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Adonijah or Solomon · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And Jonathan answered and said to Ananias, Verify our Lord
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  Speaker 1: King David hath made Solomon king. 1 Kings 1.43 Dear
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  Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, I will greet this new day with a
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  Speaker 1: new excitement and expectation. I will praise you, Lord, because
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  Speaker 1: in your faithfulness you've declared the unspoken promotion over me
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  Speaker 1: like Solomon. As you increase the wisdom and mind of Solomon,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that you are increasing my mind and
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  Speaker 1: influence so that I can walk into a new season
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  Speaker 1: full of assurance that my position is secured at the
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  Speaker 1: table of success. I declare that I have been chosen
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  Speaker 1: by God to accomplish great things for His kingdom, and
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  Speaker 1: I decree that nothing or no one will be able
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  Speaker 1: to dethrone who you've appointed to impact and influence the world.
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  Speaker 1: today I put all of the plans of the enemy
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  Speaker 1: on notice, that they will not prevail, and that through
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  Speaker 1: the power of the Holy Spirit, I will own my
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  Speaker 1: throne and succeed at my life calling. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story, brought to
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  Speaker 1: you Adonijah or Solomon?
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  Speaker 2: In our last story, we witnessed David's poor decisions in
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  Speaker 2: light of his pride. The man once responsible for protecting
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  Speaker 2: Israel had put them in distress and taken improper ownership
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  Speaker 2: over them. However, David's heart was always quick to convictions.
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  Speaker 2: and he repented before God and the people. Now it
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  Speaker 2: is time to crown a new king, a brother of
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  Speaker 2: favor and a brother of jealousy, rival for the throne,
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  Speaker 2: and the same story since Cain and Abel has threatened
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  Speaker 2: to repeat itself.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the book of 1 Kings.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 4: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:24
  Speaker 4: to let you know about a unique e-book That's yours
• 2:27
  Speaker 4: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:35
  Speaker 4: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
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  Speaker 4: slash stress. In our previous reading, we saw how David
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  Speaker 4: fell to insecurity and a need for control rather than
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  Speaker 4: trusting God. He ordered a census of the people, but
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  Speaker 4: this grieved the Lord, and though he repented, David was
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  Speaker 4: given a choice of three punishment, and he chose a
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  Speaker 4: punishment that would affect his own people rather than himself alone.
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  Speaker 4: As a result, thousands of Israelites died because of David's disobedience.
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  Speaker 4: But David saw his sin and cried out to the
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  Speaker 4: Lord and interceded for Israel and asked that God would
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  Speaker 4: stay his hand of judgment. And once again, he is
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  Speaker 4: trusting God and is shepherding his people God's way. Today,
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  Speaker 4: we'll hear about the choice of David's successor. Two brothers
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  Speaker 4: very different from each other stand as candidates for the
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  Speaker 4: role of the king of Israel. Once again, as we've
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  Speaker 4: seen again and again, since the first brothers, Cain and Abel,
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  Speaker 4: walked on the earth, that jealousy and rivalry threatens all
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  Speaker 4: that is good. Let's listen now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Despite the warm summer night laying over Israel like a blanket,
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  Speaker 2: David shivered in his bed. His bones creaked and his
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  Speaker 2: body was continually cold. At night he moaned and shifted,
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  Speaker 2: doing anything to keep warm. No matter how many blankets
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  Speaker 2: covered him, he could not heat himself up. His advisors
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  Speaker 2: took pity on their aging king, and sent for some
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  Speaker 2: young servant girls to lay beside him to keep him warm.
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  Speaker 2: They found a beautiful young girl named Abishag. Her beauty
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  Speaker 2: was unmatched, and she was kind to the king. David
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  Speaker 2: had no sexual relations with her. She was his caregiver,
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  Speaker 2: and he honored her as such. David's time as king
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  Speaker 2: was coming to a close, and there was a restlessness
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  Speaker 2: among Israel. Solomon was David's choice to take over the throne.
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  Speaker 2: He was about nineteen at the time, but displayed attributes
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  Speaker 2: David found noble in a king. He was wise, humble,
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  Speaker 2: and merciful. He loved the Lord and drew close to
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  Speaker 2: Him day by day. He was not a warrior like
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  Speaker 2: David was. No, Solomon spent most of his time among scrolls,
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  Speaker 2: reading history, poetry, and great literature. Instead of training with
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  Speaker 2: a sword, Solomon would often debate in the halls with prophets, priests,
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  Speaker 2: and scholars. David knew that Solomon would lead Israel into
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  Speaker 2: a new era of flourishing. Instead of being a warlord,
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  Speaker 2: he would be a great politician, governor, and aid to
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  Speaker 2: the world. However, not all were thrilled to see Solomon
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  Speaker 2: become king. David's older son, Adonijah, exalted himself among his friends.
