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1 Kings 1 (Part 2) Bible Study (Nathan and Bathsheba/Solomon Anointed King) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  1. Meet me in First Kings chapter one, where we left off, verse

  2. 11, First Kings one, verse 11. And as returning there, allow me

  3. to give you a brief recap from the 1st 11 verses of this

  4. chapter. David, we are told, is very old

  5. in age, so old and he is ready to depart from this world.

  6. One of David's sons by the name of Adenija sees this as a great

  7. opportunity to seize the throne for himself.

  8. Though he was not the king chosen to succeed his father,

  9. his pride was so inflated, his ego was so great that he thought

  10. that he can actually thwart the purpose of God, and so he

  11. attempts to overthrow the purpose of God for the people of

  12. Israel, which is a very sad thing for Adenija to do.

  13. Does anybody know what the name Adenija means?

  14. You can probably guess based on his name if you understand basic

  15. Hebrew words. Adonai ya.

  16. Adonai ya. Any guess?

  17. No more specific Daniel, you're not allowed to answer.

  18. Did you hear it? The Lord is Jehovah or my Lord

  19. is Jehovah. That is what David named his son

  20. telling me and you that he had great hopes for Adonaija.

  21. Did he not that he would live to serve God, honor God, reflect

  22. the character of God, and instead Adonaija resists God,

  23. challenges the will of God, exalts himself as king.

  24. Which tells me that it doesn't matter what kind of hopes and

  25. dreams, as godly as they are, you have for your children.

  26. David named him Adonaija. But David didn't do his part as

  27. a father to discipline Adonaija. He did not fulfill his role as a

  28. father to chastise him, admonish him, rebuke him, correct him,

  29. and direct him. And so now we see the maturity

  30. of a of a unhinged boy who now is a man who can make adult

  31. decisions. And all his life he has never

  32. been told no. And so what's going to stop him

  33. from saying and from pursuing something that doesn't belong to

  34. him? And things seem to be promising

  35. for Adenija because he was able to recruit people and two

  36. prominent figures. Who are the two prominent

  37. figures that Adenija was able to recruit?

  38. Job is 1. And the other.

  39. Yeah, sorry, the priest. So you have the commander of

  40. David's army, and you have one of the chief priests in David's

  41. camp now switching their allegiance over to Adenija.

  42. There are other key figures who are with him and they are

  43. celebrating his self promoting coronation at a legend, verse 9.

  44. Sacrifice sheep oxen and fat and cattle by the serpent stone

  45. which is beside and Rogle. And he invited all his brothers,

  46. the king, sons, and all the royal officials of Judah.

  47. But he did not invite Nathan the Prophet or Benaiya or the mighty

  48. man or Solomon his brother. This looks pretty promising, and

  49. it often does when you and I choose to resist the will of

  50. God, oppose God, and to live according to our selfish

  51. desires. It would be alive for me to

  52. stand here tonight and tell you that there is no pleasure in

  53. sin. There is pleasure in sin.

  54. But Hebrews 11 is very careful to tell us that that pleasure is

  55. fleeting. It's a season of reward, It's a

  56. season of promise, but it's very short lived and the reward is

  57. not really reward to begin with. Adam and I just plans are going

  58. to crash and burn very quickly. And for the rest of this chapter

  59. we're going to see how his plans are actually going to be

  60. overturned by God's sovereign power and the primary ways

  61. through one of David's most faithful friends, Nathan.

  62. So let's read what happens now In verse 11 the Nathan said to

  63. Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, Have you not heard that Adonija

  64. the son of Haggeth has become king, and David our Lord does

  65. not know it. Now therefore, come, let me give

  66. you advice that you may save your own life and the life of

  67. your son Solomon, going out once to King David, and say to him,

  68. did you not, my Lord the king, swear to your servant saying,

  69. Solomon, your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my

  70. throne. Why then is Adam I Jack words?

  71. Let's pray. Lord, your word is before us.

  72. We are eager to understand your mind and your heart.

  73. Give us the grace. Give us the spirit of wisdom and

  74. revelation that we may know you and be conformed to your image

  75. and walk in greater obedience to your purposes.

  76. For our lives. We sincerely pray this together

  77. as a church family. In Jesus name we pray.

  78. Amen. Nathan.

  79. Nathan realizes that Anaija is doing something quite dangerous,

  80. something that David and the Kingdom of Israel has seen

  81. before. And so Nathan reports about this

  82. with emergency protocol. And right from verse 11, we have

  83. something to learn. Nathan, as a faithful servant of

  84. God, teaches us that as also servants of God, it is our duty

  85. to expose sin. It's our duty to expose sin.

  86. It's our duty to expose the darkness in the world.

  87. It's our duty to expose sin in a brother or sister's life.

  88. It's our duty to continually come to the presence of God and

  89. allow His Word and His people to expose our sin.

  90. But in the case of a community, in the case of let's say in our

  91. context the local church, Nathan provides an example that there

  92. are times where it is our responsibility to make known

  93. things that are probably not known to others who are in

  94. danger of not knowing it. Nathan here sees and understands

  95. that if Adenide continues in the pattern that he is walking in,

  96. there will be a massive disruption in the Kingdom.

  97. And understanding the potential consequences of this, Nathan,

  98. make sure, and he makes it a priority to bring this news to

  99. those who would be at risk if this continues on.

  100. And in like manner. As I just said, there are

  101. moments and there are circumstances and there's the

  102. nature of certain sins that demands us to be vigilant and

  103. willing to be uncomfortable to deal with matters before they

  104. get really ugly. In my brief time in ministry,

  105. I've learned something very quickly that there are problems

  106. in the local church. Usually, if not most of the

  107. time, if not all the time, it's relational problems, right?

  108. And most of those relational problems are very complicated to

  109. untangle. They become very knotted.

  110. And one of the reason why they become so knotted is because

  111. parties involved who are aware of the issue were unwilling to

  112. take the stance and expose certain sins, whether that sin

  113. be slander, whether that sin be the spread of doctrinal error,

  114. whether that sin be strife among parties within the Church.

  115. Often times the reason why things get to a place where

  116. there is damage, sometimes severe damage, that can cause

  117. even trauma and and distress and broken relationships on the long

  118. run, is because again, there are some who are unwilling to get

  119. uncomfortable and to put themselves out there to say this

  120. is wrong. We have to deal with this.

  121. Nathan didn't care because Nathan understood that, one, it

  122. was his duty and two, that there would be, there would be blood

  123. on his hands and other people's hands based on what he

  124. understood. And so the way that you and I

  125. are going to see peace and protection in our family, in our

  126. church family, it's not to be nosy individuals, it's not to

  127. sniff out sin in people's lives. But when there is legitimate

  128. concern within the church that we take the appropriate steps to

  129. cut Satan schemes short. And one of the best ways to do

  130. that is that when he attempts to sow discord among the brethren.

