Sermons

This passage covers Solomon offering a thousand burnt offerings at the high place in Gibeon and then asking God for wisdom in a special dream. High places are generally viewed negatively, but because this was where Solomon worshiped God with true reverence, God appeared to him in a dream and promised to give him whatever he wanted. Instead of asking for long life or riches, Solomon asked for a listening heart to judge the people and discern between good and evil, that is, the wisdom of obedience.

This wisdom is not mere knowledge but a heart that loves life, and it comes from following God's statutes. God was pleased with this heart of Solomon's and granted him not only remarkable wisdom but also the riches and honor he had not asked for. In the case of the two women that follows, Solomon, through his astonishing ruling that the baby be divided with a sword, brought to light the true heart of the mother who wanted the child to live, and made the people realize that God's wisdom was in him.

If we have asked God for wisdom, we must apply that wisdom according to God's word and live it out in the real situations of life. It is not in knowing, but in saving life and embodying the truth through that knowledge, that the grace God has given becomes certain. We must look back on whether, in this confused age, we are ready to restore the authority of God's word, exalt God each in our own place, and give our lives to him.

This passage describes how Solomon, following King David's last instructions, established his royal authority and dealt with the wicked. In particular, through two figures, Joab and Shimei, who in the end rushed to ruin because of their own sins and choices, it shows how important true repentance and choice before God are.

Joab devoted himself to David for nearly forty years and was the chief contributor to stabilizing the kingdom, but out of selfishness and greed to protect his position as second in command, he deliberately committed murder. Despite his many achievements and his devotion, his heart was set on his own power rather than on God, and so, even though he took hold of the horns of the altar, he was not spared and came to a miserable end.

Shimei was a sinner who had cursed David, but because of David's faith and patience he was given the chance to live several times over. Yet rather than truly repenting of his sin, he carelessly broke the king's command, and in the end he missed every chance he had been given and came to his death.

Through the lives of these figures, we should reflect deeply on how we should use the chances we are given, and on what true repentance and choice are.

Today's passage contains the last words King David left to his son Solomon at the end of his life, and the way Solomon, following those words, dealt with the kingdom's enemies and made his throne secure. David blesses Solomon, urging him to keep God's Law and walk in truth, but at the same time he commands him to deal wisely with those who had harmed or betrayed him. More than a simple historical record, this passage gives an important lesson on how God's people should live wisely.

The sermon uses two figures, Adonijah and Abiathar, to point out how grace should be handled. Adonijah quickly forgets the grace that spared his life, shows his foolish greed by reaching for the throne again, and meets a miserable end. Abiathar the priest, on the other hand, who had served David faithfully to the end, puts his own safety first in a time of peace, makes the wrong choice, and is cast off by God. This shows that keeping faith in the midst of blessing and peace is harder than in ordinary circumstances, and that one moment's wrong judgment can bring down a lifetime of faithfulness.

We must live thankful and contented lives for the grace we have received, but if we do not guard against Satan's temptations and our own greed, we can spill that grace at any time. Taking the sad ends of Adonijah and Abiathar as a warning, we must become believers who look at where we stand now and at our past choices, and who make right decisions before God. Remembering the truth that God honors those who honor him, take time to meditate deeply on what kind of heart we need in order to live the wise and truthful life of a believer today.

This passage deals with an unsettled time when King David had grown old and frail and it was not clear who would succeed him. At that point Adonijah, David's fourth son, relying on his claim as the eldest, his fine looks, and the support of Joab and Abiathar the priest, declares that he will be king. The Bible describes his act with the words ‘exalted himself,’ pointing out that it was proud, self-willed behavior beyond his place. This scene shows that what God looked for in choosing a king for Israel was not human appearance or political standing, but his own choice alone and his eye that looks on the heart.

In contrast, while Adonijah was struggling to seize the throne and gathering people to his side, Solomon did nothing in particular and made no schemes to become king. He was simply one already loved and chosen by God, and around him the prophet Nathan and loyal men worked actively to secure his rightful claim. Unlike Adonijah, whose eyes were blinded to God's will by human greed and jealousy, Solomon quietly carried out his calling where he was and waited for God's timing. In the end, Adonijah's attempted rebellion became the very occasion for Solomon to take the throne, and the one who had tried to exalt himself was reduced to taking hold of the horns of the altar and begging for mercy.

As we live in the world, we must not confuse putting human effort into visible results with quietly doing our best for the calling God has set for us. If we refuse to stand with those who, like Adonijah, strive to make themselves king, and consider what it really means to be faithful in a very little right where we are and to wait for God's timing, with what attitude should we prepare for tomorrow's calling?