1 Kings 1 (Part 2) Bible Study (Nathan and Bathsheba/Solomon Anointed King) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Mimi in first Kings chapter one where we left off verse 11. First Kings one verse 11. And as you're turning there, allow me to give you a brief recap from the first 11 verses of this chapter. David, we are told, is very old in age, so old that he is ready to depart from this world. One of David's sons by the name of Adonijah sees this as a great opportunity to seize the throne for himself, though he was not the king chosen to succeed his father.

His pride was so inflated. His ego was so great that he thought that he can actually thwart the purpose of God. And so he attempts to overthrow the purpose of God for the people of Israel, which is a very sad thing for Adonijah to do. Does anybody know what the name Adonijah means? You You could probably guess based on his name.

If you understand basic Hebrew words, Adonai, Yeah, Adonai Yeah. Any guess? No. More specific? Daniel, you're not allowed to answer.

Did you hear it? The Lord is Jehovah or my Lord is Jehovah. That is what David named his son, telling me and you that he had great hopes for Adonijah, did he not? That he would live to serve God, honor God, reflect the character of God. And instead, Adonijah resists God, challenges the will of God, exalts himself as king, which tells me that it doesn't matter what kind of hopes and dreams, as godly as they are, you have for your children.

David named him Adonijah, but David didn't do his part as a father to discipline Adonijah. He did not fulfill his role as a father to chastise him, admonish him, rebuke him, correct him, and direct him. And so now we see the maturity of a of a unhinged boy who now is a man who can make adult decisions. And all his life, he has never been told no. And so what's going to stop him from saying and from pursuing something that doesn't belong to him?

And things seem to be promising for Adonijah because he was able to recruit people and two prominent figures. Who were the two prominent figures that Adonijah was able to recruit? Joab is one and the other? Abiathar, the priest. So you have the commander of David's army and you have one of the chief priests in David's camp now switching their allegiance over to Adonijah.

There are other key figures who are with him, and they are celebrating his self promoting coronation. Adonijah in verse nine sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fat and cattle by the serpent stone, which is beside Enrogel. And he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah. But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty man or Solomon his brother. This looks pretty promising.

And it often does when you and I choose to resist the will of God, oppose God, and to live according to our selfish desires, it would be a lie for me to stand here tonight and tell you that there is no pleasure in sin. There is pleasure in sin. But Hebrews 11 is very careful to tell us that that pleasure is fleeting. It's a season of reward. It's a season of promise, but it's very short lived.

And the reward is not really reward to begin with. Adonijah's plans are gonna crash and burn very quickly. And for the rest of this chapter, we're going to see how his plans are actually going to be overturned by God's sovereign power. And the primary way is through one of David's most faithful friends, Nathan. So let's read what happens now in verse 11.

Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Hagath, has become king, and David, our Lord, does not know it? Now, therefore, come, Let me give you advice that you may save your own life and the life of your son, Solomon. Go on out once to King David and say to him, did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then is Adonijah words? Let's pray.

Lord, your word is before us. We are eager to understand your mind and your heart. Give us the grace. Give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation that we may know you and be conformed to your image and walk in greater obedience to your purposes for our lives. We sincerely pray this together as a church family.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Nathan. Nathan realizes that Adonijah is doing something quite dangerous, something that David and the kingdom of Israel has seen before. And so Nathan reports about this with emergency protocol.

And right from verse 11, we have something to learn. Nathan, as a faithful servant of God, teaches us that as also servants of God, it is our duty to expose sin. It's our duty to expose sin. It's our duty to expose the the darkness in the world. It's our duty to expose sin in a brother or sister's life.

It's our duty to continually come into the presence of God and allow his word and his people to expose our sin. But in the case of a community, in the case of, let's say, in our context, the local church, Nathan provides an example that there are times where it is our responsibility to make known things that are probably not known to others who are in danger of not knowing it. Nathan here sees and understands that if Adonijah continues in the pattern that he is walking in, there will be a massive disruption in the kingdom. And understanding the potential consequences of this, Nathan makes sure and he makes it a priority to bring this news to those who would be at risk if this continues on. And in like manner, as I just said, there are moments and there are circumstances and there's the nature of certain sins that demands us to be vigilant and willing to be uncomfortable to deal with matters before they get really ugly.

In my brief time in ministry, I've learned something very quickly, that there are problems in the local church. Usually, if not most of the time, if not all the time, it's relational problems. Right? And most of those relational problems are very complicated to untangle. They become very knotted.

And one of the reason why they become so knotted is because parties involved who are aware of the issue were unwilling to take the stance and expose certain sins. Whether that sin be slander, whether that sin be the spread of doctrinal error, whether that sin be strife among parties within the church, Oftentimes, the reason why things get to a place where there is damage, sometimes severe damage that can cause even trauma and and distrust and broken relationships on the long run, is because, again, there are some who are unwilling to get uncomfortable and to put themselves out there to say this is wrong. We have to deal with this. Nathan didn't care because Nathan understood that, one, it was his duty, and, two, that there would be there would be blood on his hands and other people's hands based on what he understood. And so the way that you and I are going to see peace and protection in our family, in our church family, It's not to be nosy individuals.

