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April 4 + Daily notes & readings

DAY 94

How does it feel to start another book of the Bible?!


DAILY READINGS

I Kings 1-3 & Psalm 94

DAILY NOTES

1 Kings 1

  • With David close to death, his son, Adonijah, assumes he is to succeed the king; he is the next in line, by the way.  
  • 1 Kings 1 doesn't tell us exactly why Nathan chooses Solomon over Adonijah.  We'd have to remember when David wanted to build God a house and what God's response was--who did God say would build the house?  Then read 1 Chronicles 22 (By the way, in our reading plan, we are skipping 1 & 2 Chronicles until we complete the rest of the OT).
    • Everyone would have known about Solomon, I suppose.  So, that Adonijah elevated himself could also be why Nathan would not support him.
  • We tend to forget that Bathsheba is more involved than just that time she first met David.
  • David appoints Solomon as king through a royal procession and has the priest anoint him as king.  As a result, Adonijah is scared of Solomon.
1 Kings 2
  • After David offers Solomon a bit of life advice and what to do about certain people, the king dies.  Solomon assumes the throne in place of his father.
  • Adonijah asks Bathsheba to ask Solomon for permission to marry Abishag.  She was the virgin David's people found to bring warmth to him.  Solomon sees this as a "scheme" against him.  Was he right?  
    • It's assumed Solomon considered Abishag a concubine.  That means she would have been considered property of the new king, since she was David's.  So, with that in mind, Solomon could have seen Adonijah's request as a way of infringing on his kingship.  Although, we were told that David did not treat her as a concubine.
  • Solomon has Adonijah killed.  He also ties up a few loose ends that David mentioned.
1 Kings 3
  • God appears to Solomon in a dream.  The fact that it's a dream is mentioned twice. Solomon asks God for wisdom to lead the people.  God grants him wisdom and Solomon immediately has a chance to put that wisdom into practice.
Psalm 94
  • People suffer because of other people.  The psalmist trusts that God will make that right.  Those who trust in God will find help from those who oppress them.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

I wonder if Solomon thought he was wise enough to be king.  Of course, many of us have heard the story of how God appeared to him in a dream.  Solomon's dream offers him a chance to ask God for wisdom.  God appreciates his sincerity and that he did not ask for riches or any other vain request.  God grants Solomon wisdom.

But even before the dream, we've already been told Solomon was wise.  Solomon's already been told he is wise.  David told him so, at least once.  

Did Solomon doubt himself?  Did he doubt what his father told him?

Who knows, but it's interesting because I know we can often doubt ourselves.  Even when other people share with us the things they see in us, we can wonder if they're just being nice or assume they just don't know what they're talking about.  Maybe that's something we can pray about.  We can pray that we'll be open to listen to the encouragement from others and that God would show us what our gifts are.

Stay blessed...john

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