  131. That you and I surfaced that while it is still in seed form,

  132. I was meditating on Nathan's actions here.

  133. And there were so many examples that came to mind.

  134. And one example that came to mind.

  135. Just a brief observation that I would like to bring to your

  136. attention, but it it shows how significant that step can make,

  137. what kind of what kind of reward and blessing and security it can

  138. provide if we are people who honor the culture that Jesus

  139. called us to have as a church. And what did he say, Matthew 18?

  140. That if a brother sins, you rebuke him, you approach him,

  141. and it becomes a community effort to ensure that sin does

  142. not have breath to breathe in our midst.

  143. That's the culture Jesus wants us to have.

  144. One of humble, sincere, broken, loving, confrontation when

  145. necessary, exposure of sin when necessary.

  146. Did you know the Apostle Paul had his sister?

  147. Anybody know that? Anybody know the impossible?

  148. Had a sister? Can I show it to you in the

  149. scriptures? Go to Acts 23.

  150. I love quoting Acts 2311 whenever teaching about the

  151. Providence and sovereign will of God for our lives in Acts 2311.

  152. This is where Jesus appears to Paul when he was in prison in

  153. Jerusalem and was promised. You must also testify about me.

  154. Where? Where was Paul supposed to

  155. testify at that point? Rome.

  156. You're going to Rome, Paul, I assure.

  157. You're going to Rome. And immediately after we're told

  158. that, we're told that this band of Jews who conspired and came

  159. up with a plot to kill Paul. And there was more than 40 who

  160. even faceted until it was accomplished.

  161. And so they had this whole plot to try to get Paul to, to enter

  162. into a certain region, for them to create an ambush and to take

  163. his life. And then we're told of an

  164. interesting character, somebody who flashes into the scriptures

  165. and then disappears just as quickly.

  166. It's in verse 16 now. The son of Paul's sister, Paul

  167. had his sister, and Paul had a nephew.

  168. Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush.

  169. So he went and entered the barracks and told Paul, let's

  170. look at this from a heavenly perspective.

  171. This is an encouragement to you and I, Paul's nephew, unnamed,

  172. never to be seen again. Oh, there's so much to say about

  173. Paul's nephew, even in this one verse.

  174. But from a heavenly perspective, we see that Paul's nephew chose

  175. us. God's eyes and ears are

  176. everywhere, and if you, like Paul, are serving the Lord, you

  177. have nothing to worry about. Even when the enemy is brewing

  178. up a scheme against you, God's already ahead of it.

  179. He already knows about it, he already sees it, he already

  180. considers it, and he already knows what he's going to do

  181. about it. You have nothing to fear every

  182. waking and sleeping moment of your life.

  183. Because what I see here is that in Providence, nobody knows how

  184. Paul's nephew heard about this. Nobody knows how he was.

  185. It's just Providence. He was at the right place at the

  186. right time. He received the news and he

  187. brought it to Paul. Paul was able to pass that to

  188. the Roman soldiers and they were able to evade a disaster.

  189. God's eyes and ears are everywhere for his glory.

  190. For your good. But let's look at this from a

  191. human standpoint. Paul's nephew here, and

  192. understanding what he has seen in this moment felt the urgency

  193. to make this problem known and it saved Paul's life.

  194. It saved Paul's life. When we are willing to get

  195. uncomfortable, to expose and to correct, to bring things to even

  196. spiritual authority for the sake of the preservation of the

  197. unity, the love and the holiness of God's people, we could be

  198. saving so much. I'm telling you you, you don't

  199. know how many people I've talked to that are aware of certain

  200. things. People committing spiritual

  201. suicide. People committing spiritual

  202. collateral damage and for fear of I don't know what they're

  203. unwilling to step forward and say in the name of Christ, in

  204. the name of His Holiness and the name of unity.

  205. I have to say something, whether it be stripe, slander, doctrinal

  206. error, anything and everything in between.

  207. But Nathan here makes that decision, and and it's really

  208. the hinge to what we're about to discover.

  209. And his wisdom is proven further by this.

  210. He comes to Bathsheba, not amazing Nathan, a prophet of

  211. God. Knowing what this woman's past

  212. was. He's the one who exposed the sin

  213. between Bathsheba and David. And here's a man who's still

  214. willing to relate to her, to work with her, to care for her.

  215. Nathan was more than just a courageous, fearless man of God

  216. who exposed sin. He was a man who was also

  217. willing to relate to those who have repented of their sin, no

  218. matter how grotesque their sin was.

  219. What a man of God he he brings in Bathsheet and he says listen,

  220. your life is in danger, Your son Solomon's life is in danger.

  221. You need to listen to me. You need to go into your

  222. husband's chamber. You need to ask him what

  223. happened to the plan that you told me about that God had given

  224. you. Where is this going?

  225. And while you're explaining that I'm going to walk in at the

  226. right time and I'm going to confirm, I'm going to confirm

  227. your words. Now.

  228. Why? Why this scheme?

  229. Why this whole plan? Any ideas why?

  230. Why didn't Nathan just barge into the chamber and

  231. thunderously announced to David? Hey, listen, you're in trouble.

  232. You're negligent here. We got to get things into order.

  233. Why didn't he just do that? Any idea why?

  234. Why work with Bathsheba? This is very good.

  235. We're going to get to that in a moment.

  236. There's something about David. There's a weakness in David that

  237. required this kind of approach. So let's talk about the two

  238. things. I think the first thing is

  239. David's ignorance. So what are we told here in

  240. verse 12, verse 11? Rather David at the end of it.

  241. Our Lord does not know it. He's unaware, he's ignorant and

  242. so this requires a specific kind of approach, right?

  243. We have to come and make this known to him.

  244. But more than just his ignorance, there is a weakness.

  245. What's David's weakness when it comes to his children?

  246. We learned about it last week, verse six of chapter one.

  247. What is it? His father had never at any time

  248. displeased him being out of Niger by asking why have you

  249. done thus? And so David had already proven

  250. that he has a history of not willing to confront and

  251. discipline his children. More than that, he always seemed

  252. to believe the best about his children.

  253. He always had that kind of hope and desire, and even if they did

  254. wrong, even in in the face of obvious evil and disobedience,

  255. he was reluctant to deal with them.

  256. Nathan is David Trent. Nathan has seen this throughout

  257. the decades, and so he understands that in order for

  258. this to be something that David considers, we have to present it

  259. with urgency. And so, Bathsheba, you go in and

  260. then I'm going to come in and confirm it, and together we're

  261. going to bring this to David's attention for him to not be so

  262. quick to deny it or downplay it, right.

  263. Vividly speaking also in Duran, we were told that through two

  264. witnesses, I think is established right?

  265. So Nathan comes with this plan. Bathsheba is willing to listen.

  266. So Bathsheba does, and let's read it.

  267. Here Bathsheba went and verse 15 to the king and his chamber.

  268. Now the king was very old, and Abhishek the Shunamite was

  269. attending to the king. Bathsheba bowed and paid homage

  270. to the king. And the king said, Why do you?