It's not to sniff out sin in people's lives. But when there is legitimate concern within the church that we take the appropriate steps to cut Satan's schemes short, and one of the best ways to do that is that when he attempts to sow discord among the brethren that you and I surface that while it is still in seed form. I was meditating on Nathan's actions here, and there were so many examples that came to mind. And one example that came to mind, just a brief observation that I would like to bring to your attention, but it it shows how significant that step can make. What kind of what kind of reward and blessing and security it can provide if we are people who honor the culture that Jesus called us to have as a church.

And what did he say in Matthew 18? That if a brother sins, you rebuke him. You approach him. And it becomes a community effort to ensure that sin does not have breath to breathe in our midst. That's the culture Jesus wants us to have.

One of humble, sincere, broken, loving confrontation when necessary. Exposure of sin when necessary. Did you know the apostle Paul had a sister? Anybody know that? Anybody know the apostle Paul had a sister?

Can I show it to you in the scriptures? Go to Acts 23. I love quoting Acts twenty three eleven whenever teaching about the providence and sovereign will of God for our lives. In acts twenty three eleven, this is where Jesus appears to Paul when he was in prison in Jerusalem and was promised, you must also testify about me, where? Where was Paul supposed to testify at that point?

Rome. You're going to Rome, Paul. I assure you're going to Rome. And immediately after we're told that, we're told of this band of Jews who conspired and came up with a plot to kill Paul, and there was more than 40 who even fasted until it was accomplished. And so they had this whole plot to try to get Paul to to enter into a certain region for them to create an ambush and to take his life.

And then we're told of an interesting character, somebody who flashes into the scriptures and then disappears just as quickly. It's in verse 16. Now the son of Paul's sister oh, Paul had a sister, and Paul had a nephew. Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Let's look at this from a heavenly perspective.

This is an encouragement to you and I, Paul's nephew, unnamed, never to be seen again. Oh, there's so much to say about Paul's nephew even in this one verse. But from a heavenly perspective, we see that Paul's nephew chose us. God's eyes and ears are everywhere. And if you, like Paul, are serving the Lord, you have nothing to worry about even when the enemy is brewing up a scheme against you.

God's already ahead of it. He already knows about it. He already sees it. He already considers it, and he already knows what he's gonna do about it. You have nothing to fear every waking and sleeping moment of your life.

Because what I see here is that in providence, nobody knows how Paul's nephew heard about this. Nobody knows how he was it's just providence. He was at the right place at the right time. He received the news, and he brought it to Paul. Paul was able to pass that to the Roman soldiers, and they were able to evade a disaster.

God's eyes and ears are everywhere for his glory, for your good. But let's look at this from a human standpoint. Paul's nephew here, and understanding what he has seen in this moment, felt the urgency to make this problem known, and it saved Paul's life. It saved Paul's life. When we are willing to get uncomfortable, to expose and to correct, to bring things to even spiritual authority for the sake of the preservation of the unity, the love, and the holiness of God's people, we could be saving so much.

I'm telling you, you you don't know how many people I've talked to that are aware of certain things. People committing spiritual suicide. People committing spiritual collateral damage. And for fear of I don't know what, they are unwilling to step forward and say, in the name of Christ, in the name of his holiness, in the name of unity, I have to say something. Whether it be strife, slander, doctrinal error, anything and everything in between.

But Nathan here makes that decision, and and it's really the hinge to to what we're about to discover. And his wisdom is proven further by this. He comes to Bathsheba. Isn't that amazing? Nathan, a prophet of God, knowing what this woman's past was.

He's the one who exposed the sin between Bathsheba and David. And here's a man who's still willing to relate to her, to work with her, to care for her. Nathan was more than just a courageous, fearless man of God who exposed sin. He was a man who was also willing to relate to those who have repented of their sin no matter how grotesque their sin was. What a man of God.

He he brings him Bathsheba, and he says, look. Listen. Your life is in danger. Your son Solomon's life is in danger. You need to listen to me.

You need to go into your husband's chamber. You need to ask him what happened to the plan that you told me about that God had given you. Where where is this going? And while you're explaining that, I'm going to walk in at the right time and I'm going to confirm I'm gonna confirm your words. Now why why this scheme?

Why this whole plan? Any ideas why? Why didn't Nathan just barge into the chamber and thunderously announce to David, hey. Listen. You're in trouble.

You're negligent here. We gotta get things into order. Why didn't he just do that? Any idea why? Why work with Bathsheba?

David wouldn't believe this at this point. This is very good. We're gonna get to that in a moment. There is something about David. There's a weakness in David that required this kind of approach.

So let's talk about the two things, I think. The first thing is David's ignorance. So what are we told here in verse 12? In verse 11, rather, David, at the end of it, our lord, does not know it. He's unaware.

He's ignorant. And so this requires a specific kind of approach. Right? We have to come and make this known to him. But more than just his ignorance, there is a weakness.

What's David's weakness when it comes to his children? We learned about it last week. Verse six of chapter one, what is it? His father had never at any time displeased him being Adonijah by asking why have you done thus and so? David had already proven that he has a history of not willing to confront and discipline his children.

