May 31, 2014 - Saturday

Start Time: 5:18 A.M.

End Time: 5:57 A.M.

Title: David’s Charge to Solomon

Scripture: 1 Kings 2:1 – 46

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the Lord may keep his promise 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 successor on the throne of Israel.’  “Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.  “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.  “And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’  But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.” Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. ¹¹ He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. ¹² So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.

NOTES:

Ø God ensures that His will and plans are passed on to His next person chosen in line to rule His people!  God’s love is so amazing!  He did not allow David to leave earth with unfinished business.  He made sure that whatever duties or obligations or tasks that David can no longer perform are passed on to Solomon who will carry on the torch for Him.  God works the same way.  When He chose us, there were people before us that He chose who had work undone and so those work, God makes sure to pass on to the next generation to fulfill God’s words that remains forever!  Hallelujah!  So God will ensure that everything He set will come to pass and if our lifetime is not enough, the work He gave us will be passed on to the next to carry it until its fulfillment.  Praise the Lord!  So truly we can be assured of God’s words and His promises for God will always find a way to fulfill it!

Ø God took note of what’s need to be done!  The Lord takes note of everything and when we are unable to fulfill it, that specific task or role will never be forgotten, God will find a successor or another chosen person to fulfill whatever promises or word He has spoken.  So whether we can accomplish it for God or not, His word will remain true because that task we cannot complete will be passed on to someone who can.  So God take note of all His word and promises and He makes sure everything is done and fulfilled.  Hallelujah!

Ø The secret to reigning in God’s given role in our lives, is to listen and obey to God’s words.  Before David left, he gave Solomon the secret of becoming great in his reign…to observe what God requires, to walk in obedience to God, and to keep His decrees and commands.  Listening, obeying, and keeping God’s words are the secrets to becoming prosperous on the role God specifically given to us in our lives.  So it’s no longer a secret!  God revealed it in His words that we may prosper and He may keep His promises to us.  Amen!

→ Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?” He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” ¹⁴ Then he added, “I have something to say to you.” “You may say it,” she replied.  “As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from theLord. Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.” “You may make it,” she said.  So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”  “Very well,” Bathsheba replied, “I will speak to the king for you.”  When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand.  “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.” The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”  So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”  King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother—yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!”  Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request!  And now, as surely as the Lord lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised—Adonijah shall be put to death today!”  So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died. To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign Lordbefore my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.” So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.  So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But he answered, “No, I will die here.” Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”  Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed.  The Lordwill repay him for the blood he shed, because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better men and more upright than he. May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.” So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. ³⁵ The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.  Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.  The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.  But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.”  At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath. When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’  Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?”  The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure before the Lord forever.”  Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and he died. The kingdom was now established in Solomon’s hands.

NOTES:

Ø God establishes the role He appointed us with to His people!  Solomon carried out the last words of David to him as David’s obedience to God and as Solomon did so, God established him as the rightful king by eliminating everyone who conspired to take away the crown from him.  God will do the same to us.  When God gives us our role in His kingdom, He will establish our role and authority to ensure we are able to do our role for Him.  He will eliminate all hindrances or threat to the role He gives us.  And by eliminating the threats, He also fulfills His words against their family and their clan.  This is so important to trust God because whatever comes from Him, He made sure that everything will come together so that His gift to us will come to pass without any issues or threats.  So we only believe and trust Him fully and obey. 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, great and mighty King!  Wonderful and amazing Saviour, the Prince of Peace and awesome Conqueror!  You are truly great Father!  Thank You because You ensures that we do not leave this earth with unfinished business.  When we are unable to complete our task or our mission, You find a successor for us to carry on the torch.  Thank You because You lead us to the right path and all we need is to listen and obey.  Simple yet sometimes we are so hard headed.  Lord, give me the heart and the willingness to always listen and obey You and You alone.  Lord I want to live in prosperity of You, I want to continue on earth with Your favor and grace and love overflowing in my life and I want people to see it so that they may Praise Your Glorious Name.  So Lord, please help me to always listen and obey You.  Help me to always consider You in my decisions that whatever I do has Your approval or permission, then You will keep Your promises to me and thank You because despite of my shortcomings, Your Grace and Favor and Love continues to outpour in my life.  Thank You Jesus because when You set me up for a task or a role, You established my position and authority so I may be able to fulfill my duties or the tasks You assigned to me.  Thank You because You took note of everything so I may not forget and my actions will be in accordance to the fulfillment of Your word.  Thank You Lord.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!