  271. What do you desire? She said to my Lord, You swore

  272. to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, Solomon, your son

  273. shall rain after me, and he shall sit on my throne, And I'll

  274. behold that. And I just came, although you,

  275. my Lord king, did not do not know it.

  276. He has sacrificed oxen, fat and cattle and sheep in abundance,

  277. and has invited all the sons of the king.

  278. Have you asked the priests? And Job the commander of the

  279. army? But Solomon, you're serving.

  280. He is not invited. And now, my Lord the king, the

  281. eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who shall sit on the

  282. throne of my Lord the king after him.

  283. Otherwise it will come to pass. When my Lord the king sleeps

  284. with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted

  285. offenders. Bathsheba listens.

  286. And again, Nathan here, by what he's saying to Bathsheba, is

  287. providing us yet more principles of what we should do, what we

  288. should do with somebody who is ignorant and through their

  289. ignorance or causing problems. And if they are weak, if they

  290. are frail, if they do lack courage, if they do lack

  291. boldness and stepping out in obedience and dealing with

  292. things, what are the I'm reading something okay.

  293. What are the three things you that stand out to me?

  294. Maybe more or less, but I see that when Nathan instructs

  295. Bathsheba, he first tells her to go respectfully.

  296. And she does. These are wonderful lessons

  297. about how to confront respectfully Bathsheba, verse

  298. 16, bowed and paying homage to the king.

  299. So she comes with the sense of honor.

  300. She comes with the sense of respect.

  301. But more than respect, she comes carefully and at least with his

  302. advice, he he brings the Bathsheba a format.

  303. And the format was bring it in the forms of questions.

  304. Remember we had her Q&A. Somebody asked how do I?

  305. How do I confront with somebody in regarding to their sense?

  306. Ask questions, even even with evidence.

  307. Give them a chance to come clean.

  308. Give them a chance to be honest. Give them a chance to prove

  309. their integrity and their repentance.

  310. Ask questions. And sometimes when people are in

  311. error, we assume that they do things intentionally.

  312. And when you come with questions, you might learn that

  313. they were doing it really just out of ignorance and foolishness

  314. and a lack of understanding, so respectfully, carefully, but

  315. also urgently, urgently. The most unloving thing that you

  316. and I can do when somebody is clearly in error is to prolong

  317. and to delay. Our willingness to confront them

  318. because of whatever selfish reason that puts that delay can

  319. even cause more harm. Has anybody here ever eaten at a

  320. restaurant and you were devouring your lunch?

  321. So much so that there was something in your teeth and you

  322. went through that whole day fellowship, been going out for

  323. ice cream after the fact, All that's come into your car, put

  324. down the mirror and realize that there's something in there?

  325. Why didn't anybody tell me? Right.

  326. Why didn't anybody tell me about the smudge on my face?

  327. Isn't it a nice thing when somebody says, hey brother, you

  328. got something here. Hey, brother, sister, you got

  329. something here. You've done it, haven't you?

  330. You've seen it and you've just like, I'm not going to deal with

  331. that. Just let them figure it out

  332. themselves. There's something about us that

  333. we we really, most people are not confrontational and

  334. unfortunately that transfers over spiritually.

  335. If if I see correction in that way, as as much as that's a

  336. simple example, that's a gift. If you come up to me, say

  337. something, brother to see your brother.

  338. This is this like this. Can you fix it?

  339. I say thank you for that. I didn't want to continue in

  340. that way. I appreciate it.

  341. I look silly. I look wrong.

  342. I look like I didn't take care of myself.

  343. I look like I don't care about my hygiene.

  344. I appreciate that. Thank you.

  345. Well, take correction the same way.

  346. It's a gift. It's a gift.

  347. Thank you for that. I didn't see.

  348. I didn't know. My attitude was.

  349. I didn't know. I didn't know I was.

  350. That's how I came off when I say certain things.

  351. Thank you for that. Don't get all uptight.

  352. And if they love you, if they're in Christ, and bless them for

  353. that, respectfully, carefully, urgently.

  354. Bathsheba tries to obey. She tries to do it the way that

  355. she was instructed to do it. And so she comes to her husband,

  356. and she tells him with warning in verse 20.

  357. Now, my Lord the king, the eyes of all Israel on you to tell

  358. them who shall sit on the throne of my Lord the king after him.

  359. Otherwise it will come to pass. When my Lord the king sleeps

  360. with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted

  361. offenders. Like, listen, if you don't take

  362. this seriously, people will die. I will die.

  363. Your son Solomon will die. Do you understand the

  364. repercussions? Do you see how serious your

  365. delay is? When God wants to spring us into

  366. action, when we are in that place of whether that be

  367. weakness or hesitation or ignorance, He will often often

  368. use how we use Nathan, a messenger of the word.

  369. That's his primary means through sessions like this, where God's

  370. worth is being brought forth. And pray that the preachers of

  371. this place and preachers across this land are men who are filled

  372. with the Holy Spirit. So they don't just give nice

  373. lessons, but they speak with power and insight and

  374. sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, so they can actually speak into

  375. people's lives through the word of God.

  376. That's how the Lord speaks to us, to stir us, right?

  377. But that's not the only way the Lord can uproot us from a a

  378. place of concern to a place of His desired will and purpose.

  379. God has many means, and He is so acquainted with you and I that

  380. He knows how to bring us where He needs to bring us.

  381. One of my favorite examples of that truth, which I praise God

  382. for, is the early church in the book of Acts.

  383. God gave clear directions of their evangelistic outreach of

  384. the regions they were to cover, and that's found in Acts 18.

  385. You're very familiar with that, right?

  386. What are we told in Acts 18? Where were they supposed to

  387. start with the gospel? Jerusalem.

  388. And then where? Judea.

  389. Very good. And then where very good.

  390. And then the ends of the earth. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria.

  391. The ends of the earth? That's what the Lord said for

  392. the first seven chapters. Where were they?

  393. Jerusalem. They made no progress to the

  394. outside regions. They stayed in Jerusalem, for

  395. whatever reason, there was some form of stagnation.

  396. What did the Lord do to get them to Judea and Samaria?

  397. So we love Acts 18. Go to Acts 81 and you'll see how

  398. God brought them from where they were staying to where they

  399. needed to be. And just look at the ways of

  400. God. Look at the means of God.

  401. Look at the Providence of God, and that it caused your heart to

  402. rejoice. He didn't send another Angel.

  403. He didn't make his voice from Acts 18 be heard again in the

  404. churches. He does this in Acts 81.

  405. In Acts 81, we're told, and Saul approved of his execution.

  406. And there arose on that day a great not just persecution, a

  407. great persecution against the church in Jerusalem.

  408. And they were all scattered throughout the regions of where

  409. Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

  410. How many? How am I going to get this

  411. church, my church, to get to Judea and Samaria?