More than that, he always seemed to believe the best about his children. He always had that kind of hope and desire. And even if they did wrong, even in in the face of obvious evil and disobedience, he was reluctant to deal with them. Nathan is David's friend. Nathan has seen this throughout the decades.

And so he understands that in order for this to be something that David considers, we have to present it with urgency. And so Bathsheba, you go in and then I'm gonna come in and confirm it. And together, we're going to bring this to David's attention for him to not be so quick to deny it or downplay it. Right? Biblically speaking, also in Deuteronomy, we were told that through two witnesses, a thing is established.

Right? So Nathan comes with this plan. Bathsheba is willing to listen. So Bathsheba does, and let's read it here. Bathsheba went, in verse 15, to the king and his chamber.

Now the king was very old, and Abishak the Shunammite was attending to the king. Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, why do you what do you desire? She said to my lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God saying, Solomon, your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne. And now behold Adonai just king, although you, my lord king, did not do not know it. He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king.

Have you asked the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant, he is not invited. And now my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell him who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise, it will come to pass when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders. Bathsheba listens. And again, Nathan here, by what he's saying to Bathsheba, is providing us yet more principles of what we should do, what we should do with somebody who is ignorant and through their ignorance are causing problems.

And if they are weak, if they are frail, if they do lack courage, if they do lack boldness in stepping out in obedience and dealing with things, what are the three I'm reading as I'm thinking, okay. What are the three things here that stand out to me? There may be more or less, but I see that when Nathan instructs Bathsheba, he first tells her to go respectfully, and she does. These these are wonderful lessons about how to confront respectfully. Bathsheba, verse 16, bowed and paying homage to the king.

So she comes with the sense of honor. She comes with the sense of respect. But more than respect, she comes carefully. And at least with his advice, he he brings to Bathsheba a format. And the format was bring it in the forms of questions.

Remember we had our q and a, somebody asked, how do I how do I confront with some somebody regarding to their sins? Ask questions. Even even with evidence, give them a chance to come clean. Give them a chance to be honest. Give them a chance to prove their integrity and their repentance.

Ask questions. And sometimes when people are in error, we assume that they do things intentionally, and when you come with questions, you might learn that they were doing it really just out of ignorance and foolishness and a lack of understanding. So respectfully, carefully, but also urgently, urgently, the most unloving thing that you and I can do when somebody is clearly in error is to prolong and to delay our willingness to confront them because of whatever selfish reason. That puts that delay can even cause more harm. Has anybody here ever eaten at a restaurant and you were devouring your lunch so much so that there was something in your teeth and you went through that whole day fellowshipping, going out for ice cream after the fact?

All of them come into your car, put down the mirror, and realize that there's something in there. Why didn't anybody tell me? Right? Why didn't anybody tell me about the smudge on my face? Isn't it a nice thing when somebody says, hey, brother.

You got something here. Hey, brother. Sister. You got something here. You've done it, haven't you?

You've seen it. You're just like, I'm not gonna deal with that. Just let them figure it out themselves. There's something about us that we we really most people are not confrontational, and unfortunately, that transfers over spiritually. If if I see correction in that way as as much as that's a simple example, that's a gift.

If you come up to me and say something, brother, this is this like this. Can you fix it? I say, thank you for that. I didn't wanna continue in that way. I appreciate it.

I look silly. I look wrong. I look like I didn't take care of myself. I look like I don't care about my hygiene. I appreciate that.

Thank you. Well, take correction the same way. It's a gift. It's a gift. Thank you for that.

I didn't see I didn't know my attitude was I didn't know I didn't know I was, that's how it came off when I say certain things. Thank you for that. Don't get all uptight, and if they love you, if they're in Christ, then bless them for that. Respectfully, carefully, urgently, Bathsheba tries to obey. She tries to do it the way that she was instructed to do it.

And so she comes to her husband, and she tells him with warning in verse 20. Now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise, it will come to pass when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders. Like, listen. If you don't take this seriously, people will die.

I will die. Your son Solomon will die. Do you understand the repercussions? Do you see how serious your delay is? When God wants to spring us into action, when we are in that place of whether that be weakness or hesitation or ignorance, he will often often use how we use Nathan, a messenger of the word.

That's his primary means through sessions like this, where God's word is being brought forth, and pray that the preachers of this place and preachers across this land are men who are filled with the Holy Spirit. So they don't just give nice lessons, but they speak with power and insight and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, so they can actually speak into people's lives through the word of God. That's how the Lord speaks to us to stir us. Right? But that's not the only way the Lord can uproot us from a a place of concern to a place of his desired will and purpose.

God has many means, and he is so acquainted with you and I that he knows how to bring us where he needs to bring us. One of my favorite examples of that truth, which I praise God for, is the early church in the book of Acts. God gave clear directions of their evangelistic outreach of the regions they were to cover, and that's found in Acts one eight. You're very familiar with that. Right?

What are we told in Acts one eight? Where were they supposed to start with the gospel? Jerusalem. And then where? Yeah.

Judea. Very good. And then where? Very good. And then?

The ends of the earth. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth. That's what the Lord said. For the first seven chapters, where were they? Jerusalem.

They made no progress to the outside regions. They stayed in Jerusalem. For whatever reason, there was some form of stagnation. What did the Lord do to get them to Judea and Samaria? So we love Acts one eight.

