Today’s Scripture Reading (August 25, 2019): 1
Chronicles 28
Hereditary Rule seemed to be a
staple of the ancient world. In a world before democracy, and sometimes even
after the advent of democratic rule, Hereditary Rule provided stability needed
for a nation to grow. Revolts and battles for power were messy, so as long as a
competent ruler could take over from the king’s family, that often seemed to be
the preferable solution for the rule of the nation. Of course, competence with
Hereditary Rule was not always assured. The idea of the oldest son taking over
from the father also seems to be traditional, and it is also enshrined in the
Bible. The oldest son was expected to take over the responsibilities of the
father. Of course, God often had a different idea. Repeatedly, God seemed to
step outside of the birth order to name the leader of the next generation. It
happened with the sons of Isaac through the acknowledgment of Jacob as the
leader of the family over the elder Esau. And it happened with Jacob’s sons,
this time through Jacob’s selfish and destructive decision to honor Joseph over
his elder brothers. The story continued with the sons of Joseph, where Ephraim
is elevated over the elder Manasseh, this time as God seemed to move through
Grandpa Jacob and over the objection of the boy’s father, Joseph.
And then David was made King
over Israel, not as the leading member of one of the prominent clans of the
nation, but as the youngest son of an insignificant family. Hereditary Rule
seemed to be expected acknowledgment but often violated. So as David begins to
consider the succession plan for Israel, he faces a significant obstacle.
Israel has never had a royal succession before. Saul, the first king, was
killed in battle with his sons. And while other family members believed that
they deserved to ascend to the throne of the country, in the end, it was David
who won out over the relatives of Saul. And in David’s own family, hereditary
succession by the oldest son seemed to be expected, but that succession was
complicated. His oldest son, Amnon, raped his sister and then was murdered by
one of his brothers, Absalom. Kileab, also known as Daniel, likely died in his
youth. David’s third son, Absalom, revolted against his father and tried to
grab hold of the throne during David’s reign, and was killed in the process.
David’s fourth son, and oldest surviving son, also rebelled and was
disqualified from ascension to the throne.
So David chooses one of his
younger sons to be the next King of Israel. David claims that God made the
decision, but likely that was to increase the probability that his chosen
successor would be accepted by the nation. Solomon had some very earthly
qualifications for the office King. First, he was a son of David’s favorite
wife, Bathsheba. Second, he is also likely the son or one of the sons that
David was most hands-on with in terms of a raising. For most of the older sons,
David seems to have been a permissive and often absentee father. But with
Solomon, he was a very different parent. And so, whether or not God actually
chose Solomon, Solomon was the son of David’s heart, just as Joseph had been
the son of Jacob’s heart. Solomon had listened patiently at night as his dad
had vocalized his dreams of a future Temple dedicated to God and built by one
of his sons. And so Solomon became the son who David believe was best equipped
to carry out his dad’s dream.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 29
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