  412. Ah, persecution. Not a prophet, not a messenger.

  413. Persecution. You want God to lead your life

  414. in mine, huh? Very strange, the way he leads

  415. us. Very strange the way he brings

  416. us from one place to the next. So God wants you to get

  417. somewhere. And what does he do?

  418. It's not a promotion. You get fired.

  419. What's this all about? And how many scenarios can we

  420. give where it seems to be a negative?

  421. It seems to be a resistance. It seems to be a challenge.

  422. When in fact it's the doorway. It's the doorway.

  423. And so God knows how to get your attention, especially if you

  424. didn't hear Him after the 1st 10 sermons after the 15 Bible

  425. studies to move you. Isn't it a wonderful thing to be

  426. in the will of God? Isn't it a wonderful thing to be

  427. a child of God? He patiently knows how to lead

  428. us sometimes, even if it's there's some bruises that need

  429. to come with it ultimately so that we can be conformed to His

  430. will. All things work together for the

  431. good of those who are called according to His purpose.

  432. All things. And so here's David.

  433. He has his world shook, so to speak, and he has to deal with

  434. this. And So what happens, Verse 22,

  435. while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the

  436. prophet came in right according to plan.

  437. And they told the king here is Nathan the prophet.

  438. And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king

  439. with his face to the ground. Let me pause and just say this.

  440. Earlier we praised Nathan for being a person, a prophet,

  441. willing to care for and love someone like Bathsheba of all

  442. people. David, right?

  443. But I also see something praiseworthy of David here is

  444. David still near the end of his life, clinging to Nathan as a

  445. friend, having his life open to a friend like Nathan still.

  446. Do you know why that's significant?

  447. If you remember when we were introduced to Nathan, we studied

  448. how every mention of Nathan in connection to David, every

  449. mention of David and Nathan together, Nathan is giving David

  450. some kind of direction. Second Samuel Chapter 7, when

    2 Samuel 7 chapter mention

  451. when David wanted to build a temple.

  452. Second Samuel chapter 12 when David was in sin and Nathan

    2 Samuel 12 chapter mention

  453. rebukes him. And now we see him here in First

  454. Kings near the end of his life. He's telling him what to do.

  455. That's a real friend. That's someone that you should

  456. have in your life. I hope you have a person in your

  457. life that is loving enough to speak into your life, even if it

  458. cuts you at 1st. That draws you closer to the

  459. will of God, not away from the will of God.

  460. I hope you have someone like that, that whenever you hang out

  461. with them, you want to be godlier.

  462. Whenever you hang out with them, Do you have anybody like that?

  463. Whenever you talk to me, like, man, I want to read my Bible

  464. now. I have friends like that.

  465. It's like I don't know my Bible. I didn't see it that I got to go

  466. back and read or or somebody's just that person makes me want

  467. to pray. A person wants me to be, makes

  468. me want to be more holy, more committed, more zealous.

  469. Ask God for that kind of a friend.

  470. And when you have that kind of, and if you do have that kind of

  471. a friend, if you do have that kind of a church, don't take it

  472. for granted. Thank God for that.

  473. Praise God for that. David made a willful choice.

  474. He had the authority to kill him if he wanted to.

  475. He was the king. Prophets have been slain before

  476. for standing up against disobedient kings.

  477. But this king says you're my friend.

  478. In fact, one of David's children was named Nathan.

  479. I wonder if he named them after his friend.

  480. And there's evidence here that perhaps David did praise God for

  481. Nathan in some way. Because look here.

  482. So Nathan says. Now let's read it.

  483. There's a lot of verses, by the way, he says here, verse 24.

  484. Nathan said, My Lord the king, have you said I don't?

  485. I just shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne free

  486. has gone down this day. And I sacrifice oxen fattened

  487. cattle and sheep and abundance, and has invited all the King's

  488. sons the commanders of the army, and have you after the priest.

  489. And behold they're eating and drinking before him.

  490. And saying, Long live king out of Nyjah.

  491. But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Bennaya the son

  492. of Jehodia and your servant, solemn he is not invited.

  493. Has this thing being brought about my Lord by my Lord the

  494. king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the

  495. throne of my Lord the king after him?

  496. You see the attitude. Hey, David, King did you did

  497. something change And we're not not.

  498. He didn't point his finger. The way is confronting so much

  499. wisdom. Look what David does.

  500. Then King David answered call Bathsheba to me.

  501. So she came into the King's presence and stood before the

  502. King. And the king swore saying, As

  503. the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity,

  504. as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying,

  505. Solomon, your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my

  506. throne in my place. Even so will I do this day.

  507. Notice the explosive praise before the promise that Solomon

  508. will succeed him. Look at this beautiful

  509. declaration as the Lord lives who has redeemed my soul out of

  510. every adversity. David has gone through a lot of

  511. adversity, has he? Not a lot, whether that be

  512. foreign armies or internal betrayals and strife, his

  513. fatherinlaw, his son, other people from different tribes.

  514. This man went through a series of adversities, and yet at this

  515. time he pauses. He lifts his heart to heaven,

  516. and he said the Lord. The Lord redeemed my soul out of

  517. all of them. Why is he saying this?

  518. Why is he saying this here? It seems out of place.

  519. It just seems kind of random. It's noble.

  520. It's it's, it's beautiful. But why is he saying this?

  521. Here's why I believe he's saying this.

  522. I believe he is saying this because he's not just reflecting

  523. on what the Lord has done. He's realizing in this moment

  524. that the Lord is doing what he has always done by delivering me

  525. yet from another adversity. Do you see what I'm saying?

  526. David is praising God for the deliverances that he has known

  527. because in this very moment he is being delivered.

  528. Because through Nathan the Prophet, something is made aware

  529. to him out of Nyjah's wicked plan to try to overthrow his

  530. throne. And he goes, oh God, you have

  531. delivered me from all these adversities even now to this

  532. last moment of my life. What?

  533. What's the lesson? God is faithful.

  534. God is faithful. I hope you and I will live for

  535. the glory of God long enough for the rest of your life, for you

  536. and I to be able to say the same thing David says here.

  537. He has redeemed my soul out of every adverse.

  538. Just because God is God in your life, just because he's your

  539. shepherd, doesn't mean you're not going to go through

  540. adversities. You're going to go through them,

  541. but he will bring you out of them.

  542. That's the difference. But a lot of people's theology

  543. is I'm never going to be touched.

  544. I'm never going to be visited. I'm never going to know harm.

  545. I'm never going to go to the heat of the fire.

  546. I'm never going to know the rising waters.

  547. I'm just going to just just float through this life.

  548. That's not what the Lord says out of How are you going to know

  549. God's faith in this until you have a problem?

  550. How are you going to know God's miracle power unless you stand

  551. before Red Sea? How?

  552. Be careful what you're asking for, Lord, show me your wisdom.

  553. Lord, show me your power. Lord, show me your mic.

  554. All right, well, here's the situation that requires it.

  555. But David could say confidently, he could say to something you

  556. and I could say at the end of it, he's saying something that

  557. you can believe now and you can, you can lock it in your heart.