Go to Acts eight one, and you'll see how God brought them from where they were staying to where they needed to be. And just look at the ways of God. Look at the means of God. Look at the providence of God, and let it cause your heart to rejoice. He didn't send another angel.

He didn't make his voice from acts one eight be heard again in the churches. He does this in acts eight one. In acts eight one, we're told, and Saul approved of his execution, and there arose on that day a great, not just persecution, a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of where? Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. How am I how am I gonna get this church, my church, to get to Judea and Samaria?

Ah, persecution. Not a prophet, not a messenger, persecution. You want god to lead your life and mine. Very strange the way he leads us. Very strange the way he brings us from one place to the next.

So god wants you to get somewhere. And what does he do? It's not a promotion. You get fired. What's this all about?

And how many scenarios can we give where it seems to be a negative? It seems to be a resistance. It seems to be a challenge when, in fact, it's the doorway. It's the doorway. And so God knows how to get your attention, especially if you didn't hear him after the first 10 sermons, after 15 Bible studies to move you.

Isn't it a wonderful thing to be in the will of God? Isn't it a wonderful thing to be a child of God? He patiently knows how to lead us. Sometimes, even if it's there's some bruises that need to come with it, ultimately, so that we can be conformed to his will. All things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purpose.

All things. And so here's David. He has his world shook, so to speak, and he has to deal with this. And so what happens? Verse 22, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in right according to plan.

And they told the king, Here is Nathan the prophet. And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground. Let me pause and just say this. Earlier, we praised Nathan for being a person, a prophet willing to care for and love someone like Bathsheba of all people. David.

Right? But I also see something praiseworthy of David. Here is David still near the end of his life clinging to Nathan as a friend, having his life open to a friend like Nathan still. Do you know why that's significant? If you remember when we were introduced to Nathan, we studied how every mention of Nathan in connection to David, every mention of David and Nathan together, Nathan is giving David some kind of direction.

Second Samuel chapter seven, when when David wanted to build a temple. Second Samuel chapter 12, when David was in sin and Nathan rebukes him, and now we see him here in first Kings near the end of his life. He's telling him what to do. That's a real friend. That's someone that you should have in your life.

I hope you have a person in your life that is loving enough to speak into your life, even if it cuts you at first. That draws you closer to the will of God, not away from the will of God. I hope you have someone like that, that whenever you hang out with them, you want to be godlier. Whenever you hang out with them do you have anybody like that? Whenever you talk to me, like, man, I want to read my Bible now.

I have friends like that. It's like, I don't know my Bible. I didn't see it. I got to go back and read. Or or somebody's just that person makes me wanna pray.

That person wants me to be makes me wanna be more holy, more committed, more zealous. Ask God for that kind of a friend. And when you have that kind of and if you do have that kind of a friend, if you do have that kind of a church, don't take it for granted. Thank God for that. Praise God for that.

David made a willful choice. He had the authority to kill him if he wanted to. He was the king. Prophets have been slain before for standing up against disobedient kings, but this king says, you're my friend. In fact, one of David's children was named Nathan.

I wonder if he named them after his friend. And there's evidence here that perhaps David did praise God for Nathan in some way, because look here. So Nathan says now let's read it. There's a lot of verses, by the way. He says here verse 24.

Nathan said, my lord, the king, have you said Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? Free has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiath the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him and saying, long live king Adonijah. But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoediah, and your servant, Solomon, he is not invited. Has this thing been brought about my lord by my lord the king, and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?

You see the attitude? Hey, David king. Did you did something change and we're not not he didn't point his finger. The way is confronting so much wisdom. Look what David does.

Then King David answered, call Bathsheba to me. So she came into the king's presence and stood before the king. And the king swore, saying, as the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place, even so will I do this day. Notice the explosive praise before the promise that Solomon will succeed him. Look at this beautiful declaration.

As the Lord lives who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity. David has gone through a lot of adversity, has he not? A lot. Whether that be foreign armies or internal betrayals and strife, his father-in-law, his son, other people from different tribes. This man went through a series of adversities.

And yet at this time, he pauses, he lifts his heart to heaven, and he said, the Lord, the Lord, redeem my soul out of all of them. He saying this here? It seems out of place. It just seems kind of random. It's noble.

It's it's it's beautiful. But why is he saying this? Here's why I believe he's saying this. I believe he is saying this because he's not just reflecting on what the Lord has done. He is realizing in this moment that the Lord is doing what he has always done by delivering me yet from another adversity.

Do you see what I'm saying? David is praising God for the deliverances that he has known because in this very moment, he is being delivered. Because through Nathan the prophet, something is made aware to him, Adonijah's wicked plan to try to overthrow his throne. And he goes, oh, God. You have delivered me from all these adversities even now to this last moment of my life.

What what's the lesson? God is faithful. God is faithful. I hope you and I will live for the glory of God long enough for the rest of your life for you and I to be able to say the same thing David says here. He has redeemed my soul out of every adverse Just because God is God in your life, just because he's your shepherd doesn't mean you're not gonna go through adversities.

You're gonna go through them, but he will bring you out of them. That's the difference. But a lot of people's theology is, I'm never gonna be touched. I'm never gonna be visited. I'm never gonna know harm.

