We must come to the point where what matters most to us is faithfulness to God. Faithfulness to the Word of God and the gospel must be more important to us than pleasure, more important to us than leisure, and more important than life itself. We must value faithfulness to God and his word more than we value the ability to go on living our peaceful, happy lives.
– James M. Hamilton, Jr. on Revelation 6 in Revelation (PTW)
David makes Solomon the next king and charges him to be faithful to God.
(2) God wanted David’s descendants to walk before Him in faithfulness with all their heart and soul (v4). What does faithfulness to God look like in the context of v3?
Why does faithfulness require us to pay close attention to ourselves (v4a)? Do you?
Why is the phrase “with all their heart and soul” so significant to being faithful? How would you describe your heart?
(2) David charged Solomon to be strong (v2). Why is being strong essential to being faithful to God?
In what specific situations in your life do you need to be strong?
What hinders you from being strong?
Where does strength ultimately come from (Ephesians 6:10)?
(3) Solomon answered the call to faithfulness – loving the Lord and walking in His ways (v3). How do “loving” and “walking” relate to each other (see also John 14:15)?
(3) God offered Solomon anything he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom. Why is wisdom essential for faithfulness to God?
(3-4) Despite Solomon’s overall faithfulness, he followed the way of the world in two ways – he married Pharaoh’s daughter as part of a treaty (3:1) and amassed many horses for his army (4:26, see Deuteronomy 17:16). From the world’s point of view, why do both of these things make sense? What spiritual dangers do they bring?
In what ways are we tempted to follow the way of the world today instead of being faithful to God?
What principles from this study do we need to apply to our lives to help us overcome these temptations?
(8-17) What promise did God make to Abraham back in Genesis 12:6-7? How does God show his faithfulness to keep his promise in chapters 10-12?
In chapters 14-17?
How has God shown himself to be faithful to keep his promises in your life? (Consider for example: Romans 10:13, I John 1:9, Psalm 9:9-10, 23:4, 34:18, 55:22)
(8) After conquering Ai, the people gather on Mt Ebal and Mt Gerizim as Moses had commanded in Deuteronomy 27. How does this location specifically point to God’s faithfulness (using the map, compare with Genesis 12:6-7 and 33:18-20)?
(8, 10-11) What promise does God give in each of these chapters (8:1-2, 10:8, 11:6)? In light of that promise, what do they not need to do?
When are we tempted to be afraid? How can God’s faithfulness to keep his promises give us courage?
(9) How did Israel prove to be unfaithful in this chapter (see especially v14)? When are we tempted to act like this?
What did Joshua do after he discovered the deception? Why? What application do you see for your own life?
(13-17) In what way did Israel prove to be unfaithful in these chapters (see 13:13, 16:10, 17:12-13)?
Compare their unfaithfulness to Caleb’s faithfulness. What did he do in his old age (15:13-17)?
What phrase is used three times to describe Caleb (14:6-15)? What did that look like in Caleb’s life?
What would that look like in our lives today?
Brian J. Mikul 