1 & 2 Kings |
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1 Kings Chapter 1David in His Old Age
That doesn't seem too old for us in this modern age. He was about 69 or 70 years old. Perhaps his many sorrows and battles aged him somewhat. One writer said that the Jews back then didn't live long especially compared to the time before the flood of Noah's day. A few lived long after that but the average age decreased not long after the flood, just under or just above 100. Joseph lived to 110 but then inherited diseases and hard lifestyles decreased the average age. When I was a child the age around 60 was considered old. Now the age is increasing but not like it was when God first created male and female. My own father was 95 when he passed.
Shunem was a city in the tribe of Issachar. Looks like they thought nothing but the best was good enough for King David. I'm so glad for the coming of Jesus Christ for His influence elevated the state of women so much so that they could have a choice of how they lived and who they married at least among civilized nations. It took a while. It didn't happen overnight but in a constitutional republic properly run by good people, they are assured of civil rights and not treated like second class citizens. In fact some woman demand too many rights that are actually evil like the right to abort their children in all trimesters of pregancy and in some places after the poor baby is born. I guess what we need now is baby's rights laws passed. If the Lord delays His coming, we will slowly revert back to the ways of the heathen and women will lose every right the gospel brought to them. There will be slavery again, bondage, misery and hardship. How do I know? By reading and studying the history of the children of Abraham. They start out good but sin soon got so bad that they are judged and they lost their freedom. They repent, get their nation back but it happens again. Right now Israel is free and back in their own land but they need to watch and make sure they are not doing evil. I was just reading a few months ago that Israel's abortion laws are the most liberal. Sacrificing children to idols in the past like other nations did was one of the things that caused God to allow the Babylonians to bring them back into bondage and they lost their nation for 70 years. They really didn't get it back totally after Cyrus freed them to go back to their land. They did go back but they were under the Roman Empire at the time of the first coming of Jesus. They lost it again in 70 AD until May 1945. The United States has had it good but we are not mentioned in bible prophecy. Will we exist? Our sins are great. We kicked God out of public schools in the 60s and we have had a moral landslide downward ever since. Some states even allow a baby to die outside the womb up to 28 days before the death of the baby becomes murder. So sad. I am praying hard for the Lord's return soon.
The morals of King David are good at this time. David did not have any desire to have an intimate relationship with this lady. Perhaps at the end of his life he regrets the thing he had with Bathsheba and the consequences that followed involving his own sons. Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King
This type of things attracts attention and makes an appearance of being official. He gains followers so this is probably why he did this thing. The right thing would have been to wait on the Lord of open the door and yield to His calling not ours. This David did right in his own lifetime. He never once tried to take the kingdom from Saul until God removed Saul. He had the chance a couple of times but he did not do so trusting in God's timing. David knew that God anointed him to be the king after Saul but did not attempt to remove Saul. He would not touch the Lord's anointed. Saul was once anointed as king. I believe though the reason Adonijah was at first successful in doing this is because he was the son of the present king so people would normally follow him thinking to get on the good side of the future king.
David didn't oppose this at first. Adonijah was the brother of Absalom and next in line to be king. David must have forgotten his promise to Bathsheba that Solomon was to be the next king. Since David had done wrong to take Bathsheba and cause the death of her husband, her first son with David died and the second son, Solomon was born and he promised Bathsheba he would be the next king perhaps to make up for what he did to her and her husband.
Adonijah somehow knew that Zadok the priest, Nathan, Benaiah and his brother Solomon would not approve so he did not call them to come forth to this time of anointing himself to be king. The other sons of David went along with this plan. I cannot understand why people lie, steal, kill, destroy reputations, fight, cheat and strive so hard to become a king, a president or other public offices. I wouldn't want it if it was given to me without any effort or campaigning on my part. The responsibility to rule over people is something I would avoid like the plague. There is no private life after that. One would constantly be hounded by the press. Look what happend to Donald Trump. One that was persecuted, lied about, and hated so much so that some would have him killed if they thought they would get away with it. They spent millions to take down Trump. If one way would not work, they tried another. It was an awful time. Why? I don't understand this stuff at all. By waiting on God, David did well. He waited on God's timing and did not try to make himself a king ahead of time. Nathan and Bathsheba Before David
This is really sad that their lives were in danger. Imagine someone wanting to be king so bad that they would destroy anyone that gets in their way. Nathan knew that when Adonijah became the king, he would go after anyone that may be a threat to his rule. God through the prophet Samuel warned Israel about desiring a king. He knew what kings would be like. In fact kings of other nations were already evil and harsh. The warning given by Samuel is in 1 Samuel chapter 8. God said that when they desired kings instead of judges, they were rejecting God not the prophet Samuel. The sons of Eli and Samuel were their excuse for requesting a change but as we can see by the study of the kings, it gets worse. They get the power to put people to death, take wives from their husbands, multiply wives, wealth and do as they please. Oh how we need the return of Jesus and His righteous kingdom to be set up forever. I look for His coming, I love His coming and I say, "Even so come Lord Jesus."
Even though Bathsheba wanted her son to become king, we see that she did nothing until Nathan the prophet was supportive of her and Solomon. Now she feared for their lives. The fact that Adonijah didn't call Solomon or Nathan the prophet to the feast was a hint to what was to come after David died.
Nathan made David aware of the danger not only for Nathan but Solomon, Zadok the priest, Benaiah, and anyone else that stood in Adonijah's way. This finally woke David up to what was happening. David may have known some of this but perhaps (my speculation) he hesitated to stop Adonijah for fear that it would cause more bloodshed like when Absalom was killed. I'm thinking that when he realized his other son Solomon could be in danger, he acted. Solomon Anointed King
That actually happened. Solomon's reign was great. Both Judah and Israel were one kingdom, not two.
This really was a smart move on the part of David. No one was allowed to sit on the mule that only David was to sit on. David knew by doing this he was proclaiming Solomon to be king.
Thankfully all the people supported the words of David and rejoiced in Solomon becoming king. This strengthened Solomon's kingdom right away and Adonijah's followers soon deserted him.
They were not that loyal if they fled at the first sign of things not going Adonijah's way.
Now Adonijah feared for his own life. He would have killed Solomon if he were king but since the tide was turning against him, he assumed his own life was in danger. If he would have went his own way and minded his own business, his life would have been spared. This didn't happen as we see in the 2nd chapter but Solomon granted him mercy at first.
I love seeing brothers united and I do wish that could have happened but it shall not be. The lust of the flesh is strong and it has brought down many who succumb to it. That is why God made man and wife. Originally it was one man and one woman united and starting families but the lust and heart's of men disired more than one wife, and even lusted after other men's wives and things changed against the perfect holy will of God. Yet we see God forgiving and granting mercy many times but we end up with God's second best for our lives instead of His divine holy plans for marriage and family life. Even having mulitple wives causes heartache, jealousy, fighting and division down through the years. God's perfect way is best. Loving one another as Christ loves us is the key.
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