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December 26 - 1 Kings 1 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here it is, Boxing Day, the 26th of
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  December, and it is the day of the deep breath, right?
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  You've made it through Christmas, you've celebrated,
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  you've eaten until your buttons popped, and now you've probably
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  had a sleep in and today looks a lot more chill.
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  That is my hope for you. And as you take a little easier
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  today we are going to begin another journey together.
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  Today we are going to start reading through the book of
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  First Kings. Oh, what a crackerjack this is.
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  This is just classic Old Testament storytelling.
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  And this is the story that started in the book of Samuel
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  because the book of Samuel and the two books of kings together
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  are called you ready for this, the Deuteronomystic history that
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  is a word and a half. So while Samuel told the story
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  of God setting up this Davidic covenant through David and
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  following the length of his reign, now we see the kings
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  after him, 20 kings in the north, 20 kings in the South,
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  and most of them dreadful. So this this is a book that
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  tells of these kings failings again and again and again.
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  And really these books are answering the question that the
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  Israelites were asking at the time of its writing.
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  How do we end up in exile? How did we end up captured and
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  taken away from the land that God gave us?
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  So this book does a very unusual thing in that it tells the
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  shortcomings of the kings. Normally all the writings of the
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  ancient Near East talk up the kings and how good they were.
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  But no, this author says how bad they were and how much they
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  failed from a theological God centred perspective.
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  And so we will hear these stories from David's rule all
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  the way through to disgrace and exile.
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  That is the story of first and 2nd Kings and what a winner it
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  is. So why don't we begin this?
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  You ready? Oh yes, strap yourself in and
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  let's begin reading First Kings Chapter 1.
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  King David was now very old and no matter how many blankets
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  covered him, he could not keep warm.
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  So his advisers told him, let us find a young virgin to wait on
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  you and look after you my Lord. She will lie in your arms and
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  keep you warm. So they searched throughout the
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  land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag
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  from Shunam and brought her to the king.
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  The girl was very beautiful, and she looked after the king and
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  took care of him, but the king had no sexual relations with
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  her. About that time, David's son
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  Adonijah, whose mother was Haggath, began boasting.
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  I will make myself king. So provided himself with
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  Chariots and charioteers and recruited 50 men to run in front
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  of him. Now his father, King David had
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  never disciplined him at any time, even by asking why are you
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  doing that? Adonijah had been born next
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  after Absalom and he was very handsome.
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  Adonijah took Joab, son of Jeroiah and Abiatha the priest
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  into his confidence and they agreed to help him become king.
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  But Zadok the priest, Banaya son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet,
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  Shimai Ray, and David's personal bodyguard refused to support
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  Adonijah. Adonijah went to the Stone of
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  Zahelith near the spring of Enrogal, where he sacrificed
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  sheep, cattle and fattened calves.
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  He invited all his brothers, the other sons of King David, and
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  all the royal officials of Judah, but he did not invite
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  Nathan the prophet, or Banaya, or the King's bodyguard, or his
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  brother Solomon. Then David went to Bathsheba,
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  Solomon's mother, and asked her, Haven't you heard that Haggoth's
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  son Adonijah has made himself king, and our Lord David doesn't
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  even know about it? If you want to save your own
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  life and the life of your son Solomon, follow my advice.
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  Go at once to King David and say to him, my Lord the King, didn't
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  you make a vow and say to me your son Solomon will surely be
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  the next king and will sit on my throne.
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  Then why has Ananiah become king?
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  And while you are still talking with him, I will come and
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  confirm everything you have said.
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  So Bathsheba went into the King's bedroom.
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  He was very old now, and Abashag was taking care of him.
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  Bathsheba bowed down before the king.
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  What can I do for you? He asked her.
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  She replied, My Lord, you made a vow before the Lord your God
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  when you said to me, your son Solomon will surely be the next
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  king and will sit on my throne. But instead Adonijah has made
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  himself king, and my Lord the king does not even know about
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  it. He has sacrificed many cattle,
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  fattened calves and sheep, and he has invited all the King's
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  sons to attend the celebration. He also invited Abiatha the
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  priest, and Joab, the commander of the army, but he did not
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  invite your servant Solomon. And now, my Lord the king, all
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  Israel is waiting for you to announce who will become king
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  after you. If you do not act, my son
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  Solomon and I will be treated as criminals as soon as my Lord the
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  king has died. While she was still speaking
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  with the king, Nathan the Prophet arrived.
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  The King's officials told him. Nathan, the Prophet is here to
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  see you. Nathan went in and bowed before
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  the king with his face to the ground.