  558. He will deliver me out of every adversity.

  559. He will. Do you want to know the New

  560. Testament equivalent to David's declaration here?

  561. It was through the lips of the Apostle Paul and Second Timothy

  562. 418 Look what Second Timothy 418 is.

  563. This is a powerful prompt. This is a powerful thing for you

  564. and I to be able to say over and over again, especially as you're

  565. living for the glory of God. And Second Timothy 418 Look what

  566. he says. The Lord will rescue me from

  567. every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly

  568. Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and

  569. ever. Amen.

  570. Amen. Indeed, he will.

  571. From every evil deed, no matter how creative, no matter how

  572. overwhelming, no matter how surrounding every evil deed, I

  573. will be delivered from nothing, will be able to sabotage the

  574. will of God for my life. No affliction, no assault, no

  575. ailment, nothing. Every evil deed will be recycled

  576. for the glory of God. And David is praising God for

  577. that. And he he responds with urgency.

  578. Nathan approaches him with urgency, and he responds with

  579. urgency, and he says, this day, I'm not waiting.

  580. God has made this known to me. I'm going to act on this right

  581. now. And so they do.

  582. And as they are now planning, David gives this list of

  583. specific instructions to Bathsheba and to Nathan.

  584. And we see here in verse 34 what happened.

  585. Specifically, let's read verse 32.

  586. King David said call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the Prophet,

  587. and Bennaya the son of Jehodia. So they came before the king.

  588. And the king said to them, take with you the servants of your

  589. Lord, and have Solomon, my son, ride on my own mule and bring

  590. him down to Guyon or Guillon. And let Zadok the priest and

  591. Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel.

  592. Then blow the trumpet and say, Long live King Solomon, you

  593. shall then come up after me, and he shall come and sit on my

  594. throne, for he shall be the ruler over Israel and over

  595. Judah. So here are these instructions.

  596. But something stands out to me in verse 34.

  597. Look at verse 34. I wonder.

  598. I'm asking you this now I'm. I'm wondering if something

  599. stands out to you. Look at it and if you can notice

  600. it has to do with these three individuals that are named verse

  601. 34. What positions do each

  602. represent? What do you have there?

  603. Prophet, Priest. And who?

  604. King. Those are the three major

  605. leadership offices in the old covenant that God instituted to

  606. serve the nation of Israel. The prophet spoke on behalf of

  607. God. The priest was the mediator

  608. between God and man and the king govern God's people, and here we

  609. see them working together to accomplish the will of God.

  610. And this is a good place to be reminded that Jesus made an

  611. astounding claim about himself that he was the greatest.

  612. He's the greatest prophet, the greatest priest, the greatest

  613. king. If you're at the conference, you

  614. remembered where Jesus said that.

  615. Who remembers where Jesus said that?

  616. That's what the Thursday night session does.

  617. You're still getting acquainted and settled in.

  618. Where did Jesus say I'm the greatest priest, I'm the

  619. greatest prophet, I'm the greatest king.

  620. Somebody said Matthew. Where in Matthew?

  621. See. Review is good, isn't it?

  622. It's good. Very good.

  623. Grace Matthew, chapter 12. I want to show you where Jesus

    Matthew 12 chapter mention

  624. said he's the greatest priest, He's the greatest prophet.

  625. He's the greatest king. Matthew, chapter 12.

    Matthew 12 chapter mention

  626. Let's look at verse 6. All in the same chapter.

  627. Matthew, chapter 12, verse six. What does he say?

    Matthew 12 chapter mention

  628. I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.

  629. He's declaring his superior priesthood, and with that, him

  630. being the superior and all sufficient sacrifice.

  631. He's not just a priest, he's a sacrifice as well.

  632. Hebrews declares that over and over something greater than the

  633. Temple is here. Whatever the temple represents

  634. the priesthood and the sacrifices there.

  635. And I'm greater than that. Matthew 1241 What is he saying?

  636. Matthew 1241 The men in Nineveh will rise up at the judgment

  637. with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the

  638. preaching of Jonah and behold, something greater than Jonah is

  639. here. Not only in the sense that the

  640. miracle of Jonah being in the belly of the fish pointed to the

  641. resurrection, but the office of Prophet as well.

  642. I am the greatest prophet. Matthew 1242 Can you guess what

  643. the next one is? You should know you got a tshirt

  644. with a verse on it. The Queen of the South will rise

  645. up of the judgment with this generation and condemn it.

  646. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of

  647. Solomon. And behold, something greater

  648. than Solomon is here. Something greater than the

  649. temple, Something greater than Jonah, Something greater than

  650. Solomon, Priest, prophet, King. The concept of those things

  651. being mixed together in one person was totally foreign.

  652. It was actually illegal in the old covenant.

  653. There was one king who thought that he can presume to be the

  654. king or the priest at the same time.

  655. Who was that king Salt attempted to sacrifice?

  656. And there was another one. He became a leopard because of

  657. it. King Guziya, when he attempted

  658. to give incense in the temple and God struck him with leprosy.

  659. You could not overlap those offices.

  660. And yet Jesus, by claiming he's the greatest prophet, greatest

  661. priest, greatest king, you know what he's saying?

  662. I'm all of those things in one person.

  663. I'm not just one of those things.

  664. I'm all of those things, he declared it.

  665. Did the New Testament authors believe that about Jesus?

  666. Did the apostles believe that? Can I show you one place?

  667. Just this is just really, really exciting.

  668. I want to show you one place, just one example of how the New

  669. Testament authors, the authors of the Epistles, believe that

  670. about Jesus. Hebrews chapter one.

  671. Let's look at the 1st 3 verses. I love the book of Hebrews.

  672. You know why? It is saturated with Old

  673. Testament references, Old Testament imagery, Old Testament

  674. shadows pointing to the substance in Jesus Christ.

  675. But look at Hebrews one. We're very familiar with this.

  676. I wonder if you've seen this before.

  677. Verse one long ago at many times, and I want to see if you

  678. noticed this. And in many ways God spoke to

  679. our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days He's

  680. spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the air of all things.

  681. Through him also he created the world.

  682. He is the radiance of the glory of God in the exact imprint of

  683. his nature. And He upholds the universe by

  684. the word of His power. After making purification for

  685. sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

  686. Did you see it? Where's the reference to

  687. Prophet? Look at verse one.

  688. God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.

  689. Verse 2. But in these last days he has

  690. spoken to us. By his Son.

  691. By his Son. Now he speaks.

  692. This is the true messenger. This is the one who would bring

  693. forth not just the word. He is the word.

  694. Where do we see priests? Did you catch it?

  695. Good. Look at verse three.

  696. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of

  697. his nature. And he upholds the universe by

  698. the word of his power after making purification for sins.

  699. Priest, where's king? Right after he sat down at the

  700. right hand of the majesty on high.

