1 Kings 1

God would choose the king of Israel after David. In the prior book, Absalom had attempted to exalt himself to that role and to destroy his father, David. But now Adonijah sought to take advantage of David's old age in order to secure his position as the next in line to rule God's people.

Adonijah had some powerful allies to come alongside him in his ambition. But the kingdom of God would not be established by the power of men. David had already promised that Solomon, his son by Bathsheba, would be king.

David's promise was not just the word of a man. It was a solemn promise before God by the one man on earth who was the Lord's anointed.

David was willing to step aside immediately for Solomon. Solomon would sit on David's throne while David, the anointed of God, was still alive. Adonijah could never have that honor.

The celebration for Solomon was so great, that when word of David's choice reached Adonijah, the man who had thought he could be king lost all of his allies. The message of David had become known to many. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.”

The issue of David's final days was that of his immediate successor. Who would sit on David's throne? That issue had now been settled. It would be Solomon and not Adonijah.

A weightier issue remained for future generations. Who would be the eternal son of David? Who was the Messiah, the Lord of the Covenant, that God had promised would come from the line of David?

Jesus warned that there would be many false messiahs. They all would want the crown, but none would choose the cross except the true Servant of the Lord.

That cross would be the only way to an eternal reign of glory. If any other man had tried to win that seat at the right hand of the Father by his own death, he would have been judged unworthy.

But Jesus of Nazareth, the chosen son of David, has risen from the dead. As Paul writes in Romans 1:3-4, Jesus “was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”

In the words of Hebrews 1:3, “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Jesus is the true Messiah King. He tasted death for His people. Now we live forever in Him.

Rejoice, the Lord is King!