A Study of David, A Man After God’s Own Heart, Part 5
By: Lawna Blankenship
Pam prayed us into focus on our study of the Word, and led us into Lesson: David's Final Years, in 1 Chronicles 28 & 29 and 1 Kings 1:2-12, where we find David passing the torch to Solomon at a gigantic assembly in Jerusalem of all officials of Israel, princes of the tribes, commanders of the divisions, and subdivisions of assorted other managers of his properties, plus the mighty men and the valiant men. We assume all of David's family were there as well.
David reiterated he had planned to build the temple, to which God said, No, you are a man of war and have shed blood, yet the Lord chose David to be king over Israel forever, and the Lord chose his son Solomon to succeed him. The first-born succession model did not apply to either of their anointings. Pam referenced scripture to remind us that each of us, are chosen, too!
Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
John 15:16-19 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
David stressed to Solomon he should serve with a whole heart and a willing mind, and if you mess it up, God will reject you forever. He further emphasized to be courageous and act. David, who we now realize was a little OCD, when handed over the plan for the temple and environs, outlining who should run what, and down to the weight of silver and gold utensils of service. Of course, we know all of these plans were whispered in his ear by the Creator, and we know he is always in the details. David gave all the credit to the LORD for this pattern.
David again gushes with encouragement to Solomon to assure he succeeds and with the warning not to make the same mistakes he made, emphasizing he will have the full cooperation of the Levites and all the skilled workers needed for the task. I can just see Solomon rolling his eyes at the 10th time David said these very things, and reminding him he was young and inexperienced, wondering if his Daddy was going to be a helicopter parent.
David listed all the gifts for the temple, including gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, all kinds of precious stones of various colors, and alabaster in abundance and extra gold and silver for the craftsmen to overlay the walls of the building. He then challenged everyone to follow suit in generous donations for the project. Everyone became cheerful givers by willingly making offerings to the LORD, acknowledging they were giving back to what God what he already owns. This is a true demonstration of the speed of the leader is the speed of the team. In fact, giving all the glory to God is mentioned 44 times in Chapter 29, according to Jackie's calculations.
On the next day, they made sacrifices to the LORD of 1000 each of bulls, rams and lambs. I can only imagine the savory smells which wafted over the area, as they ate, drank and were very merry. At the culmination of the feast, David made Solomon King for the 2nd time with an anointing as ruler, and supposedly, everyone saw and heard it. Solomon sat on the throne, and everyone pledged allegiance to him.
In 1 Kings 1 we find David old and cold, so his servants decided to seek a young virgin to become his nurse and to spoon with David to keep him warm. Okay, we thought a young girl of skin and bone would not be the best choice. Would not an arabesque, menopausal female, who radiates frequent hot flashes better fill the bill? Alas, beautiful Abis(not a)hag the Shunammite landed the position, and her virginity remained intact.
One morning, David's handsome son Adonijah woke up feeling extra exalted (read, full of himself) and declared, I will be king. Maybe his mother Haggith put the bug in his ear that since he was the 4th son, and Solomon was the 10th of David's 19 sons, he should be in line to be king. Turmoil, unrest and ego drove Adonijah to prepare chariots and to muster 50 horsemen to run before him. We know David never has a sit down with any of his sons to explain that God chose Solomon, and to not to take the succession plan personally.
He conferred with the stinker Joab and Abiathar the priest, who agreed to help him. Remember how Abiathar saved David in the cave hiding from Saul? It's pathetic how two-faced these guys were. We were happy loyal Zadok the priest, Benaiah, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men stuck with David.
Adonijah threw a party in the eastern suburbs and invited everyone but Solomon and David's inner circle of supporters. Nathan got wind of the bash and informed David, who confirmed Solomon was king. Enter Bathsheba, to whom David also confirmed her son's anointing.
David then set in motion what would be Solomon's 3rd confirmation and anointing as king. This time, they put Solomon on David's mule for a ride down to Gihon, where Zadok the priest anointed Solomon with a horn of sacred oil, blew the trumpet and shouted, 'Long live King Solomon!' at which time rejoicing broke out and playing of flutes was so intense, the ground shook. They returned Solomon to the palace and seated him on the throne. Third times a charm!!
Meanwhile, back at the party, they heard the uproar and soon learned why from a messenger. At that bad news, the guests were terrified and scattered like ants. Petrified for his life, Adonijah took hold of the horns of the altar, begging for his life. Solomon responded, If this jerk proves worthy, he will live; but if he is wicked, he will die. Hearing the pronouncement with great relief, Adonijah returned to the palace and prostrated himself before King Solomon, who said, go home wimp and watch your Ps and Qs.
