Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 191
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| 1:43–2:6
SAMUEL–KINGS
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arrived. “Come in,” Adonijah said to him, “for you are a good man. You
must have good news.”
“Not at all!” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has just declared
Solomon king! The king sent him down to Gihon Spring with Zadok the
priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, protected by
the king’s bodyguard. They had him ride on the king’s own mule, and
Zadok and Nathan have anointed him at Gihon Spring as the new king.
They have just returned, and the whole city is celebrating and rejoicing.
That’s what all the noise is about. What’s more, Solomon is now sitting on
the royal throne as king. And all the royal officials have gone to King Da
vid and congratulated him, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s fame
even greater than your own, and may Solomon’s reign be even greater than
yours!’ Then the king bowed his head in worship as he lay in his bed, and
he said, ‘Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has chosen a successor to sit on my throne while I am still alive to see it.’”
Then all of Adonijah’s guests jumped up in panic from the banquet table
and quickly scattered. Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he rushed to the
sacred tent and grabbed on to the horns of the altar. Word soon reached
Solomon that Adonijah had seized the horns of the altar in fear, and that
he was pleading, “Let King Solomon swear today that he will not kill me!”
Solomon replied, “If he proves himself to be loyal, not a hair on his head
will be touched. But if he makes trouble, he will die.” So King Solomon
summoned Adonijah, and they brought him down from the altar. He came
and bowed respectfully before King Solomon, who dismissed him, saying,
“Go on home.”
As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his
son Solomon:
“I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage
and be a man. Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and
wherever you go. If you do this, then the Lord will keep the promise he
made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit
on the throne of Israel.’
“And there is something else. You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did
to me when he murdered my two army commanders, Abner son of Ner
and Amasa son of Jether. He pretended that it was an act of war, but it was
done in a time of peace, staining his belt and sandals with innocent blood.
Do with him what you think best, but don’t let him grow old and go to his
grave in peace.