King David came to the end of his life a wealthy man – rich in every kind of resource – and with all his heart, he gave his wealth back to the Lord.

 “The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God – gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood . . . as well as . . . stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble – all of these in large quantities. “ 1 Chronicles 29:1-2

His generosity sparked a tsunami of generosity from the rest of Israel, and then the new king, Solomon, had everything he needed to build the temple.

“Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. They gave toward the work on the temple of God . . .” 1 Chronicles 29:6-7

They brought hundreds of tons of gold, silver, bronze, and iron; they filled the temple treasury with precious gems – and giving made them glad.

“The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.” 1 Chronicles 29:9

David Gives God the Glory

The king and the people brought the donations for the temple, but David didn’t praise either himself or Israel’s citizens for that. David returned to his lifelong practice of giving God the glory in all things.

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand . . . Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you . . . And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.” 1 Chronicles 29:14, 16, 17

David prayed that his people would always have the desire to give to the Lord’s work and keep their hearts loyal to him.

“Then David said to the whole assembly, ‘Praise the Lord your God.’ So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king.” 1 Chronicles 29:20

Adonijah Tries to Usurp the Throne

The day after David called Israel to praise God, they had a great celebration in the presence of the Lord. They used the occasion to confirm Solomon as the one God chose to be the next king. They also recognized Zadok as the next high priest.

A few years went by and King David became quite old and feeble. He was cold all the time so his attendants found a beautiful young woman to share his bed and keep him warm. She was his personal attendant, but David never made her his wife.

Meanwhile, David’s fourth son, Adonijah, decided to have himself pronounced king of Israel. Adonijah was one of six sons born to David in Hebron. He was handsome and spoiled because his father had never questioned his behavior. His older brother Absalom killed their eldest brother Amnon, then, later, General Joab killed Absalom for trying to usurp David’s throne.

Joab Changes Loyalties

Curiously, Joab now supported Adonijah as he attempted to usurp the throne. Joab and Abiathar, who had been loyal to David throughout their lives, didn’t agree with his choice of Solomon as his successor.

“Adonijah conferred with Joab son Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support.” 1 Kings 1:7

Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Beniah the commander of an army division, and Shimei and Rei, David’s special guards remained loyal to David and didn’t join Adonijah.

David Hears About Adonijah’s Coup

Nathan believed God had chosen Solomon and he immediately devised a plan to put down Adonjah’s coup d’état. He went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother and asked her to inform the king about the situation.

Bathsheba had special standing as the mother of the crown prince and despite his weakened condition David received her in his chambers. She quickly told David what was happening with Adonijah and while she was still speaking Nathan arrived to confirm what she was saying.

“Nathan said, ‘Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? . . . Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?’” 1 Kings 1:24, 27

Bathsheba and Solomon were both in mortal danger. Adonijah needed to get rid of the son David already appointed as successor if he wanted to hold onto the throne. If David didn’t do something quickly to establish Solomon as king, both he and his mother Bathsheba would die.

“Then King David said, ‘Call in Bathsheba.’ So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. The king then took an oath: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.’” 1 Kings 1:28-29

Solomon Takes the Throne

David decided not to wait until his death to give Solomon the throne. He called Nathan, Zadok, and Benaiah and sent them to fetch Solomon. They put him on David’s own mule and led him to Gihon, a spring in the middle of Jerusalem that provided water to the city.

The priest Zadok went to the tabernacle and brought back a horn of sacred oil. He anointed Solomon king and then they sounded a trumpet and everyone present shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 1 Kings 1:39

From Gihon King Solomon traveled back to the palace and sat down on his father’s royal throne. David’s royal officials came to congratulate him and said, “’May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!’” 1 Kings 1:47

David bowed in his bed and worshiped God. He was grateful to see his successor on the throne that day.

Adonijah is Afraid

The people of Jerusalem created such a joyful noise celebrating King Solomon that Adonijah heard it at his celebration in El Rogel. His guests fled when they realized that Solomon had ascended the throne of Israel, and Adonijah ran to the tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar for sanctuary. He sent a message to Solomon begging him not to take his life.

“Solomon replied, ‘If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.’ Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought [Adonijah] down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, ‘Go to your home.’” 1 Kings 1:52-53

David was Jesse’s eighth son, and Solomon was David’s eleventh son, but God didn’t look at birth order when he chose who would be king. He looked at the hearts of the ones he chose. Neither David nor Solomon were perfect men, but God knew their hearts were inclined to love and serve him.