1 Kings 1, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, 1 Kings 2:1-10, 1 Chron. 29:28-30, 1 Chron. 29:23-25 (1 Kings 2:12, 2 Chron. 1:1)
Ryan: Tomorrow, May 12, is my father’s birthday. (And, now that Mother’s Day has passed, we’re approaching the season for Father’s Day, too.) It’s hard for a son not to think about his father when he reads the words that David son of Jesse spoke from his deathbed to King Solomon:
“‘I am about to go the way of all the earth,’ he said. ‘So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go…’” (1 Kings 2:2-3).
I’m sure it was very heartening for David to watch his son on the throne through the eyes of God in Heaven. King Solomon had his share of failures, just as his father before him, but overall was a very successful king and well-liked. Solomon went down in the history books as the wisest man who ever lived, and the man responsible for building the first Temple of God in Jerusalem. It’s very difficult, living in the American mentality of “go it alone” and “do whatever makes you happy,” to think about to what lengths men would go to in order to please their fathers. In that vein, I pray that I have made my father proud of the man I have become. Happy Birthday, Dad!
Samantha: Ryan mentioned Father’s Day, so I’ll mention Mother’s Day and what a treat it must have been for Bathsheba to see her son Solomon crowned king after David! I never really thought much about Bathsheba until I read Francine River’s Lineage of Grace #4: Unspoken. Bathsheba is a woman in the line of Jesus, and her life is an excellent example of God’s redemption and grace. The book of course fills in historical details and narrative around the Biblical account and you really get a deep look into her character and what life could have been like for her. Talk about The Scarlet Letter–she definitely wore that her entire life. Everyone knew what happened, and by law she should have died as a consequence of her sin with David. No doubt the other wives of David scorned her and she probably lived a very lonely and isolated life in the palace. The fact that her son, Solomon, was the only one of David’s sons to be worthy to lead Israel speaks to her character and trust in the Lord. This book is emotional and gives you an entirely different (and real-life!) perspective on sin, grace, and redemption.
[...] We read today of an event that I have already referenced several times in which Solomon asks for (and is granted) wisdom beyond that of other men (1 Kings 3:12). What I [...]