Hi Paul, I really liked what you had to say about time, it makes sense and I
had not seen that before.  As for David making Solomon king, well, I guess
you can say as God had done many times before, God gave David the strength
to do what he had to do to make his son Solomon king.  The only way for us
to know who we are allied with is to read and feast on God's word and make
it our heart knowledge.

Lelia


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ariel" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 12:56 PM
Subject: ALLIED WITH THE ALMIGHTY (COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS 1)


> ALLIED WITH THE ALMIGHTY (COMMENTARY ON 1 KINGS 1)
>
> "...the LORD lives, who has redeemed me from all my distress..." 1 Kings
> 1:29 (partial quote)
>
> Back and forth, back and forth.  2 Samuel started coming to a close on the
> note of David being an old man.  Then it snapped back with a story about a
> critical time in the prime of life when the LORD dealt with him as a
leader
> who made bad decisions.  Now, in 1 Kings 1, we are brought back to David
as
> an old man again, older and more decrepit than we have ever seen him.
This
> back and forth motion might be confusing at first but is a good reminder
of
> the difference between how we experience time and how GOD sees it.  We
> experience time like a deck of cards, one after another.  But GOD sees
them
> as all of the cards spread out on the table where all are in full view at
> the same time, and He can spread His Hand across them, from the end to the
> beginning, simultaneously.  The king who asked to die in place of his
> people, the boy who slept in the fields guarding his sheep, the old man
> shivering in the bed, the leader who betrayed his GOD and his followers by
> committing adultery and murder, all are David, all seen by GOD
> simultaneously.
>
> For us, it is a shock to see the once strong David as he is before us, an
> old man shivering in bed unable to warm himself.  The chapter emphasizes
> just how old he is by saying that his people, anxious to care for their
king
> as he has cared for them, seek out a beautiful virgin to snuggle with him
> and keep him warm with her own body heat.  It is stressed that she was a
> virgin and that he did nothing to change that condition.  While we'd like
to
> think it was a matter of honor, it is more likely that he was unable to do
> anything about it even if he wanted to.  Her name, Abishag, means "My
father
> is a wanderer", but could also be "My father or The Father is Everywhere."
> She is a Shunamite, from the country called Shunem or "Twice the Rest."
And
> it's emphasized in the chapter that David's followers searched the country
> to find her, just the right young woman.  When the text says that she
> ministered to him it's understood she not only was his body warmer (a
common
> practice in the day) but that she took care of his other needs as well,
> looking out for his daily care like a nurse.
>
> Realizing how weak David has become, his fourth son, Adonijah, which means
> "I AM is GOD",  proclaims that he is about to become king.  He hires
> horsemen and chariots and 50 men to run before his chariots to announce
his
> presence to make a show before the people.
>
> In a telling statement, the chapter describes that David had never upset
his
> son Adonijah because he had never questioned anything he had done, even
> though the boy had been born after Absalom (whom he resembled in good
looks)
> and who, another boy with no rules to guide him, had also run wild,
started
> a mutiny against his father and died an untimely death.
>
> Shockingly, Adonijah hadn't acted alone.  He had conferred with two of
> David's friends and strongest men, Joab the general and David's right-hand
> man, and Abiathar the priest, both of whom assumed Adonijah was the next
> likely candidate and helped him.  But another group of men, including
Nathan
> the prophet, and Zadok the priest, were not part of the plan.  They knew
> that it was Solomon's son by Bathsheba, Solomon, who was to be on the
> throne.  Adonijah knew this, too, because in all of his celebration in
> preparation for his own anticipated coronation, he was careful not to
invite
> any of them.
>
> But all of the advertising Adonijah has done works against him.  Nathan
the
> prophet hears about what is going on and tells Bathsheba (ironic since it
> was Nathan who confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba).  Nathan
warns
> Bathsheba about what is going on and that if Adonijah becomes king, she
and
> Solomon will be a threat and marked for death.  He advises her to tell
David
> what's going on and remind him of his promise to make Solomon king, and
that
> he will come in and confirm things afterward.  All happens just as he
> directs, and David's response is to call Bathsheba (who had left when
Nathan
> came in) back before him.  In front of both of them, David makes a solemn
> vow:  "As the LORD lives, Who has redeemed my life from all distresses,
> surely as I vowed to you by the LORD the God of Israel, saying, 'Your son
> Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my
place';
> I will indeed do so this day."
>
> Where before David seemed a doddering old man, suddenly he comes back to
> life and orchestrates the process where Solomon will be anointed and
crowned
> king and will sit on his throne that very day.  Adonijah and his guests
were
> having a premature party celebrating his own coronation when they heard
> trumpets announcing Solomon as king and the whole city rejoicing over the
> news and David's approval of it all.  When one of the priest's sons
explains
> to Abiathar what has happened, he knows he's doomed for his presumption.
> All of his guests rush off in terror.  Abiathar rushes to grab the horns
of
> the altar in the tabernacle, which is a sign asking for his life to be
> spared.  A messenger goes to the new King Solomon and begs on behalf of
> Adonijah for his life.  In a show of his future wisdom, Solomon says that
if
> Adonijah proves himself a good man, he will live, but if not, he will die.
> Solomon sends servants to pull Adonijah off the altar and before him.
> Adonijah, no longer the presumptuous fellow he was at the beginning of the
> chapter, throws himself on the ground before his half brother, the new
King.
>
> Do you remember the movie "Amadeus"?  It's the story of Wolfgang "Amadeus"
> (which means "Beloved of GOD") Mozart, the great musician, and the
terrible
> jealousy his fellow musician, Salieri, had against him.  The tragedy is
that
> Salieri was a monumental artist in his own right, but (according to the
> movie, anyway) could never appreciate his own place in history because he
> was consumed with jealousy over Mozart.  Adonijah was a prince of Israel,
> but that wasn't enough.  He wanted more and presumed to take it without
> checking his assumptions.
>
> Who are you aligned with?  There are many who seem to be Christians.  They
> know the language, they travel in many of the same circles, and go through
> the same motions.  But there is one crucial difference.  They are not
allied
> with the Almighty.  Acting in their own wisdom and their own presumption,
> they act on what they think GOD wants rather than knowing GOD's will here
> and now.  Adonijah knew that he was not David's choice to be king, but
> rather than checking with David, went ahead with his plans anyway.  Don't
do
> that.  Always check your assumptions with King JESUS.  Don't be one of
those
> who will say to Him some day "We did whatever you wanted us to do.  How
can
> you throw us out now?"  Only to hear Him say "It wasn't Me you were
serving.
> I never knew you."
> It is only when we're allied with the Almighty that we find our true place
> of honor, wherever He wills that to be.
>
> SCRIPTURES USED IN THIS COMMENTARY
>
> 2 Samuel 23:1, 2 Samuel 24, 2 Samuel 18, Isaiah 46:10, 2 Samuel 24:17, 1
> Samuel 16:19, 1 Kings 1, 2 Samuel 12:7, 2 Samuel 3:4, Matthew 7:23
>