  701. So verse one, you have Jesus speaking forth the word of God.

  702. In the old all these prophets came, and now the prophet of

  703. prophets has come. In the old all these purified

  704. sins have come, but he has for one time at all time, for all

  705. time made purification for sins. And not only that, he has been

  706. exalted and he has sended into majestic glory, sitting today as

  707. a ruler and the sovereign overall the universe.

  708. Isn't that exciting? I hope so.

  709. Priest, Prophet, King, Prophet, Priest, king, king.

  710. Now do you believe that even though each?

  711. One of these offices occupied their own lane.

  712. Do you believe that? There was an anticipation for

  713. the Messiah to occupy all three. Let me ask you this way was.

  714. There any anticipation where? Is there any prophetic

  715. indication that when this Messiah comes, he will in fact

  716. be these things all in one because we kind of limit the

  717. Messiah? Son of David as the king, sure.

  718. But is there any other clear indication, prophetic utterance

  719. that he would be more than that? That he would be the unification

  720. of these offices to prove something?

  721. That he is the greatest leader? He is the only deliver.

  722. He's the one that eclipses every other attempt of delivering the

  723. people of God, yes. Very good.

  724. One of the most favorite psalms. Utilize in the New Testament by

  725. the Holy Spirit. What's that Psalm Psalm 110.

  726. Psalm 110 What are we told? Well, let's look at verse one.

  727. You have your Bible as a Bible study, right?

  728. Good. I love the screen, but

  729. sometimes. It makes me nervous, the Lord

  730. says to my Lord. Sit at my right hand until I

  731. make your enemies. Your foot still sit at my right

  732. hand. That's royalty sit where I sit

  733. so to. Sit in this place of authority.

  734. But then you read on. What is it saying?

  735. Verse 2. The Lord sends forth from Zion

  736. your mighty scepter rule in the midst of your enemies.

  737. That's still kingly language. Verse three, your people will

  738. offer themselves freely on the day of your power and holy

  739. garments from the womb of the morning.

  740. The dew of your youth will be yours.

  741. Now look what? Here it says.

  742. The Lord has sworn he's still speaking about the Lord.

  743. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind.

  744. You are priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

  745. I wonder what David's reaction? Was to that when the Holy Spirit

  746. inspired that in him. Here is one of my.

  747. Sons is not just going to be my descendant, he's also going to

  748. be my Lord, and the Lord is going to exalt him to the place

  749. of heavenly glory and authority. Wow, one of my sons is going to

  750. be exalted to such a status. And then, as the Holy Spirit is

  751. revealing, this time he's also learning.

  752. But he's also going to be a priest.

  753. Uziah was stricken for attempting to be both king and

  754. priest, but my son is going to be exalted as king and also

  755. occupied the office of priest, not after the order of Levi but.

  756. After the order of Melchizedek, wow, can I show you one of my

  757. favorite prophecies concerning Jesus, the Messiah being King

  758. and priest at the same time? Zachariah Chapter 6 Go to

  759. Zachariah chapter 6 quickly I. Want you to see this because I

  760. want you to be absolutely amazed of how these ancient scriptures

  761. point to the Jesus you love and adore today.

  762. Jesus didn't just. Surprise, Israel.

  763. Jesus was anticipated, predicted, prophesied about, and

  764. it was the ignorance of the Jewish leadership that caused

  765. them to reject them in such a way, with all their sin and envy

  766. and all that stuff. But look at Zechariah 6.

  767. Let's look at verse 11 and Zechariah 6.

  768. Let's go to verse 12. Actually, here's a prophecy.

  769. Look at this. And say to him Thus says the

  770. Lord of hosts, behold the man whose name is the branch capital

  771. B. Do you know what would make a

  772. fascinating study? Studying all the places in the

  773. Old Testament where Jesus is referred to as the branch.

  774. Amazing references. Amazing promises and

  775. prerogatives that are tied into that title.

  776. The branch. Have you heard Jesus?

  777. The Branch. The branch.

  778. For he shall branch out from his place, and he shall he shall

  779. build the temple of the Lord. Some would say that's the

  780. spiritual. That's the Church of Jesus

  781. Christ. Yes, he is building a temple,

  782. but there's also physical temple to come.

  783. Look at the next verse Now this is where he.

  784. Gets exciting. It is he who shall build the

  785. temple of the Lord, and shall bear royal honor and shall sit

  786. and rule on his throne. Now look at this and there most

  787. translation says he King James, New King James.

  788. And a SVESV says there, but it says, And there shall be a

  789. priest on his throne, and he shall be a.

  790. Priest on his throne, Huh. Priest on the throne?

  791. Unheard of, unheard of, but. This branch, this Messiah, he

  792. will build a temple, and from that temple will be his

  793. headquarters. And that headquarters will not

  794. only be the temple, it will be where he exercises his sovereign

  795. rule as king priests on his throne and the council.

  796. Of peace shall be between them both.

  797. So yeah, the prophets. Understood that there is a

  798. Messiah to come. That will occupy something that

  799. has never been known and was not permitted to be known.

  800. Prophet, priest, king, one person, Jesus Christ of

  801. Nazareth. That's who it is and what's

  802. gonna happen is. To this, most of the chapter,

  803. Jonathan is going to spell out in detail what just occurred in

  804. the city concerning Solomon becoming king and taking over

  805. his father's place. I would read the rest of this,

  806. but I'm going to. Pause and ask this question.

  807. Have we seen this character, Jonathan, the son of Abby

  808. Athler, before? If so, where?

  809. OK, good. So we've.

  810. Seen him back in Second Samuel. We've seen him back in Second

    2 Samuel 15 chapter mention

  811. Samuel, Chapter 15, and if you want to turn there, you can.

  812. I want you to see who this Jonathan is because it's going

  813. to be very important understanding what he's doing

  814. here. And second Samuel 15.

  815. We're told here in verse 27, the king also said to Xanax the

  816. priest, Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace

  817. with your two sons, Ahimaz, your son, and Jonathan, the son of

  818. Abiath. I remember this is this is David

  819. now in exile. Absalom kicked him out and here

  820. he is trying to figure out what to do.

  821. And one of the plans is that. The son of Zadok and the son of

  822. Abiatra remain near the premises of Absalom and his throne so

  823. that they can have Intel about what Absalom is going to do

  824. next. Jonathan, the son of Abiatra.

  825. Was a spy for David during Absalom's revolt.

  826. He put his life on the line. He risked his life.

  827. He was loyal to David. And now we see him again, right?

  828. We see him next in Second Samuel 17, when he almost gets caught

  829. after the news about abstinence plan to attack came to him.

  830. And then there's silence. And then we see him again in

  831. First Kings chapter one. So is Jonathan a good guy or a

  832. bad guy with that knowledge, with that background?

  833. He's a good guy, we can honestly say.

  834. He's a faithful servant to the cause of Yahweh.

  835. Now we see him here. And he does something that he

  836. did back in Second Samuel 17, where he gives report.

  837. But there's something strange going on because he's giving

  838. report to who out of Naija? What happened to Jonathan?

