Tag: monarchy

Posted in Advent devotions

Pick the next leader

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

Since I grew up in the United States of America, a representative democracy, I struggle to grasp the selection of a monarch. Candidates for elected office campaign for months before I and others vote for one of them.

A king or a queen is not elected. He or she inherits the throne from their father or mother. A person may have an opinion about the reigning monarch, but their voice has no weight.

When it’s time for Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel, neither his opinion nor anyone else’s matters. God chooses. God chose Saul. That didn’t work out. God chooses the next king, someone after his own heart. God chooses David.

God sends Samuel to Jesse the Bethlehemite to anoint one of his sons as the next king. It must be Jesse’s firstborn, Eliab. Nope. God is looking deeper than appearances. How about the next son, Abinadab? Nope. It’s going to be the youngest son, a good-looking, brave, eloquent, sheep-herding, song-writing musician named David (16:18). I know, that’s an impressive resume!

A thousand years later, the angel Gabriel would announce to Mary that God would give her Spirit-conceived child “the throne of his father David.” No one would choose this child to be king. He would be despised, rejected, and killed. But he would rise and ascend to rule and reign. From the very start he is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Thank you, Lord, for David. Thanks for his songs, his victories, his descendants, and for Jesus. I would much rather be king or queen, but I am glad that he is my Lord. Only he can give me life!

David gets an ornament on the Jesse Tree; he is the ancestor of Jesus!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A bloody transition of power

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 1 and 2.

I’ve heard about a “peaceful transition of power” when new leaders are elected and begin their terms of office.

It certainly doesn’t happen like that in scripture.

Adonijah thinks he has a good chance of being king after David. But when David names Solomon as his successor, Adonijah knows he’s in big trouble. Solomon says, “You have nothing to worry about.”

However, when Adonijah makes a play for David’s nurse Abishag, it’s over. Solomon doesn’t give him an inch. He sends Benaiah to execute him. End of that discussion.

Joab was a pretty good general for David, but he was an Adonijah supporter. Solomon has him executed, too.

Then there is Shimei, who threw rocks at David when he was fleeing from Absalom. Solomon puts him under house arrest. But when Shimei goes out looking for some missing servants, Solomon orders his execution, too.

And that when “The kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon” (1 Kings 2:46). I’m amazed at how bloody the transition of power is in the first two chapters of 1 Kings.

It gets messy as God fulfills his promise to David, that his descendants will always be on the throne. Jesus’s life was threatened by King Herod before he’s two years old. He endured a bloody beating and crucifixion before he’s exalted and everyone knew bows and every tongue confesses him to be Lord.