We begin with Solomon's reign, covered in the first twelve chapters of the book. There is often an important literary structure to Old Testament writing and this is true of these first chapters. There are nine key elements in the story of Solomon (thanks to my study Bible for laying this out neatly):
- Solomon's succession
- Establishment of his reign
- Solomon's wisdom
- His reign described
- Building projects: temple and palace
- Solomon's reign described
- Solomon's folly
- His reign threatened
- Rehoboam's succession
The largest of these sections is the middle one. Solomon started off so well, but then deteriorated badly. This is a very human condition. Many church projects or movements start off well but then ossify or become corrupt. We need the Holy Spirit and it is only under His guidance that we can be true to God. We need to start with the Spirit and to continue with the Spirit.
We start with David's last days. He was very old. It was a common practice to use the warmth of a healthy person to provide for one who was ill. Abishag was the virgin chosen for the task. The text is careful to emphasise that no sexual relations took place, though given David's physical state this was unlikely anyway!
People knew that David's days were coming to an end and people were manoeuvring to take the throne. The first of these pretenders was Adonijah, he was the fourth son of David. David had not disciplined his sons properly. All people, no matter how great in some respects, have enormous failings in other areas of their lives. David does not seem to have been a very good father.
Adonijah made his move for power. Nathan the prophet told Bathsheba what was happening, she was the mother of Solomon. He gives her advice on how to ensure that Adonijah's efforts come to nothing and that Solomon becomes king.
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