  839. Do we have any right to question his loyalty now?

  840. Any clues? Based on what I read there that

  841. would give you the right to question Jonathan's fidelity?

  842. Very good observation. Abby Yathar, remember, was at

  843. this party. He, with Jo AB joined and

  844. changed their allegiance over to AD and Naija.

  845. Yes, but was it just his father? Any clue on what we read here?

  846. Any insight that might cause us to question Jonathan, Yes,

  847. that's a very. Good point.

  848. Did you hear that? Notice what AD and I just said.

  849. Jonathan as and I just said, come in for you are a worthy man

  850. and bring good news. Now generally that would be a

  851. good commendation. That would be something

  852. honorable, but not from a guy like this ad.

  853. And Nigel was very strategic on who to invite and who not to

  854. bring in and who to bring in right to his little get

  855. together. He didn't invite Nathan, he

  856. didn't invite Benai. He didn't invite Zadok because

  857. he understood their strong. Stance that he understood that

  858. they would not compromise. So what does it say about

  859. Jonathan, the son of Abbie Athar?

  860. For Adam and I just say, oh, he's a good guy.

  861. Come on in. Question mark.

  862. Right Flag. So is he a traitor?

  863. Could be. But then you read what he says

  864. and then you're even more confused.

  865. So now he explains, right. So he brings good news.

  866. And Jonathan's like, not really. Verse 43.

  867. Jonathan, answered. Adam and I just no for our Lord

  868. King. David has made Solomon a king,

  869. and the king he has sent with him Zach the priest, Nathan the

  870. prophet, Benign, the son of Johadada Joyada and the

  871. Carothites and the Pelothites. And they had him ride on the

  872. King's mule. And Zach the priest and Nathan

  873. the prophet have anointed him king, a guy on.

  874. And they have gone up from there rejoicing so that the city is in

  875. an uproar. This is a noise that you have

  876. heard. And he goes out to explain in

  877. great detail what happened. Any clue in what Jonathan said?

  878. That might actually indicate the opposite of what we might think,

  879. that he is in fact still loyal to David, King David, and not

  880. just King. David, what does he say?

  881. Jonathan verse 43 answered Anaija.

  882. No, for our Lord King David so at Anaija.

  883. At least from what we see here, still believe that David was the

  884. rightful king, that David still had authority that it wasn't.

  885. King Adan Ija, It's still King. So there's some sense of honor

  886. of the process here, honor of who's still truly in the

  887. position of authority. So is he with David?

  888. Is he against David? Is he with Adan Ija?

  889. Is he against Adan Ija? Do you know what I believe about

  890. it? He's a confused fellow.

  891. He's conflicted. He's torn.

  892. As our brother brought up, his father is with Adan Ija.

  893. You don't see. Benai you don't see.

  894. Zadok, you don't see Nathan coming to this camp and giving

  895. them a heads up of what's taking place, do you?

  896. Why is Jonathan here at the same time?

  897. There's something in him that still recognizes David for who

  898. he is, for our Lord, King David. So there's some kind of internal

  899. struggle. Here's the lesson from this Your

  900. testimony shouldn't be confusing.

  901. Shouldn't be confusing to people.

  902. People shouldn't wonder that you are a follower of Christ and

  903. also how are you that and also a lover of the world.

  904. It should be clear. Cut it.

  905. We should be like Nathan and these other fellows where even

  906. the world even at the Nyjah and those guys who are rebels could

  907. say those guys are for real. Those guys are truly pledged to

  908. the anointed one. People shouldn't wonder where.

  909. We stand on these things and let's talk about your heart.

  910. There shouldn't be in your heart and in mine, this division,

  911. this, this one foot in one. Foot out.

  912. He is king. But I also see this and I want

  913. to be part of that as well. You can't do that.

  914. He's not going to let you do that.

  915. He won't. He wants.

  916. Everything, every single part of you to belong to him.

  917. And so Jonathan here is a very sad.

  918. Picture of somebody who can't figure out where he stands.

  919. It may not be so of us, but you know what stands out to me here?

  920. If you look back here in verse 39, Zanuk anoints him and all

  921. these. Things take place, but look at

  922. the description of the celebration when Solomon is made

  923. king. And all the people went up after

  924. him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so

  925. that the earth was split by their noise.

  926. Think about it was so loud. It was so resounding with shouts

  927. and cries and laughter, perhaps, that the earth shook.

  928. I mean, they heard it. They weren't too far, but they

  929. heard it. Compare that kind of atmosphere

  930. with how Nathan describes the celebration for King Adenija.

  931. Go to verse 25. Look at this.

  932. It's very similar but. You'll see a difference.

  933. For he has gone down this day, and has sacrificed ox, and

  934. fattened cattle and sheep, and abundance, and has invited all

  935. the King's sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiath of the

  936. priest. And behold, they are eating and

  937. drinking before. I'm saying, Long live King

  938. Adanaija. What's the difference?

  939. Both had people, both had. Specific protocols and.

  940. But there's something that stands out.

  941. Not the eating and drinking, not the.

  942. Music even. No, not even that necessarily.

  943. Look at verse 40 again. Rejoicing with great joy.

  944. Rejoicing with great joy. There is tangible, observable,

  945. genuine true joy when Nathan describes this.

  946. We see here that they're eating and drinking before.

  947. I'm saying Long live King Atanaija, but here we see that

  948. there's something. Deeper going on, I wonder if

  949. this is a lesson about how true joy is found in being an

  950. obedience to the will of God. You want to live according to

  951. your selfish. Pleasures you want to build your

  952. own little Kingdom. You can do that.

  953. You can try to think that you can conjure.

  954. Up a better plan for your life than if you just submit to the

  955. will of God. But you will never know true

  956. joy. Never.

  957. That's why you should never envy the wicked.

  958. Ever. Ever envy the wicked?

  959. And Psalms tells us repeatedly, do not envy the wicked.

  960. Why would we told that? Because there's something,

  961. especially in this day of age where everything is plastered

  962. before you, you can't ignore it. And we wonder why there's a rate

  963. of anxiety, hiking and depression and self esteem

  964. issues. Because all you're seeing is

  965. fake images of people in their lives and what do you think is

  966. being posted godly? Things appraise God.

  967. There are people who are doing that, but most of it is all look

  968. what my life is without God. And there's a temptation, right?

  969. Their life looks so easy. Their life looks so fun.

  970. Their life looks so easy and wonderful and joyful and

  971. memories and experiences. Oh, and here you are on a Friday

  972. night. Week after week at a Bible

  973. study. Amen.

  974. Indeed. And so here's the thing that I

  975. want to make. I want to make known to you even

  976. in a world where people want to present themselves in a certain

  977. way. All the little events, all the

  978. little gatherings, even manmade ministries, if they are not

  979. submitted to the will of God, you have one thing guaranteed

  980. they will not know true joy. It's only when you align

  981. yourself to. God's will, His purposes.