I'm never gonna know the heat of the fire. I'm never gonna know the rising waters. I'm just gonna just just float through this life. That's not what the Lord says. Out of.

How are you gonna know God's faithfulness until you have a problem? How are you gonna know God's miracle power unless you stand before a Red Sea? How? Be careful what you're asking for. Lord, show me your wisdom.

Lord, show me your power. Lord, show me your might. Alright. Well, here's a situation that requires it. But David could say confidently he could say to something you and I could say at the end of it.

He's saying something that you can believe now and you can you can lock it in your heart. He will deliver me out of every adversity. He will. Do you wanna know the New Testament equivalent to David's declaration here? It was through the lips of the apostle Paul in second Timothy four eighteen.

Look what second Timothy four eighteen is. This is a powerful prompt. This is a powerful thing for you and I to be able to say over and over again, especially as you're living for the glory of God. In second Timothy four eighteen, look what he says. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.

To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Amen indeed. He will from every evil deed. No matter how creative, no matter how overwhelming, no matter how surrounding, every evil deed I will be delivered from.

Nothing will be able to sabotage the will of God for my life. No affliction, no assault, no ailment, nothing. Every evil deed will be recycled for the glory of God. And David is praising God for that, and he he responds with urgency. Nathan approaches him with urgency, and he responds with urgency.

And he says this day, I'm not waiting. God has made this known to me. I'm going to act on this right now. And so they do. And as they are now planning, David gives this list of specific instructions to Bathsheba and to Nathan.

And we see here in verse 34 what happened specifically. Let's read verse 32. King David said, call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoediah. So they came before the king, 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 or Gihon. 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.

You shall then come up after me, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be the ruler over Israel and over Judah. So here are these instructions, but something stands out to me in verse 34. Look at verse 34. I wonder I'm asking you this now. I'm I'm wondering if something stands out to you.

Look at it, and if you can notice it, it has to do with these three individuals that are named. Verse 34. What positions do each represent? What do you have there? Prophet, priest, and who?

King. King. Those are the three major leadership offices in the old covenant that God instituted to serve the nation of Israel. The prophet spoke on behalf of God. The priest was the mediator between God and man, and the king governed God's people.

And here we see them working together to accomplish the will of God. And this is a good place to be reminded that Jesus made an astounding claim about himself, that he was the greatest. He's the greatest prophet, the greatest priest, the greatest king. If you're at the conference, you remembered where Jesus said that. Who remembers where Jesus said that?

That's what the Thursday night session does. You're still getting acquainted and settled in. Where did Jesus say, I'm the greatest priest. I'm the greatest prophet. I'm the greatest king.

Somebody said, Matthew. Where in Matthew? See, review is good, isn't it? Yeah. It's good.

Very good, Grace. Matthew chapter 12. I wanna show you where Jesus said he's the greatest priest. He's the greatest prophet. He's the greatest king.

Matthew chapter 12. Let's look at verse six. All in the same chapter. Matthew chapter 12 verse six. What does he say?

I tell you something greater than the temple is here. He's declaring his superior priesthood, and with that, him being the superior and all sufficient sacrifice. He's not just a priest. He's a sacrifice as well. Hebrews declares that over and over.

Something greater than the temple is here. Whatever the temple represents, the priesthood and the sacrifices therein, I'm greater than that. Matthew twelve forty one. What does he say in Matthew twelve forty one? The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Not only in the sense that the miracle of Jonah being in the belly of the fish pointed to the resurrection, but the office of prophet as well. I am the greatest prophet. Matthew twelve forty two. Can you guess what the next one is? You should know.

You got a t shirt with a verse on it. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. Something greater than the temple, something greater than Jonah, something greater than Solomon. Priest, prophet, king. The concept of those things being mixed together in one person was totally foreign.

It was actually illegal in the old covenant. There was one king who thought that he can presume to be the king or the priest at the same time. Who is that king? Saul. Saul attempted the sacrifice, and there was another one.

He became a leper because of it. King Uzziah, when he attempted to give incense in the temple, and God struck him with leprosy. You could not overlap those offices, and yet, Jesus, by claiming he's the greatest prophet, greatest priest, greatest king, you know what he's saying? I'm all of those things in one person. I'm not just one of those things.

I'm all of those things. He declared it. Did the New Testament authors believe that about Jesus? Did the apostles believe that? Can I show you one place?

Just this is just really, really exciting. I wanna show you one place, just one example of how the New Testament authors, the authors of the epistles, believed that about Jesus. Hebrews chapter one. Let's look at the first three verses. I love the book of Hebrews.

You know why? It is saturated with Old Testament references, Old Testament imagery, Old Testament shadows pointing to the substance in Jesus Christ. But look at Hebrews one. We're very familiar with this. I wonder if you've seen this before.

Verse one. Long ago, at many times and I wanna see if you notice this. And in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days, he's spoken to us by his son whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. Did you see it? Where's the reference to prophet? Look at verse one. God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, verse two, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son.

By his son now, he speaks. This is the true messenger. This is the one who would bring forth not just the word. He is the word. Where do we see priest?

Did you catch it? Good. Look at verse three. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power after making purification for sins. Priest, where's king?