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  Speaker 2: If the throne is not given to me, I shall
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  Speaker 2: take it, Adonijah said. He gathered chariots and fifty men
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  Speaker 2: to posture in front of David. Adonijah stood over his
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  Speaker 2: father and told him of what he was doing. David
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  Speaker 2: could hardly sit up on his bed. let alone refute
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  Speaker 2: his son who was trying to become king. Years of
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  Speaker 2: battle had weakened his bones. Why are you doing this?
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  Speaker 3: David asked.
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  Speaker 2: Adonijah said nothing to David. Instead, he left the room,
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  Speaker 2: leaving his father to sulk helplessly. David had accomplished many
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  Speaker 2: great things in his life. He had conquered kingdoms, slain giants,
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  Speaker 2: and brought an entire nation into a period of prosperity
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  Speaker 2: and safety. However, David was an absent father. and poor disciplinarian.
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  Speaker 2: Just like Absalom before him, Adonijah was doing what was
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  Speaker 2: right in his own eyes.
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  Speaker 3: He cared not about what his father thought.
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  Speaker 2: An ancient evil once again lurked in the corners of
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  Speaker 2: Adonijah's mind, the heart of Cain. Adonijah was going to
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  Speaker 2: kill his brother Solomon. Adonijah took Joab, David's general, and Abiathar, one.
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  Speaker 3: Of the priests.
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  Speaker 2: The two of them agreed to support Adonijah in his
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  Speaker 2: efforts to become king. However, David's council, Zadok and Nathan,
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  Speaker 2: the priests, Benaiah, Shammai, and David's bodyguard refused.
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  Speaker 3: To support him.
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  Speaker 2: Instead, they vowed to protect Solomon. Adonijah gathered some of
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  Speaker 2: the richest men in Israel for a sacrifice and coronation. However,
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  Speaker 2: he left out Nathan, Benaiah, and the bodyguard. Nathan caught
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  Speaker 2: word of Adonijah's coronation as king and went straight to Bathsheba,
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  Speaker 2: Solomon's mother. Adonijah is making himself king in front of
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  Speaker 2: the nobles of Israel. Your husband does not know anything
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  Speaker 2: about it. Bathsheba froze where she stood, afraid of what
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  Speaker 2: would befall her and Solomon if Adonijah became king. You
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  Speaker 2: need to go to David and have him vow before
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  Speaker 2: the council that Solomon.
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  Speaker 3: Is to become king.
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  Speaker 2: Bathsheba did not cry, nor did she worry. Instead, with confidence,
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  Speaker 2: she drew near to the king's bedroom. The two of
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  Speaker 2: them had not spoken in quite some time. She slowly
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  Speaker 2: opened the door. The room smelled of cedar and incense.
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  Speaker 2: She looked around the room and found Abishag patting David's
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  Speaker 2: head with a warm cloth. Bathsheba looked at David. His
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  Speaker 2: hair was gray and his face cracked like worn leather.
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  Speaker 2: She looked at David's chest.
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  Speaker 3: His once strong and.
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  Speaker 2: Broad chest was now struggling for each breath. Tears slowly
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  Speaker 2: dripped down Bathsheba's face as she looked at her husband.
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  Speaker 2: She bowed beside him and held his hand. David opened
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  Speaker 2: his eyes and turned his head to see his wife
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  Speaker 2: beside him. They looked at one another. David wore a
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  Speaker 2: handsome grin on his face when he looked at her.
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  Speaker 3: What can I do for you? David whispered.
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  Speaker 2: Bathsheba touched his face and held his hand. My lord,
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  Speaker 2: you made a vow that Solomon would become king after you. However,
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  Speaker 2: Adonijah is making himself king right under your nose.
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  Speaker 3: All the nobles gather with him for a celebration.
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  Speaker 2: She rose to her feet and looked down at David.
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  Speaker 2: The kingdom is waiting for you to announce who is king.
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  Speaker 2: If you do not act, Solomon and I will be killed.
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  Speaker 2: David stared at Bathsheba for a moment. Then a knock
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  Speaker 2: on his door came from the entrance of the room.
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  Speaker 2: Nathan the prophet poked his head in through the door
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  Speaker 2: and slowly entered in. My lord, he said bowing, have
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  Speaker 2: you appointed Adonijah as king? He is holding a celebration now.
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  Speaker 2: He has not invited me or any of your officials.
