Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 Then David rested with his ancestors
and was buried in the City of David. 11
He had reigned forty years over Israel--seven years in Hebron and thirty-three
in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat
on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established. 3 Solomon showed his love for the Lord
by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except
that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer
sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a
thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5
At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God
said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 6 Solomon answered, "You have
shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful
to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great
kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 "Now, LORD my God, you have
made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little
child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great
people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people
and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this
great people of yours?" 10
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not
for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your
enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and
discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will
there ever be. 13 Moreover, I
will give you what you have not asked for--both wealth and honor--so that in
your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and
commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life."
This week the "David
Saga" continues with Part 11, even though David is technically off the
scene now. A LOT has happened since last week's look at Absalom's rebellion--and
about another ten years have gone by. During that time another rebellion occurs
(this time under the influence of an outsider named Sheba), the Philistines
attack again, and David's general Joab continues to disobey or selectively obey
orders. Remembering from last week's reading, instead of dealing gently with Absalom, Joab had him killed. The text doesn't
specifically name a reason for David's decision, but shortly thereafter, David
appoints a kinsman--Amasa--to be commander of the army, but Joab murders him.
One of the last major events to
happen in the life of King David is the succession dispute that erupts between
Adonijah (next oldest after Absalom) and Solomon. At 70+ years old, David is
now bedridden. Adonijah sees this as an opportunity to claim the throne for
himself. In 1Kings chapter 1 we read this:
7Adonijah conferred with Joab and
with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah,
Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join
Adonijah. 9 Adonijah then
sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En
Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal
officials of Judah, 10 but
he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his
brother Solomon. The implication seems to be that Adonijah KNEW that
Solomon was at the very least a rival, and at most the rightful claimant to the
throne as per his father's instructions.
Indeed, that's the gist of the
narrative that follows as both the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba visit David's
sickbed to inform him of the goings on, and Bathsheba says to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your
servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he
will sit on my throne. On the one
hand if this had been PUBLIC knowledge (as perhaps it should've been) Adonijah
would likely have not felt emboldened to vie for the throne. On the other hand,
it appears to have been family/court knowledge, given that certain people were
excluded by Adonijah.
Regardless, David rectifies the
situation quickly and has Solomon publicly anointed King by Zadok the priest,
and with the concurrence of Nathan the prophet. In 1Kings 2, David is on his
deathbed and gives Solomon some parting words. An interesting thing here is
that one of David's last wishes is that Solomon will have Joab executed for his
treachery. David lists the murder of Abner and Amasa as his crimes, but omits
the execution of Absalom. The other interesting thing is that in this short
paragraph, David refers to Solomon's "wisdom" *twice... and this is
before the dream episode where Solomon specifically asks God for a
wise/discerning heart. One could easily draw the conclusion that it is a wise
person who KNOWS they need more wisdom! All of which brings me to this week's
reading...
It's interesting to continue the
'David Saga' without David; Solomon is now the guy. But that's part of the
point. The David Saga has ALWAYS been about MORE than just David. In
this week's text, we read that the saga goes forward, v2:12b So Solomon sat on the throne of his father
David; which is a continuation of the promise the Lord made many years
before 1Sam 7:16 Your house and your
kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established
forever. And which will find its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament:
Lk 1:32-33 He will be great and will be
called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his
father David...his kingdom will never end. What has made the David Saga a
worthwhile endeavor isn't David per se; it's that the David Saga is God's
SALVATION SAGA.
Cheers,
T.M.
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