When Will Everything Be Alright?
1 Kings 1:11-27
11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it?
12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
13 Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’
14 Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king).
16 Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, “What do you desire?”
17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’
18 And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it.
19 He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited.
20 And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.”
22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.
23 And they told the king, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king, with his face to the ground.
24 And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?
2 5 For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
26 But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited.
27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.
29And the king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity,
30 as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so will I do this day.”
31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
There are times in every life when you are just tired. The details of everyday life are simply too much; too many people to deal with, too many decisions to make, too many struggles and burdens to carry. Does there come a time when you can just relax and be at peace? Even in his very old age, at the end of a successful reign as king, David faces problems; when he appears to be at his weakest, enemies strike. Can’t a guy catch a break? Hasn’t he earned it a little peace in his old age? Apparently the answer is “no”. But because God is God, He does not let His plans fall to the side. Because God is God, even when evil people want to stand in His way, it doesn’t work. Because God is God, He placed Bathsheba and Nathan at David’s side to hold up the hands of the nation’s leader and bring about His will. While we are not privy to what was going on inside of David’s heart during this final drama in his life, it must have been difficult. Yet another issue to deal with that brings with it the pain of family betrayal and hurt.
That search for peace is universal and can only truly be found in the Living God. Most of the world’s religions have a channel whereby you can achieve “peace” (generally through guided meditation). But in every single case, with the exception of Christianity, that peace is achieved from within you and that makes is a tenuous and fragile peace at best. Any peace that you can conjure up will be quickly shattered by the next struggle to come along. When we are architects of our own internal peace, it is a house of cards, blown down by the slightest breeze of trouble.
In Galatians 5:22-23, we are taught, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control . . . “ From this verse we learn that true peace (and the other 8 characteristics) are evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is the author of these things, not us. When the Holy Spirit grants peace, it is real and strong. While it might be shaken, it is quickly restored, for He gives all that we need in great abundance. We merely bear that fruit; we are not responsible for creating it. Perhaps we are not told that David was upset with Adonijah’s try for the throne because he wasn’t. Maybe David’s peace was that rich and abiding peace that comes only from God and thus cannot be destroyed. It might be shaken for a moment, but it can never be destroyed. When your peace seems shaky, press into the power and presence of the only One who can provide true peace, our Loving and Powerful God.
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