#DailyDevotion Long Live King Solomon!
August 21
1 Kng 1:1–4, 15–35
1Ki 1:32-35 King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. (33) And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. (34) And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ (35) You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.”
David is a man who knows about keeping promises. His life, his kingdom was based on the Lord keeping his promises. The Lord had promised David a dynasty and it looks like at first that dynasty would come through Adonijah, after all he was the oldest of David’s sons. But the kingdom of God is not about merit or rights but about grace.
David, by his grace had promised the throne to Solomon. Did Adonijah know this? Perhaps. He knew Solomon was David’s favorite. It’s actually kind of surprising Adonijah didn’t invite Solomon, Nathan et al to the party so he could kill them and the rest of David’s sons so he could secure his place to the throne.
David orders that Solomon should be taken to Gihon to be anointed as king in his place upon his own mule. There they would shout, “Long live King Solomon! This is highly prophetic. One thousand years later, another of David’s sons, the one who truly is Solomon, the King of Peace would enter Jerusalem in like manner.
Mat 21:2-10 ESV saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. (3) If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” (4) This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, (5) “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'” (6) The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. (7) They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. (8) Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (9) And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (10) And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
So Solomon acts out prophetically what his descendent according to the flesh will one day accomplish. Jesus is the one who fulfills Hossanna. He is the one who saves us. Jesus is the one who brings us peace with the Father. Jesus is the one who inaugurates the Kingdom of David and of God right there in Jerusalem. And Jesus does this by dying and dying through death on a cross.
Lord Jesus Christ, Hosanna in the Highest! Save us from our sins and our enemies and bring us into your everlasting Kingdom where you reign eternally. Amen.