Gospel Reflections #1179: God will also use us, allowing us to play a part in His plan.

1 Kings 1:13 ‘Go at once to King David and say to him: “My lord the King, did you not swear to your servant that your son Solomon would succeed me as king and sit on my throne? Why, then, has Adonijah become king?”’

This is a pivotal scene in the drama surrounding the succession to the throne, in which the prophet Nathan instructed Bathsheba, King David’s wife, to go to the aged and frail King David and remind him of the ‘oath he had once sworn’ that his son Solomon would succeed him as king.

King David was old and frail, and it had become difficult for him to carry out his political duties.

Taking advantage of this vulnerability, Adonijah—David’s fourth son—enlisted the support of Joab, the commander of the army, and Abiathar, the high priest, and, acting on his own authority, held a ‘feast to celebrate his accession to the throne’, effectively plotting a coup d’état.

In response, the prophet Nathan—who knew that God’s will was for Solomon—worked in collaboration with Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, to devise a plan to halt Adonijah’s reckless actions.

The first concrete step in that plan is the instruction given in verse 13.

Bathsheba addressed David, asking, ‘Did you not swear to me that Solomon would become king?’

These were powerful words intended to remind David of the private promise he had once made before God (or the assurance based on a revelation from God), and to reawaken the aged king’s ‘sense of public responsibility’ and ‘faithfulness to God’.

The phrasing of the question, ‘Why has Adonijah become king?’, was a highly skilful political exchange which, whilst maintaining the premise (and respect) that King David was still alive and in full control, conveyed a sense of crisis: ‘Things are happening behind the King’s back’.

This led David to realise the gravity of the situation.

In the Bible, it was God’s plan for Solomon to become king.

However, neither the prophet Nathan nor Bathsheba thought, ‘Since God has decided it, we should simply leave it be’; instead, they racked their brains and acted swiftly, risking their lives (for if Adonijah had become king, Solomon and Bathsheba would have been doomed to be purged).

This passage depicts people who, precisely because they believed in God’s promise, bravely confronted the reality before them.

1 Kings 1:13 captures the moment when Nathan and Bathsheba, in order to fulfil God’s promise (Solomon’s accession to the throne) in the face of human scheming (Adonijah’s betrayal), displayed ‘resourcefulness and action’ at the risk of their own lives.

Immediately afterwards, King David made his decision based on their words, and Solomon was formally anointed and became king.

God is not one to make promises lightly, nor is He one to disregard the promises He has made.

Whilst we may sometimes feel pressured by circumstances and end up giving up or simply accepting our fate, Nathan’s unwavering faith in God’s promise and his refusal to give up are truly inspiring.

There will surely come a time when we, too, need to have courage like Nathan’s.

So that we may take a step like Nathan’s when that time comes, let us cling to God in our daily lives right now and deepen our relationship with Him.

God’s plan will certainly be fulfilled, and He will also use us, allowing us to play a part in His plan.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.