Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends, as we enter a new work week together.
One of the advantages for us living in the year 2024 is the technology which enables us to SEE what is happening almost anywhere in the world, often in real time, even without getting up out of our chair! Many of us are old enough to remember the days when RADIO was the primary global communication method, thus the news we received was often several days old by the time we heard it. Probably you have witnessed some of the globally broadcast leadership transitions of Presidents or Monarchs as well as funerals of significant world leaders who have died.
Today, let’s step into that historic scene occurring about 3000 years ago in Israel, with King David and his son Solomon. The record is found in 1 Chronicles 29 in the Bible.
You’ll recall we’ve spent the last few days looking at King David’s lengthy speech announcing God’s selection of his son Solomon to be King of Israel. Also, King David announced he had received from God the detailed plans for a great Temple of worship to be built in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah at the place where Abraham had brought his son Isaac more than 1000 years before.
King David had also launched a great ingathering of a huge stockpile of resources which would be needed for this Temple project and David announced that his son Solomon would be guided by God to give oversight to this magnificent Temple project. I have called this speech a ‘defining moment’ for Israel, and we witnessed that King David wove into his speech both a wonderful prayer to God and called the people to great worship, including thousands of sacrifices, as the doxology of this great event. The record indicates this event was experienced by a very large gathering of all the officials and leaders of the nation of Israel. (1 Chron. 28:1)
Following the great worship which included thousands of sacrifices (1 Chronicles 29:21) the record says: “They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD that day.” That tells me King David threw a huge feast for all his leaders and officials, but it was NOT a drunken orgy as often took place in surrounding nations when Kings gathered their officials or made great proclamations. No, my friends, King David made sure their celebration at this feast was God honoring for did you notice that they ate and drank with celebration “in the presence of the LORD that day”?
That greatly encourages me, for I live in a part of the world where party and celebration almost always include too much alcohol and thus fairly quickly turn to festivities which are NOT honoring to God and leave people with shame for what they said or did. Not so with David’s great celebration and I thank God for David’s example for all of us!
The record further describes history being made at this ‘defining moment’ event: “Then the officials and leaders of Israel acknowledged Solomon son of David as king, a second time, anointing him before the LORD to be ruler and Zadok to be priest. So, Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David….So the LORD highly exalted Solomon, in the sight of all Israel and God bestowed on Solomon royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before.” (1 Chronicles 29:22-25) Now that is a remarkable summary of what took place at this event and in the life of Solomon, isn’t it?
Did you notice the very significant phrase indicating the throne on which Solomon sat was “the throne of the LORD “? Now what can you imagine this meant my friends? Obviously, this throne should not be confused with the throne upon which resurrected, ascended Jesus Christ sits now at the right hand of God in heaven (Hebrews 1:3,4) nor the great white throne on which Jesus will sit when He judges all humanity of all time. (Rev. 20:11)
I believe the Chronicler uses this phrase ‘the throne of the LORD’ to challenge Kings David and Solomon, and all the people of Israel, to remember that they are the Covenant people of God, and that whomever God selected to reign as king over his people was first and foremost to be a man of God, subject entirely to the Sovereignty of God, and leading the people in knowing and following God.
Oh my, what a high and holy calling the kingship of Israel was!! Did you also notice the summary phrase “the LORD highly exalted Solomon, in the sight of all Israel and God bestowed on Solomon royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before.”? And we could add that no king or leader of the people of Israel, since the days of Solomon to the present, has ever experienced such royal splendor and blessing as God poured out on Solomon. Why we ask? We’ll seek God’s answer to that in the next few days.
I find these words to be among those summarizing the end of David’s life, found in 1 Kings 2:1 “When the time drew near for David to die, he gave this charge to Solomon, his son. ‘I am about to go the way of all the earth, so be strong, show yourself to be a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in all His ways, and keep His decrees and commands, His laws and requirements as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the LORD may keep His promises to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.” (1 Kings 2:1-5)
Now my friends, it is very likely you and I will have the opportunity to gather our family around us in the last days of our earthly journey, as David did. I wonder what thought you have given to what you will say in that precious moment, your departing words to your family? David’s words were a great challenge for Solomon to keep as his priority, above all else, being a God honoring man in all aspects of his life, at all times.
1 Kings 2 also tells us David had some counsel for his son Solomon regarding some unfinished business as it related to certain men who had wronged him and been a problem for David’s kingship. I find it interesting that David uses these words in giving Solomon guidance about those men: “Deal with him according to your wisdom.” (1 Kings 2:6,9) I hear no vengeance but rather I hear David challenging his son Solomon to seek God’s guidance for wisdom in dealing with problem issues of leadership! Oh, what wise advice! Have you and I given such good advice to our kids and grandkids?
Then we have this closing statement of David’s life: “David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. He ruled in Israel forty years – seven years in Hebron and 33 in Jerusalem. He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.” (1 Chronicles 29:26,27) There is no description of a royal funeral nor days or weeks of national mourning. No description of any ornate structure built as a final resting place for King David’s body. All we have is David’s legacy… and that includes the story of his life, as recorded in the Bible, and his writings which are many of the Biblical Psalms that reflect a humble heart which loved God.
I wonder which are your favorites, perhaps Psalm 23 or 25 or 51 or 86. I don’t know who wrote Psalm 116, but I think verse 15 applies to David’s death: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His faithful servants.”
Here’s a song of worship to help us reflect on the life of this amazing man David, son of Jesse, father of Solomon, servant of God…
Today’s Scripture: 1 Kings 2:1-11 & 1 Chronicles 29:20-28.
Choose below to read or listen.
1 Kings 2:1-11
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1 Chronicles 29:20-28
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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