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  Nathan asked. My Lord the king, have you
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  decided that Adonijah will be the next king and that he will
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  sit on your throne to day? He has sacrificed many cattle,
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  fattened calves and sheep, and he has invited all the King's
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  sons to attend the celebration. He also invited the commanders
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  of the army and Abiatha the priest.
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  They are feasting and drinking with him and shouting.
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  Long live King Adonijah. But he did not invite me or
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  Zadok the priest, or Benaiah, or your servant Solomon.
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  Has my Lord the king really done this without letting any of his
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  officials know who should be the next king?
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  King David responded, call Bathsheba.
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  So she came back in and stood before the king, and the king
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  repeated his vow. As surely as the Lord lives who
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  has rescued me from every danger, your son Solomon will be
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  the next king and will sit on my throne this very day, just as I
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  vowed to you before the Lord the God of Israel.
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  Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground before
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  the king and exclaimed, May my Lord King David live forever.
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  Then King David ordered call Zadok the priest, Nathan the
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  prophet, and Banaya son of Jehoiada.
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  When they came into the King's presence, the king said to them,
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  take Solomon and my officials down to Gehon Spring.
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  Solomon is to ride on my own mule.
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  Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him
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  king over Israel, Blow the ram's horn and shout, Long live King
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  Solomon. Then escort him back here, and
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  he will sit on my throne. He will succeed me as king, for
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  I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.
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  Amen. Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied.
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  May the Lord, the God of my Lord the King decree that it happen,
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  and may the Lord be with Solomon, as he has been with
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  you, my Lord the king, and may he make Solomon's reign even
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  greater than yours. So Zadok the priest, Nathan the
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  prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the King's
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  bodyguard, took Solomon down to Gehon's spring, with Solomon
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  riding on King David's own mule. There Zadok the priest took the
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  flask of olive oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon
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  with the oil. Then they sounded the ram's
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  horn, and all the people shouted.
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  Long live King Solomon, and all the people followed Solomon into
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  Jerusalem, playing flutes and shouting for joy.
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  The celebration was so joyous and noisy that the earth shook
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  with the sound. Adonijah and his guests heard
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  the celebrating and shouting just as they were finishing
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  their banquet. When Joab heard the sound of the
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  ram's horn, he asked what's going on?
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  Why is the city in such an uproar?
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  And while he was still speaking, Jonathan son of Abiatha the
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  priest arrived. Come in, Adonijah said to him,
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  For you are a good man, you must have good news.
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  Not at all, Jonathan replied. Our Lord King David has just
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  declared Solomon king. The king sent him down to
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  Gihon's spring with Zodak the priest, Nathan the prophet, and
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  Benaiah son of Jehoiada, protected by the King's
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  bodyguard. They had him ride on the King's
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  own mule, and Zadok and Nathan have anointed him at Gihon's
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  spring as the new king. They have just returned and the
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  whole city is celebrating and rejoicing.
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  That's what all the noise is about.
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  What's more, Solomon is now sitting on the royal throne as
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  king, and all the royal officials have gone to King
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  David and congratulated him, saying, May your God make
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  Solomon's fame even greater than your own, and may Solomon's
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  reign be even greater than yours.
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  Then the king bowed his head in worship as he lay in his bed,
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  and he said, Praise the Lord the God of Israel, who today has
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  chosen a successor to sit on my throne while I am still alive to
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  see it. Then all of Adonijah's guests
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  jumped up in panic from the banquet table and quickly
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  scattered. Adonijah was afraid of Solomon,
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  so he rushed to the sacred tent and grabbed on the horns of the
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  altar. Word soon reached Solomon that
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  Adonijah had seized the horns of the altar in fear, and that he
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  was pleading. Let King Solomon swear to Day
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  that he will not kill me, Solomon replied.
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  If he proves himself to be loyal, not a hare on his head
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  will be touched, but if he makes trouble, he will die.
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  Sir, King Solomon summoned Adonijah and there brought him
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  down from the altar. He came and bowed respectfully
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  before King Solomon, who dismissed him, saying, Go on
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  home, our Lord. As we begin going through this
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  long story of the rulers of Israel and Judah, we are so
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  aware that as we read of the foibles and failures of these
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  kings and their courts, that this was never your plan for
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  them. Your plan was for you to be
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  their king and for them to be your people.
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  But you allowed these people, and often you allow us the
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  freedom to follow our own thoughts and our own desires,
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  even when they may be leading us astray.
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  You are a generous God, gracious to us, giving us such freedoms.
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  So Lord, I pray as we begin on this journey, hearing these
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  stories of these kings, that you continually mould our hearts to
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  always, always draw us back to You and to sit under your rule
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  as our King, because nothing we do as imperfect humans is ever
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  going to measure up to you and your love for us.
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  We love you and we praise you, and we pray all these things in
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  the saving name of our King Jesus, Amen.