King David answered, “Summon Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. The king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has saved my life from every adversity, as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so will I do this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and did obeisance to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
So the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and led him to Gihon. There the priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” And all the people went up following him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth quaked at their noise.
Solomon now sits on the royal throne. Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours and make his throne greater than your throne.’ The king bowed in worship on the bed and went on to pray thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has granted one of my offspring to sit on my throne and permitted me to witness it.’ ”
Reflection
Though David was unable of publicly declaring support for Solomon, he knew how to set the stage to ensure all the people in the country knew it was Solomon who God had called to be king after David died. Instead of forcing him off the throne altogether as Adonijah wanted, Solomon ascended to the throne early as co-king, the whole plot backfiring because of rash disregard for God’s plan.
There are many lessons to be learned about leadership in chapter 1. What examples do you find exemplified by David, Adonijah, Nathan, and Solomon?
How might these lessons impact what you look for in a leader?
Prayer:
Consistent God, you follow through on your promises, even when it looks like nothing good is happening. Help us to wise in choosing leaders who follow the example of David in listening for your voice and guidance. .