Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 1:1-53; 2:1-11
In this message we will consider the old age and decease of David.
David not only became old but was also fading away. To fade away is different from being old, which is common. David's life had a good beginning, like the bright sun rising, and his life with his career became like the sun shining at noon. However, his indulgence in lust spoiled his career and caused his bright life to fade like the sunset in the evening. In David's old age there was nothing bright, excellent, or splendid.
David made Solomon the successor to his throne (1:5-53). However, Solomon's source was David's indulgence of lust. Solomon's mother was the wife of Uriah, a Gentile leader of David's army. David murdered Uriah and took his wife. As David was appointing Solomon as his successor, he could not have felt glorious. David's appointing of Solomon was strong evidence of God's forgiveness and unlimited grace, but David nevertheless must have felt a sense of shame about it.
Joab, the captain of David's army, who participated in Uriah's murder, might never have lost his negative feeling about David's sin. It might have been because of this that Joab joined Adonijah in his rebellion. By this we can see that our sinning is not a light matter. It spoils everything. David's indulgence greatly spoiled his name, his position, and even his ending. This was the fading, the sunset, of David's life.
David's indulgence became a seed which issued in the tragedy of the loss of the good land and the capture of the holy people. The effects of this tragedy have lasted even until today. This should serve as a warning to all the young people among us. We must not contact the other sex in a light way. As brothers and sisters in the church we cannot avoid contacting one another, but we must always keep a distance from the other sex. David's indulgence in sin began with just one look. His one glance caused him to fall to such an extent with such a tragic result.
Adonijah, the son of Haggith and an older brother of Solomon of a different mother (2:22), struggled in the way of usurping to be the successor to the throne of David (1:5-10). His attempt to usurp the throne was an act of rebellion.
In verses 11 through 31 we have an account of David's decisive declaration, in the midst of Adonijah's rebellion, to make Solomon his son the successor to his throne. Because of Solomon's origin, it was not easy for David to make such a declaration.
David's decisive declaration regarding Solomon was made by the help of the wise proposal of Nathan the prophet (vv. 11-14, 22-27). Whereas Joab joined Adonijah to rebel against David, Nathan strengthened him.
David's decisive declaration that Solomon should be the successor to his throne was made also through Bath-sheba's intimate entreating (vv. 15-21, 28-31).
Verses 32 through 40 speak of Solomon's accession to the throne of his father as the legal successor to the Davidic throne.
Solomon's accession was ordained by David his father (vv. 32-37). Regarding Solomon, David said, "Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel; and blow the trumpet and say, May King Solomon live!...He shall come and sit upon my throne, and he shall reign in my place; for I have appointed him as leader over Israel and over Judah" (vv. 34-35).
David's ordination concerning Solomon's succession was carried out by Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the captain of the army (vv. 38-40).
Verses 41 through 53 describe Adonijah's surrender.
Verses 41 through 52 speak of Adonijah's submission to and begging of Solomon. When Adonijah heard that David had made Solomon king, he took hold of the horns of the altar, saying, "Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword" (v. 51).
Solomon accepted Adonijah and pardoned him (v. 53).
In 2:1-9 David gave the final charge to Solomon his son as the successor to the Davidic throne.
David charged Solomon to be strong and be a man (v. 2).
David continued by charging Solomon to walk in Jehovah's ways and keep His commandments as written in the law of Moses, that he might prosper and that his throne might be established (vv. 3-4). However, as we will see, Solomon eventually became more indulgent than David. As a result, he did not prosper. Rather, he suffered and lost ten tribes of his kingdom.
Finally, in verses 5 through 9 David charged Solomon to end the lives of Joab, who helped Adonijah in his usurpation of the throne (1:7), and Shimei, who cursed David when he was escaping from Absalom (2 Sam. 16:5-13), and to reward the sons of Barzillai, who supported David in the escape from Absalom's rebellion (17:27-29). David's concern here indicates that while he was on his deathbed he had no peace or comfort in his heart. His dealing with these persons was the issue of his indulgence in sin. God forgave him, but God's righteous judgment would not let him go.
First Kings 2:10-11 speaks of David's ceasing in his life on earth. He was buried in the city of David (v. 10), after reigning over Israel for forty years: seven years in Hebron over Judah and thirty-three years in Jerusalem over the entire people of Israel (v. 11).
According to what David had done for Israel, the people should have taken action, at the time of his death, to remember him. However, contrary to what we might expect, the Bible does not give us a vivid record telling us that at his death the people expressed their appreciation of him. Rather, the record of the end of David's life on earth is dim and gloomy. This indicates that the indulgence of David's lust spoiled his splendid life. Moreover, the sins committed by Solomon and the thirty-eight kings after him can be traced to David's indulgence. His one indulgence resulted in the loss of the God-given good land by his descendants and in the spoiling of God's chosen people.
Although the ending of David's life was sad, God's sovereignty nevertheless overcame Satan's subtlety. God still carried out the return from captivity in order to preserve fourteen generations of Christ's genealogy. By the return from captivity the good land was recovered. God still carried out His intention to bring Himself in His Trinity into humanity and to set up His spiritual kingdom.
