10 For the sake of David Your servant,
Do not turn away the face of Your anointed.
11 The Lord has sworn to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
“Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
12 “If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His habitation.
14 “This is My resting place forever;
Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 “I will abundantly bless her provision;
I will satisfy her needy with bread.
16 “Her priests also I will clothe with salvation,
And her godly ones will sing aloud for joy.
17 “There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth;
I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.
18 “His enemies I will clothe with shame,
But upon himself his crown shall shine.”
In this passage, we see God’s promises to David. This didn’t just affect David or his sons, especially since he was the king. It affected the priests, and Jerusalem (Zion) and all of Israel. But in the middle of this, there is an important condition: “If your sons will keep My covenant…”
This wasn’t going to happen by accident, and it is a reminder for all of us, or at least most of us. As parents, and also for any who have influence over kids (aunts, uncles, teachers, etc.), we need to encourage and raise our children to follow God’s law. We should leave nothing to chance–but rather teach the next generation what we can, and leave the rest to God–chance doesn’t have a very good track record, God does!
And in case you needed extra motivation, think of David’s children. Sure, you might not be king, or queen, or president, or whatever. But you do have influence, and so will your children. Leave a legacy that’s worth leaving, by showing your children what it looks like to serve and follow God. Don’t be lazy (talking to myself here also), but put in the effort to make sure they know how much God loves them and what it means to follow Him. Anything less isn’t loving them well, so let’s take the time to “raise up our children in the way they should go…”