Right after. He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. So verse one, you have Jesus speaking forth the word of God. In the old, all these prophets came, and now the prophet of prophets has come. In the old, all these performances to purify sins have come, but he has for one time at all time for all time made purification for sins.

And not only that, he has been exalted and he ascended into majestic glory sitting today as a ruler and the sovereign over all the universe. Not exciting? I hope so. Priest, prophet, king, prophet, priest, king. Now do you believe that even though each one of these offices occupied their own lane, do you believe that there was an anticipation for the Messiah to occupy all three?

Let me ask you this way. Was there any anticipation? Was there any prophetic indication that when this Messiah comes, he will, in fact, be these things all in one? Because we kinda limit the Messiah, son of David, as the king. Sure.

But is there any other clear indication, prophetic utterance that he would be more than that, that he would be the unification of these offices to prove something, that he is the greatest leader. He is the only deliverer. He is the one that eclipses every other attempt of delivering the people of God. Yes? Being after the order of milk is Very good.

One of the most favorite psalms utilized in the New Testament by the Holy Spirit. What's that psalm? Psalm one ten. Psalm one ten. What are we told?

Well, let's look at verse one. You have your bibles at bible study. Right? Good. I love the screen, but sometimes it makes me nervous.

The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool sit at my right hand. That's royalty. Sit where I sit, so to speak. Sit in this place of authority. But then you read on.

What does it say in verse two? The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies. That's still kingly language. Verse three, your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power and holy garments from the womb of the morning.

The dew of your youth will be yours. Now look what here it says. The Lord has sworn he's still speaking about the Lord. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

I wonder what David's reaction was to that when the Holy Spirit inspired that in him. Here's one of my sons is not just going to be my descendant, he's also going to be my Lord? And the Lord is going to exalt him to the place of heavenly glory and authority? Wow. One of my sons is going to be exalted to such a status.

And then as the Holy Spirit is revealing this to him, he's also learning, but he's also going to be a priest. Uzziah was stricken for attempting to be both king and priest, but my son is going to be exalted as king and also occupy the office of priest? Not after the order of Levi, but after the order of Melchizedek. Wow. Can I show you one of my favorite prophecies concerning Jesus?

The Messiah being king and priest at the same time. Zechariah chapter six. Go to Zechariah chapter six quickly. I want you to see this because I want you to be absolutely amazed of how these ancient scriptures point to the Jesus you love and adore today. Jesus didn't just surprise Israel.

Jesus was anticipated, predicted, prophesied about, and it was the ignorance of the Jewish leadership that caused them to reject them in such a way with all their sin and envy and all that stuff. But look at Zechariah six. Look let's look at verse 11 in Zechariah six. Let's go to verse 12, actually. Here's a prophecy.

Look at this. And say to him, thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, the man whose name is the branch, capital b. Do you know what would make a fascinating study? Studying all the places in the old testament where Jesus is referred to as the branch. Amazing references, amazing promises and prerogatives that are tied into that title, the branch.

Have you heard Jesus the branch? The branch, for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall he shall build the temple of the Lord. Some would say that's the spiritual temple. That's the church of Jesus Christ. Yes.

He is building a temple, but there's also a physical temple to come. Look at the next verse now. This is where it gets exciting. It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor and shall sit and rule on his throne. Now look at this.

And there, most translations says he, King James, New King James, and ASB. ESV says there, but it says, and there shall be a priest on his throne, and he shall be a priest on his throne. Priest on the throne? Unheard of. Unheard of.

But this branch, this Messiah, he will build a temple, and from that temple will be his headquarters. And that headquarters will not only be the temple, it will be where he exercises his sovereign rule as king. Priests on his throne, and the council of peace shall be between them both. So, yeah, the prophets understood that there is a messiah to come that will occupy something that has never been known and was not permitted to be known, prophet, priest, king, one person, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. That's who it is.

And what's gonna happen is for the rest of this, most of the chapter, Jonathan is going to spell out in detail what just occurred in the city concerning Solomon becoming king and taking over his father's place. I would read the rest of this, but I'm gonna pause and ask this question. Have we seen this character Jonathan the son of Abiathar before? If so, where? Okay.

Good. So we've seen him back in second Samuel. We've seen him back in second Samuel chapter 15. And if you wanna turn there, you can. I want you to see who this Jonathan is because it's gonna be very important understanding what he's doing here.

In second Samuel 15, we're told here in verse 27. The king also said to Zadok the priest, are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. Remember, this is this is David now in exile. Absalom kicked him out and here he is trying to figure out what to do.

And one of the plans is that the son of Zadok and the son of, Abiathar are remain near the premises of Absalom and his throne so that they can have intel about what Absalom is going to do next. Jonathan, the son of Abiathar was a spy for David during Absalom's revolt. He put his life on the line. He risked his life. He was loyal to David.

And now we see him again. Right? We see him next in second Samuel 17 when he almost gets caught after the news about Absalom's plan to attack came to him, and then there's silence, and then we see him again in first Kings chapter one. So is Jonathan a good guy or a bad guy with that knowledge, with that background? He's a good guy.

