Bible 203: Death of David

1 Kings 2

 

CATCH UP

This is next-to-last Sunday in our study of Israel ’s kings > at least, last Sunday for a while

      Next May we’ll pick up where we leave off next Sunday

            We’ll follow the downfall of kings who followed David

            And finally hear God’s voice speak to Israel through the prophets

Lots of time will pass between now and then, though > How much time?

      A bit like the amount of time that has passed between last Sunday and today

      Years have gone by since the death of the son born to David and Bathsheba “last Sunday”

            Remember > God was not happy with way David took advantage of Bathsheba

            Then had her husband killed and took her to be his wife

            God was quick to send Nathan to rebuke him with this warning

                        “Because you killed Uriah with the sword

                        Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house.”

      Fourteen chapters of jealousy and hate, abuse and murder separate last Sunday from today

            the lectionary producers skipped it all!  And it’s no wonder > gruesome stuff            

We are now in what is called the First Book of Kings

      David has grown old

            David’s oldest living son, Adjonijah, knows he cannot live much longer

            And claims the throne

            David did not object > I’m not sure he had the strength to object even if he wanted to

            David did not object, but Bathsheba did!  She wanted her son Solomon to be king

                        So, Nathan and Bathsheba did a little conniving and Solomon became king

                                    (Reminiscent of Jacob steeling Esau’s birthright)

      At any rate, Solomon became King with David’s blessing > Read 1 Kings 2:10 -12

            I said earlier that years had passed > but it couldn’t have been many > 15 years maybe

            Because text refers to Solomon as “just a boy” > word meaning “youth” > not specific age

            But we know he was old enough to take command > have David’s political enemies killed

            And we know he was old enough to marry and oversee construction (1 Kings 3:1)

      Solomon had no clue about how to be king > so when God asked him what he wanted

            Solomon was quick to answer

            Read 1 Kings 3:5-15

 

MESSAGE FOR US

What can we learn from this story?

Probably most important learning is how to answer God when God asks what we want

                We all have a wish list > one entry after another of ‘things’ we want

But I bet none of us has ‘wisdom’ on that list!  Only one person is actively seeking wisdom

Yet, when God asks us what we want > we should all say WISDOM

Bible says wisdom makes a person happy > wisdom is better than silver and gold

                        Even more precious than jewels > nothing on earth compares with wisdom

            So if you decide to add wisdom to your list > here’s a way to become wise

How to gain wisdom

When ancient people wanted to refer to a wise person

They said that someone “sits upon the seat of wisdom”

Back then > teachers would “sit upon the seat of wisdom” to teach

            [now teachers generally stand > don’t know quite what that means]

I have a stool here > nice solid piece of wood to sit on > and three legs

            We could call it the “Seat of wisdom”

Like this stool, “seat of wisdom” has three legs

            One leg is the past > what we have experienced

                        To even begin to be wise > we must think about our lives

                                    Where we have been and what we have done

                                    Think and reflect and adjust and learn

            Bible says those who do not learn from their experiences are fools

                        Proverbs 26:11 is graphic > you can look it up later

                        I have hard time learning from my experience

                        Or, if I do learn, seldom can use it in exactly same way

            First leg of wisdom is the past

Second leg is the present > present experience, especially present knowledge

not any old knowledge > but knowledge of God’s ways and God’s truth

            to begin to be wise > we need to contrast what we have experienced

                        with God’s truth

            first leg of wisdom is the past; second leg is the present

You can probably guess third leg > Third leg is the future > what we have yet to learn

            We stop growing when we close our minds to new learning

            When we think we have experienced it all and know it all and learned it all

                        Then we fall off the seat of wisdom

            The wisest of us knows we never new it all

                        And even our most solid belief must be open to change

Scottish Presbyterian novelist Tobias Smollett: said “Some folks are wise; some are otherwise”

            So be wise

            Make your own “Wisdom seat”

                        Make it with strong legs

                                    Past experience living in the world

                                    Present knowledge of God’s ways and God’s truth

                                    Future learning and decision based on your experience and God’s truth