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  Speaker 2: Have you really not told us? David sat up in
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  Speaker 2: his bed and stood to his feet. His legs shook
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  Speaker 2: and his body trembled. David raised his chin up high
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  Speaker 2: and puffed out his chest. As my Lord and Savior lives,
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  Speaker 2: Solomon will be the next king of Israel. Bathsheba bowed
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  Speaker 2: to him and thanked him. After this, David ordered Zodak
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  Speaker 2: the priest and Benaiah to come forward. He summoned them
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  Speaker 2: from Adonijah's party and they came before the king. David
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  Speaker 2: looked at them with a piercing gaze. David stretched out
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  Speaker 2: his arm and pointed to them, saying, You will take
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  Speaker 2: Solomon and all my officials down to Gihon Spring. He
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  Speaker 2: will ride on my mule, and you will anoint him
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  Speaker 2: as king with Nathan. You will summon men to blow
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  Speaker 2: ram's horns and shout, Long live King Solomon! Then you
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  Speaker 2: will bring him back here to sit on the throne.
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  Speaker 2: David paused for a moment and said one final time,
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  Speaker 2: He is the new king of Israel. So the two
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  Speaker 2: men left and gathered all the people for Solomon's coronation
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  Speaker 2: as king of Israel. Adonijah was enjoying his.
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  Speaker 3: Feast among his friends.
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  Speaker 2: Music, dancing, and lewdness filled the halls as Adonijah basked
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  Speaker 2: in his own glory. He struck handsome smiles at the
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  Speaker 2: women in attendance, drank his wine, and sat back.
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  Speaker 3: To enjoy his future as king.
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  Speaker 2: Then the sound of music was drowned out by ram's
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  Speaker 2: horns flooding in through the city streets. Adonijah ran outside
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  Speaker 2: to see a parade of people following the sound of
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  Speaker 2: the horns. Adonijah watched as Solomon descended down a hill
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  Speaker 2: into the city with a procession of dancing. shouting and instruments.
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  Speaker 2: The entire city stood in awe. Solomon gave a humble
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  Speaker 2: shrug and waved to the people. His smile was different
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  Speaker 2: than his brothers. While Adonijah's smile was filled with self-love
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  Speaker 2: and smugness, Solomon genuinely cared about the people he was
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  Speaker 2: present with. The news of Solomon's kingship caused panic in
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  Speaker 2: the party of Adonijah. They went from celebrating their king
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  Speaker 2: to feasting as traitors. They scattered, and Adonijah watched as.
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  Speaker 3: His fame disappeared before his very eyes.
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  Speaker 2: Fear filled his mind, and he ran with all of
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  Speaker 2: his might to the altar of God and clung on
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  Speaker 2: to the horns at the altar as a symbol of sanctuary.
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  Speaker 2: He cowered in fear, not leaving the corner of the room.
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  Speaker 2: He knew that no one could harm him as long
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  Speaker 2: as he remained there. The priests approached him, but Adonijah.
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  Speaker 3: Spat and yelled, Nobody touch me!
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  Speaker 2: I will not leave unless King Solomon swears he will
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  Speaker 2: not kill me! Word came to Solomon. He thought deeply
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  Speaker 2: for many moments. Solomon was young, but incredibly wise and thoughtful.
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  Speaker 2: He knew that execution would make him seem petty and insecure.
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  Speaker 2: He also knew that he could not trust his brother fully.
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  Speaker 2: So Solomon gave Adonijah a proposition. If he serves me loyally,
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  Speaker 2: not a hair on his head will be touched. However,
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  Speaker 2: the second trouble arises out of him, his head will
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  Speaker 2: fall onto the floor. Adonijah respected Solomon's wishes and left
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  Speaker 2: into solitude at Solomon's dismissal. The sun slowly set over
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  Speaker 2: the empire of David, the giant slayer and anointed one
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  Speaker 2: of God. Tomorrow, a new day would arise, a day
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  Speaker 2: of worship, wisdom, and a willingness to expand Israel's influence
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  Speaker 2: beyond the east. Solomon was young. even younger than his
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  Speaker 2: father when he became king. However, he was not without
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  Speaker 2: a deep counsel of knowledge. Solomon's mind would prove to
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  Speaker 2: be an excellent tool in the hands of God to
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  Speaker 2: create a new era in Israel. David the warrior would
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  Speaker 2: soon be dead. Now it was time for Solomon the philosopher.
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  Speaker 4: We begin today's scripture with an old and failing King David.
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  Speaker 4: His body is not what it used to be, and
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  Speaker 4: he could barely keep himself warm in his bed. But
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  Speaker 4: his mind was still sharp and his heart was still
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  Speaker 4: dedicated to the Lord, intent to fulfill God's plans for Israel.
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  Speaker 4: He knows that it's time for a changing of the guard,
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  Speaker 4: time for a new king to rise. And his young
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  Speaker 4: son Solomon is his top pick. You see, even though
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  Speaker 4: Solomon was very young, just 19 years of age, He
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  Speaker 4: had already displayed wisdom beyond his years, and David knew
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  Speaker 4: that what Israel needed now was not a warrior king,
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  Speaker 4: but a wise one. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Adonijah,
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  Speaker 4: David's oldest living son, wanted the throne for himself, and
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  Speaker 4: he felt it was his right, and he saw an
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  Speaker 4: opportunity to seize power now that his father was old
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  Speaker 4: and bedridden. So he made plans to essentially crown himself
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  Speaker 4: king as soon as he had the opportunity, and he
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  Speaker 4: gathered support for himself from among David's armies and priests.