  982. And like Zadok and these other men, give yourself over to every

  983. detailed instruction that God has revealed to you, and conform

  984. your life to that will, you know, rejoicing.

  985. A deep seated happiness that can never be taken from you where

  986. you can say Amen. I want to be here on a Friday

  987. night because I know my God. I want to know him.

  988. I want to live for him and it is my delight to be in his

  989. presence. With God's people, That's

  990. Supernatural. Why are you here?

  991. Like this is Supernatural. You're here on a Friday night

  992. talking about First Kings Chapter One, and you're actually

  993. happy about it. That's the Holy Spirit.

  994. That's the miracle of regeneration.

  995. That's God in you. And isn't it a genuine joy?

  996. Isn't it true rejoicing? Absolutely.

  997. Let's end it here. Adenija's little party came

  998. crashing down, and soul will the purposes and plots of the.

  999. Wicked verse 49 Then all the guests of Adenija trembled and

  1000. rose, and each went his own way. And Aden?

  1001. I just feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took

  1002. hold of the horns of the altar. Then it was told Solomon,

  1003. Behold, Aden, I just fears King Solomon, for behold he has laid

  1004. hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear

  1005. to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the

  1006. sword. Why is he holding on to the

  1007. horns of the brazen altar? It's very good.

  1008. Not many people know that reference because in Exodus 21

  1009. we are told there by inference that there was permission to

  1010. come. To the altar of sacrifice and

  1011. hold onto the horns. On the corner right, there's

  1012. these little pieces that stuck out like horns, and people would

  1013. run there as a place of safety. If they have done any wrong, and

  1014. that was permitted to some extent, unless they've committed

  1015. a a capital crime that required them to be punished by death.

  1016. And so it was a practice for people who knew they were in the

  1017. wrong to flee to the altar and to cling.

  1018. Why the altar? Because it represents God's

  1019. mercy. This is where God accepts

  1020. sacrifice to cover your sin, to overlook your your error and

  1021. your faults. And so in in the same way they

  1022. would run not with a sacrifice, but with their guilty hands and

  1023. say, I'm clinging to the mercy of God, surely you will not slay

  1024. me Where God receives sinners. In some sense, the altar

  1025. symbolizes the mercy of Jesus Christ.

  1026. I wonder if that's where the term.

  1027. Altar call comes from come to the altar.

  1028. Maybe that is it. I don't know.

  1029. And so they they clung to this. And this is exactly what Adenija

  1030. is doing. He's fearful of King Solomon and

  1031. look what Solomon does. And Solomon said, if he will

  1032. show himself a worthy man, not one of his hair shall fall to

  1033. the earth. But if wickedness is found in

  1034. him, he shall die. So King Solomon sent and they.

  1035. Brought him down from the altar, and he came and paid homage to

  1036. King Solomon. And Solomon said to him, go to

  1037. your house. He paid homage to King Solomon.

  1038. What goes up? And pride will come down.

  1039. Here's a man who was willing to stand up against the will of

  1040. God, against Solomon. And now at the end of the

  1041. chapter, he's bowing down before Solomon.

  1042. And what is Solomon doing here? Does he show mercy or not?

  1043. Incredible mercy. Incredible mercy.

  1044. Not only does it say I'm going to let you live, he lets him

  1045. keep his house, his estate. Go to your house, just don't

  1046. cause trouble and I'll let you live.

  1047. And here at the end of chapter one.

  1048. We see Solomon now finally coordinated as king, but we also

  1049. see where He establishes his Kingdom, how we establish it.

  1050. He builds it upon mercy. He builds it upon.

  1051. He builds it upon forgiveness. This says something about

  1052. Solomon. This is how he starts.

  1053. And I was reading this today. You know what came to mind?

  1054. How Solomon ended? Does anybody know?

  1055. I wonder, does anybody know the last recorded thing that Solomon

  1056. does before we told that he sleeps with his father's?

  1057. The last recorded thing he begins his reign.

  1058. By choosing not to kill Atanija, Let me show you how he chooses

  1059. to end his reign. Go to Chapter 11.

  1060. Please meet me there and verse 40.

  1061. This is where Solomon was going to be disciplined for his

  1062. apostasy. And the prophet Ahad Jau now

  1063. comes to a man named Jerabom and was told that he would receive

  1064. the Kingdom at least in part. Somehow Solomon hears about this

  1065. and verse 40. This is the last thing Solomon

  1066. chooses to do before we're told that he sleeps with his

  1067. father's. Solomon sought therefore, to

  1068. kill. Jeraboam But Jeraboam arose and

  1069. fled into Egypt to Shishak, king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until

  1070. the death of Solomon. That's how he ends.

  1071. He begins by choosing not to kill a man.

  1072. He ends by trying to kill a man justly or unjustly.

  1073. Unjustly, it's not how you start.

  1074. It's how you and I finish. This is a different person, and

  1075. it's very possible for us to start so well, so zealous, so

  1076. pure, so humble. And if we're not on guard, if

  1077. we're not careful, we can end up looking completely different

  1078. than how we did begun. May it not be so of us.

  1079. Stay close to the Lord. Listen, finish this race well.

  1080. Finish well. Keep going.

  1081. Don't give up. Don't give in.

  1082. Don't surrender to the flesh. It will be worth it in the end,

  1083. for the sake of God's glory. Would we finish well?

  1084. And may people not see a different horrendous,

  1085. questionable testimony at the last of it.

  1086. But may they see someone who is brighter, holier, lovelier than

  1087. when they started? By God's grace, he can do it in

  1088. us. Let's pray

  1089. how rich is the? Banquet of your word, O Lord,

  1090. how full of truth it is. And, Lord, with a lengthy

  1091. chapter like this, we have indeed felt that we have sat

  1092. before an. Abundance of revelation.

  1093. Thank you that. In the same chapter, you can

  1094. teach us theology and you can teach us practical godliness.

  1095. Lord, there is nothing like this word.

  1096. There's nothing like your word now.

  1097. Lord more than becoming acquires of insights and connections in

  1098. your word made this producing us worship worship more than a A.

  1099. Song because our emotions are stirred, but worship?

  1100. That translates into a life of sacrifice laid on the altar, a

  1101. living sacrifice. We pray, Lord, that in this.

  1102. Place we would indeed hear your voice, and hear it in a way that

  1103. causes us to. Bow before you to live, for you

  1104. to deny the flesh, carry our cross, renounce the world, and

  1105. shine brighter for your glory. Lord, as we close this time

  1106. together as a family, would you receive these last few moments

  1107. of singing sacrifice, of praise, and may be pleasing to your

  1108. ears? Lord, we bless you again for

  1109. first kings chapter one. We thank you for speaking to our

  1110. hearts. Comfort us, convict us,

  1111. challenge us, encourage us. Whatever we need to be brought

  1112. into greater conformity. So be it.

  1113. We ask this of your Holy Spirit tonight in Jesus name.

  1114. Amen. Amen.

  1115. Amen. Saints.