We can honestly say he's a faithful servant to the cause of Yahweh. Now we see him here, and and he does something that he did back in second Samuel 17 where he gives report, but there's something strange going on. Because he's giving report to who? Adonijah. What happened to Jonathan?

Do we have any right to question his loyalty now? Any clues based on what I read there that would give you the right to question Jonathan's fidelity? Was he just going with his father? Very good observation. Abiathar, remember, was at this party.

He, with Joab, joined and changed their allegiance over to Adonijah. Yes. But was it just his father? Any clue on what we read here? Any insight that might cause us to question?

Jonathan. Yes. Adonijah thought love That's a very good point. Did you hear that? Notice what Adonijah said about Jonathan.

Adonijah said, come in for you are a worthy man and bring good news. Now, generally, that would be a good commendation. That would be something honorable, but not from a guy like this. Adonijah was very strategic on who to invite and who not to bring in and who to bring in, right, to his little get together. He didn't invite Nathan.

He didn't invite Benai. He didn't invite Zadok because he understood their strong stance. They he understood that they would not compromise. So what does it say about Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, for Adonijah to say, oh, he's a good guy. Come on in.

Question mark. Right? Flag. So is he a traitor? Could be.

But then you read what he says, and then you're even more confused. So now he explains. Right? So, he brings good news and Jonathan's like, not really. Verse 43.

Jonathan answered Adonijah, no. For our lord king David has made Solomon a king. And the king he has sent with him, Zarek the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Joiada Joiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they had him ride on the king's mule. And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king of Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing so that the city is in an uproar. This is a noise that you have heard, and he goes on to explain in great detail what happened.

Any clue in what Jonathan said here that might actually indicate the opposite of what we might think, that he is in fact still loyal to David. King David. King David. And not just King David. What does he say?

Jonathan, verse 43, answered Adonijah, no. For our Lord King David. So Adonijah, at least from what we see here, still believed that David was the rightful king. That David still had authority. That it wasn't king Adonijah.

It's still king David. So there's some sense of honor of the process here, honor of who's still truly in the position of authority. So is he with David? Is he against David? Is he with Adonijah?

Is he against Adonijah? Do you know what I believe about it? He's a confused fellow. He's conflicted. He's torn.

As our brother brought up, his father is with Adonijah. You don't see Benaiah. You don't see Zadok. You don't see Nathan coming to this camp and giving them a heads up of what's taking place. Do you?

Why is Jonathan here? At the same time, there's something in him that still recognizes David for who he is, for our Lord King David. So there's some kind of internal struggle. Here's the lesson from this. Your testimony shouldn't be confusing.

Shouldn't be confusing to people. People shouldn't wonder that you are a follower of Christ. And also, how are you that and also a lover of the world? It should be clear cut. We should be like Nathan and these other fellows where even the world, even Adonijah and those guys who are rebels could say, those guys are for real.

Those guys are truly pledged to the anointed one. People shouldn't wonder where we stand on these things. And let's talk about your heart. There shouldn't be, in your heart and in mine, this division. This this one foot in one foot out.

He is king, but I also see this and I want to be part of that as well. You can't do that. He's not gonna let you do that. He won't. He wants everything, every single part of you to belong to him.

And so Jonathan here is a very sad picture of somebody who can't figure out where he stands. It may not be so of us. But you know what stands out to me here? If you look back here in verse 39, Zadok anoints him, and all these things take place, but look at the description of the celebration when Solomon is made king. And all the people went up after him playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.

Think about it was so loud. It was so resounding with shouts and cries and laughter perhaps that the earth shook. I mean, they heard it. They weren't too far, but they heard it. Compare that kind of atmosphere with how Nathan describes the celebration for king Adonijah.

Go to verse 25. Look at this. It's very similar, but you'll see a difference. For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, long live King Adonijah.

What's the difference? Both had people. Both had specific protocols and procedures, but there's something that stands out. Not the eating and drinking. Not the music even.

No. Not even that necessarily. Look at verse 40 again. Rejoicing with great joy. Rejoicing with great joy.

There is tangible, observable, genuine, true joy. When Nathan describes this, we see here that they're eating and drinking before him saying, long live king King Adonijah. But here we see that there's something deeper going on. I wonder if this is a lesson about how true joy is found in being in obedience to the will of God. You wanna live according to your selfish pleasures?

You wanna build your own little kingdom? You can do that. You can try to think that you can conjure up a better plan for your life than if you just submit to the will of God, but you will never know true joy. Never. That's why you should never envy the wicked ever.

Ever envy the wicked. And Psalms tells us repeatedly, do not envy the wicked. Why would we be told that? Because there's something especially in this day of age, where everything is plastered before you, you can't ignore it, and we wonder why there's a rate of anxiety hiking and depression and self esteem issues. Because all you're seeing is fake images of people in their lives.

And what do you think is being posted? Godly things? Well, praise God, there are people who are doing that. But most of it is all, look what my life is without God. And there's a temptation.

Right? Their life looks so easy. Their life looks so fun. Their life looks so easy and wonderful and joyful, memories and experiences. Oh.

And here you are on a Friday night, week after week, at a bible study. Amen indeed. And so here's the thing that I wanna make I wanna make known to you. Even in a world where people want to present themselves in a certain way, All the little events, all the little gatherings, even man made ministries, if they are not submitted to the will of God, you have one thing guaranteed, they will not know true joy. It's only when you align yourself to God's will, his purposes, and like Zadok and these other men, give yourself over to every detailed instruction that God has revealed to you and conform your life to that will you know rejoicing.

