Read | 1 Kings 1:28–40
King David responded by saying, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. The king swore an oath and said, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every difficulty, just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne in my place, that is exactly what I will do this very day.”
Bathsheba knelt low with her face to the ground, paying homage to the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
King David then said, “Call in the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada for me.” So they came into the king’s presence. The king said to them, “Take my servants with you, have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. There, the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan are to anoint him as king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ You are to come up after him, and he is to come in and sit on my throne. He is the one who is to become king in my place; he is the one I have commanded to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”
“Amen,” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied to the king. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it. Just as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”
Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down, had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. The priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!” All the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth split open from the sound.
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Consider how Bathsheba may have felt as she reminded King David of his promise regarding their son.
In that culture, what would the ramifications be for Bathsheba if her son was not the next king?
Focus
Are there any sensory words that lend detail as you imagine the text? What piques your curiosity?
Pray
God, give me the grace to hear your voice, character, and intent through your word.
Going Deeper
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