In 1 Kings 2: 1-12, we see David's time to die drew near and he is again in helicopter parent mode, charging Solomon to be strong, to be a man, and to obey God, or else. And, by the way, remember what Joab did to me and others, listing his vicious acts of murder. So, act according to your wisdom and don't let his gray hair go down to Sheol (a place of darkness after death) in peace. Read, take revenge for me.
Be kind to the sons of Barzillai and let them eat at your table who helped me when fleeing from the upstart Absalom.
Then again, Shimei put a violent curse on me at the Jordan, and I gave him a pass, as I had other more important fish to fry at the time. All along I have intended for him to be punished, and now, son, you are a wise man, and you will know what to do to assure his gray hair goes down to Sheol with blood. Ditto Joab.
Then David fell asleep forever, knowing his kingdom was firmly established, and the temple would be built according to plan. He was buried in the city of David. He reigned over Israel 40-years: 7 in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem.
After this study, Jackie, who was mad at David for committing adultery and murder, has softened toward David, understanding how he was forgiven for his sins by God's grace, all the while being a man after God's own heart. Seeing The Jesus Revolution (film) helped her, coming from a forgiving heart filled with the Holy Spirit.
Pam anchored our study reminding us, for as much as we all mess up, those who put God first will receive God's mercy and grace, remembering all the bad people who were in Jesus' genealogy. We now completely understand God chose broken people to accomplish his goals. Tag, we are it, and God's still has plans for our lives.
I don't know about you, beloved, I want to read Solomon's entire saga found in 1 Kings 1-12 to hear what happens during his reign, and what happens to brother Adonijah.
It would be wonderful to see Michelangelo's David in person, and some have. Here's a look at the GOAT sculptures:
Michelangelo's David: Admire World's Greatest Sculpture at Accademia GalleryAccademia.org
We know David and Solomon had more wives and concubines than you can shake a stick at. Solomon had 19 sons and one daughter, while Solomon had one son and two daughters. We speculated on the possibility of low T, and other reasons. Here's an article which shed light on the subject.
Why did King Solomon only have three children? – John Fergusson Books
King David’s Name Uncovered in 2,900-Year-Old Stone Slab
https://americanfaith.com/king-davids-name-uncovered-in-2900-year-old-stone-slab/
A 2,900-year-old basalt stone slab contains an extra-biblical reference to King David in support of him being an actual “historical figure,” according to scholars writing in the latest edition of the Biblical Archaeology Review.
The research involved an examination of the so-called Mesha Stele or Moabite Stone, which was discovered in 1868 before being damaged in 1869. Although the damage made certain parts of the tablet unreadable, a page squeeze (paper-mache impression) of the tablet was made before the damage, allowing the original words to be deciphered, according to the Biblical Archaeology Society.
The slab was dated to the ninth-century B.C. and chronicles the victories of King Mesha of Moab. It possibly references the events of 2 Kings 3, in which Moab goes to war against Israel and Judah.
Scholars André Lemaire and Jean-Philippe Delorme, writing in the Winter 2022 edition of the Biblical Archaeology Review, say new technology confirms that the Mesha Stele indeed references the “House of David.”
“In 2015, a team from the West Semitic Research Project of the University of Southern California took new digital photographs of both the restored stela and the paper squeeze,” they wrote. “The team used a method called Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), in which numerous digital images are taken of an artifact from different angles and then combined to create a precise, three-dimensional digital rendering of the piece. This method is especially valuable because the digital rendering allows researchers to control the lighting of an inscribed artifact so that hidden, faint, or worn incisions become visible.
“In 2018, the Louvre Museum also took new, high-resolution backlit pictures of the squeeze, where the light was projected directly through the 150-year-old paper to provide a clearer view of the ancient letters it records,” they wrote.
The new technology allowed Lemaire and Delorme to decipher three letters in the phrase that were not previously legible.
“The stone contains a possible reference to the ‘House of David’ as Judah’s rulers, which seems to support King David as a historical figure,” a summary of the research says. “Thanks to recent photographic evidence, our authors argue that this reading can now be confirmed.” Reporting from Christian Headlines.
Thank you, beloved, for reading my recap of David’s journey in everyday language. It was a pleasure!
Lawna Blankenship