A deep seated happiness that can never be taken from you where you can say, amen. I wanna be here on a Friday night because I know my God. I want to know him. I want to live for him. And it is my delight to be in his presence with God's people.

That's supernatural. Why are you here? Like, this is supernatural. You're here on a Friday night talking about first Kings chapter one, and you're actually happy about it. That's the Holy Spirit.

That's the miracle of regeneration. That's God in you. And isn't it a genuine joy? Isn't it true rejoicing? Absolutely.

Let's end it here. Adonijah's little party came crashing down, his soul will, the purposes and plots of the wicked. Verse 49, then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose and each went his own way. And Adonijah feared Solomon, so he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. Then it was told Solomon, behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon.

For behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword. Why is he holding on to the horns of the brazen altar? It's very good. Not many people know that reference. Because in Exodus 21, we are told, thereby inference, that there was permission to come to the altar of sacrifice and hold onto the horns on the corner.

Right? There's these little pieces that stuck out like horns, and people would run there as a place of safety if they have done any wrong. And that was permitted to some extent unless they have committed a a capital crime that required them to be punished by death. And so it was a practice for people who knew they were in the wrong to flee to the altar and to cling. Why the altar?

Because it represents God's mercy. This is where God accepts sacrifice to cover your sin, to overlook your your error and your faults. And so in in the same way they would run, not with a sacrifice, but with their guilty hands and say, I'm clinging to the mercy of God. Surely you will not slay me where God receives sinners. In some sense, the altar symbolizes the mercy of Jesus Christ.

I wonder if that's where the term altar call comes from, come to the altar. Maybe that is it. I don't know. And so they they clung to this, and this is exactly what Adonijah is doing. He's fearful of King Solomon.

And look what Solomon does, and Solomon said, if he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hair shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die. So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar, and he came and paid homage to King Solomon. And Solomon said to him, go to your house. He paid homage to King Solomon. What goes up in pride will come down.

Here's a man who was willing to stand up against the will of God, against Solomon, and now at the end of the chapter, he's bowing down before Solomon. And what is Solomon doing here? Does he show mercy or not? Incredible mercy. Incredible mercy.

Not only does it say, I'm gonna let you live, he lets him keep his house, his estate. Go to your house. Just don't cause trouble, and I'll let you live. And here at the end of chapter one, we see Solomon now finally coordinated as king, but we also see where he establishes his kingdom, how he established it. He builds it upon mercy.

He builds it upon compassion. He builds it upon forgiveness. This says something about Solomon. This is how he starts. And I was reading this today, and you know what came to mind?

How Solomon ended. Does anybody know I wonder. Does anybody know the last recorded thing that Solomon does before we're told that he sleeps with his fathers? The last recorded thing. He begins his reign by choosing not to kill Adonijah.

Let me show you how he chooses to end his reign. Go to chapter 11, please. Meet me there in verse 40. This is where Solomon was going to be disciplined for his apostasy, and the prophet Ahadjou now comes to a man named Jeroboam and was told that he would receive the kingdom at least in part. Somehow, Solomon hears about this In verse 40, this is the last thing Solomon chooses to do before we're told that he sleeps with his fathers.

Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak, king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. That's how he ends. He begins by choosing not to kill a man. He ends by trying to kill a man.

Justly or unjustly? Unjustly. It's not how you start. It's how you and I finish. This is a different person, and it's very possible for us to start so well, so zealous, so pure, so humble.

And if we're not on guard, if we're not careful, we can end up looking completely different than how we did begun. May it not be so of us. Stay close to the Lord. Listen. Finish this race well.

Finish well. Keep going. Don't give up. Don't give in. Don't surrender to the flesh.

It will be worth it in the end. For the sake of God's glory, would we finish well? And may people not see a different horrendous questionable testimony at the last of it, but may they see someone who is brighter, holier, lovelier than when they started. By God's grace, he can do it in us. Let's pray.

How rich is the banquet of your word, oh, lord. How full of truth it is. And, Lord, with a lengthy chapter like this, we have indeed felt that we have sat before an abundance of revelation. Thank you that in the same chapter, you can teach us theology and you can teach us practical godliness. Lord, there is nothing like this word.

There is nothing like your word. Now Lord, more than becoming acquirers of insights and connections in your word, may this produce in us worship. Worship more than a a song because our emotions are stirred, but worship that translates into a life of sacrifice. Laid on the altar. A living sacrifice.

We pray, Lord, that in this place, we would indeed hear your voice and hear it in a way that causes us to bow before you, to live for you, to deny the flesh, carry our cross, renounce the world, and shine brighter for your glory. Lord, as we close this time together as a family, would you receive these last few moments of singing, sacrifice of praise, and may it be pleasing to your ears. Lord, we bless you again for first Kings chapter one. We thank you for speaking to our hearts. Comfort us, convict us, challenge us, encourage us, whatever we need to be brought into greater conformity, so be it.

We ask this of your Holy Spirit tonight in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen, saints.