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  Speaker 4: Adonijah's attitude was one of entitlement, and he was ready
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  Speaker 4: to subvert God's plans to get his own way, much
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  Speaker 4: like his brother Absalom had done years before when he
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  Speaker 4: tried to overthrow his father David. Sadly, this was very
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  Speaker 4: much the fruit of David's own failure to be a
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  Speaker 4: faithful parent. Listen to what 1 Kings 1.6 says of
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  Speaker 4: David's relationship with Adonijah, his son. His father had never
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  Speaker 4: at any time displeased him by saying, Why have you
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  Speaker 4: done thus and so? For all of his greatness as king,
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  Speaker 4: perhaps David's greatest failing was as a father. He was
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  Speaker 4: definitely not a strong leader for his family, and he
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  Speaker 4: did not train up his children as a father should,
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  Speaker 4: disciplining them when they did wrong and encouraging them when
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  Speaker 4: they did what was right. And so, his sight set
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  Speaker 4: on the throne, Adonijah planned a feast to celebrate his coronation.
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  Speaker 4: It's interesting when you read who was on the invite
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  Speaker 4: list and who wasn't. Adonijah left out Nathan the prophet,
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  Speaker 4: Solomon and his mighty men, and David's bodyguard. If there
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  Speaker 4: was any doubt that Adonijah's actions were malicious and underhanded,
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  Speaker 4: even murderous, this put those questions to rest. When Nathan
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  Speaker 4: told Solomon's mother Bathsheba what was going on, she was
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  Speaker 4: understandably troubled. She knew that if Adonijah became king, her
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  Speaker 4: life and especially her son's life would be in grave danger. Solomon,
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  Speaker 4: after all, was God's choice to be king and Adonijah
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  Speaker 4: knew this. So Solomon would be a threat that would
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  Speaker 4: need to be removed. Nathan advises Bathsheba to go to
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  Speaker 4: David and have him reaffirm his vow to make Solomon king.
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  Speaker 4: He would also go to David to confirm that Adonijah
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  Speaker 4: was trying to rise to power. Bathsheba went to David
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  Speaker 4: and did just as Nathan advised. And when Nathan came
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  Speaker 4: and asked David if he really intended for his oldest
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  Speaker 4: son to be the king, David gathered his strength to
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  Speaker 4: protect God's kingdom one more time. He not only reaffirmed
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  Speaker 4: the calling of Solomon, but took swift action to crown
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  Speaker 4: his young son as king and announce it loudly for
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  Speaker 4: all the kingdom to hear. So while Adonijah and his
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  Speaker 4: friends celebrated a feast, they heard the trumpet blast and
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  Speaker 4: the loud rumbling of the people rejoicing and shouting, Long
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  Speaker 4: live King Solomon. His plan, Adonijah's plan, had failed. His
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  Speaker 4: power evaporated like the morning dew at sunrise. And now,
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  Speaker 4: He feared for his life. Solomon would surely have him killed,
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  Speaker 4: or so he thought. So he fled to the altar
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  Speaker 4: of God and took sanctuary there until Solomon promised not
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  Speaker 4: to kill him. In his wisdom, the young king promised
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  Speaker 4: that if his brother acted in a worthy manner, he
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  Speaker 4: would be safe. But if he provoked wickedness, then he
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  Speaker 4: would die. A new era had dawned, and now Solomon
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  Speaker 4: would rule not as the warrior like his father, but
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  Speaker 4: as the wisest man whoever lived according to the scripture.
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  Speaker 4: Dear God, we thank you for the powerful stories of
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  Speaker 4: the Bible, for your word, which is infallible, inerrant, true,
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  Speaker 4: and trustworthy. May we live by your word. May we
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  Speaker 4: love your word. May we lean into your truth every
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  Speaker 4: single day. May we find in you wisdom and strength
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  Speaker 4: to serve you. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
• 17:41
  Speaker 4: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. Before we go,
• 17:45
  Speaker 4: I want to let you know about a unique e-book
• 17:47
  Speaker 4: that's yours to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking
• 17:52
  Speaker 4: Free from Stress. And my prayer is that it will
• 17:55
  Speaker 4: help you conquer the daily tasks and pressures and burdens
• 17:58
  Speaker 4: that bring stress into your life. Download your free copy
• 18:02
  Speaker 4: of Breaking Free from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress.
• 18:09
  Speaker 4: That's jackgram.org slash stress.