do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood.”
David is giving his final words to Solomon that he is to follow upon his death. There are a few individuals that sought David harm that he doesn't want to go unpunished. For some reason David's hands were tied and he wants Solomon deal with them.
Some times we have to do some tough things. I can recall being a landlord with some tough tenants. It was done for years. I had to learn about them. I was naive about how mean and self serving people could be. The day I was done with them truly was deliverance.
I had someone warn me about tough people. I didn't take them seriously until I had these tenants. Since then I've listened. I believe we've been spared misery because of this lesson.
I can recall more naivety about managing people and wanting everyone to be happy. At times we need to ignore feelings and act. Those who don't know this yet might think it mean. It's another tough lesson. Fix our eyes ahead and don't look back. It reminds me of Hebrews 12:1. It refers to laying aside every weight and encumbrance. Worrying about people's feelings can be an encumbrance. That's part of management.
Jesus shared a difficult task when He said, 'Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me", (Matt 16:24). Who wants to deny Himself? No one. But that's part of the Kingdom of God. He does it all day long. He is constantly merciful. Meting out justice would be easy, but He is waiting for people to respond and follow Him. So, we need to be patient and merciful with others.
Fortunately, we don't have to worry about the future. God's got that. There will be more difficult lessons for us. Worrying about them isn't one of them. We are told to cast our cares upon Him. He wants to manage that. It seems like too much for Him, as He does this for all of us. He is brilliant enough to handle it with ease. Thank You, God.
In speaking to Solomon, David refers to His wisdom. Upon David's death Solomon isn't going to march out and execute these people. They are bad people and their own actions will trip them up. Solomon will let their own actions be their demise. His wisdom will allow Him to wait for that.
Wisdom makes tasks easier. We get wisdom by fearing God. The bible is full of wisdom. As we read it and trust God, He gives us wisdom. By trusting God, He gives us more wisdom. He increases our capacity. He gives us insights the more we trust Him. Psalm 119:99 says, "I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation." That's what God does for His children that read His Word and trust Him. He gives us the wisdom we need. We don't flaunt it or brag about it. We know it's Him.
Applying God's wisdom reminds me of using weights of objects to lift things. Through a system of pulleys and weights very heavy things can be lifted even though we aren't strong. It's the knowledge of pulleys that helps. Having God and His wisdom makes things easier.
Thank You, Lord that Your wisdom helps us. There are tough tasks, but You want us to be wise, thus minimizing the difficulty.