When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel – 1 Chronicles 23:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 24, 2012): 1 Chronicles 23

In a royal system where ascension to the throne is a result of family ancestry and birth order, the reality is that most monarchs have known for their entire lives that one day they will become king. It is definitely true for the men that are likely to be the next three kings of England. Prince Charles was four when his mother became queen. But even before his fourth birthday it had already become clear that his mother (Elizabeth II) would reign and that meant that, as her eldest male child, he too would have his time on the throne. There is no doubt that Prince William has been groomed to assume the crown of England from his birth – including his mother’s insistence when he was a baby that William will never be called “King Billy.” And now we have George, only a few months old but already it is recognized that one day he will, in all likelihood, become George VII – King of the United Kingdom. It is a position that each of these three men will spend a lifetime preparing for. And in all likelihood, none of them will assume the throne at a young age. None of them will have a chance to match the longevity of being the supreme monarch that Elizabeth II has enjoyed. It is simply the reality that often follows a long lived monarch – it always has.

David ascended the throne when he was about 30 years of age. And he reigned for 40 years. He had many sons, and he had sons that had thought that, one day, they too would assume the throne of Israel. But one by one, his sons seemed to disqualify themselves from the position. Finally the decision was made that it would not be the oldest son that would receive the mantle of leadership from Dad, but rather a younger son – the son of Bathsheba, Solomon. The news sent shockwaves through the family dynamics, and especially through those who believed that they should be the next king. By the time that David was ready to die, two of his older sons had already preceded him in death – Amnon (the oldest) and Absalom (third oldest.) Dating this event is a little problematic, but is likely that this action took place around the time of the rebellion of Adonijah (David’s fourth oldest son.) Either this action was the precipitating event that caused Adonijah to rebel and crown himself king, or David crowned Solomon as king in response to the rebellion. The real mystery is what was Chileab (the second oldest and heir apparent) doing through all of this. We know very little about David second son.

But the reality is that David went outside of the birth order to crown Solomon king. And it was not the first time in the biblical narrative that this happened. God seems to have a way of ignoring what we think is important and moving in a totally different direction. God has a more intimate understanding of the way we have been created and things that we need to accomplish in life.

The challenge, for us, is in trusting God when events do not go our way. We sometimes simply struggle with really saying to God – Have Thine own way.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 24