4th Week in Ord. Time, Thursday – 01st February 2024 – 1 Kgs 2,1-4.10-12; Mark 6,7-13
Instructions for Successors
In the first reading, King David gives his last will and testament to his son Solomon. David realizes that he is going to die soon, that at the end of his life, all he has accumulated will not be taken with him. David instructs Solomon to follow the mandates of the Lord as they are written in the Law of Moses. He also directs Solomon to punish David’s enemies and reward David’s royal supporters (1Kgs 2,5-9). In his testament, David recalls the covenant oath that the Lord made about his kingdom enduring forever. The Lord God promised that if David’s royal sons were faithful, they would experience the blessings of the covenant. If they were unfaithful, and many of them were, they would trigger the curses of the covenant and be disciplined.
