Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-10

would enthrone Solomon that very day.
without dispute or delay. as king.
Inauguration.
Under the direction of Zadok, the
priest; Nathan, the prophet, and
Benaiah, the commander of the royal
body guard, the representatives. of
three important elements of the state
the priestly. prophetic and military
the orders of David for the coronation
of Solomon were speedily carried out.
Solomon, riding upon the kings mule.
went forth to Gihon, where, within less
than a mile and half of his intri gum g
brothers inaugural banquet, he
was anointed king by Zadok. The use
of the sacred oil of conservation i'm
piled in those days a relation between
the king and deity, for by it they be-
lieved the divine spirit, to whose In
dwelling all ktngly virtues were
king. The lack of the divine approval
had blighted all of Adonijah's prospects
for the throne.
Within less than an hour. by one de-
cisive act. David had destroyed the plans
of the conspirators that gathered around
the banquet table of the ambitious and at
tractive Adonijah. for when the news
reached them of the events that had just
taken place they all understood the sig
nificance of Solomon's coronation, for it
meant the end of their plans and almost
left him, each man seeking his own safety
by secretly scattering to their several
homes, while the prince turned with the
melting away of his followers, trembling.
as a fugitive to the horns of the altar,
clinging to the same as the only source of
safety and security. Solomon assured his
brother Of clemency as long as he proved
that he was worthy.
Before Solomon was established and
inaugurated as king the nation had to ap-
prove OF the selection OF David. who had
been consecrated by Zadok in compliance
both with the orders OF David and the
will Of Jehovah as king. The assembling
of the nation and the final message Of the
aged and WORKOUT king to the nation and
Solomon, his son and successor, is re-
corded among the chronicles of the kings
by the ancient historians although some
of his parting instruction forms the clos
ing portion of our study.
instruction.
Solomon could hardly have been more
than nineteen when David. In the presence
of the men who had helped him develop
the nation into a united commonwealth
made his last public appearance, delivered
his farewell address that outlined to both
the nation and their newly crowned SOW
ereign tia program that David desired
both Solomon and the nation to carry out
so that his plans for a temple for the wor-
had commenced to save. starting with the
spoils that Saul had collected, for the pur-
pose of building temple that would be
worthy of Jehovah and for His glory
This task and honor he turned over to
Solomon.
His own life as a warrior and a man
Of blood had prevented his being the
builder Of house that would be accepta-
BILE 70 his Lord, so he longed that in char
;.cter Solomon would come up to the high
standards of manhood demanded of the
master builder We, too are called to as
sist in the erecting Of a temple not made
with hands eternal in the heavens that
will glor'fy and enthrone our Lord We
too need TO be as men what David had
formerly outlined In his first psalm and
repeated in his charges to Solomon in his
final word:
counsel Of the wicked
No, , "a in ~ The NV way o, sinners
and in His law doth he mediate dav and night
stream. Of water that brnsetb foI,b IL. +r ri,
In Its season whose leaf also doth NOT w!ther
And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
There is sort Of reversion when
WIN our modern tsnflStlan conception
We read the final charges of David
concerning Joab and Shimei. We may
approve his desire that Solomon shall
be kind TO the children of David's
| friends. We misjudge David when we
consider that his attitude toward Joat
and Shimei was that Of a vindictiye
spirit for he was moved only by a
/ patriotic desire to preserve the peace
of the Kingdom.
| The balance of the chapter shows
how in accordance with this advice OF
David. Solomon, as Gresham tells us
erected his throne on the dead bodie.
of his oppon ents." During our coming
studies of his realm we will observe
how he failed The fact is attestec
| by both modern as well az ancien,
history than any kingdom. governmen,
or realm established and maintained
by violence il never stable. Our Sc
curity as a nation Is in our natura
opposition to war and our desire to b.
just in our relations with all nations
Our personal safety follows upon sim.
lilar lines. AS stated in the golden tex
1t is, Know thou the God of tn,
father. and serve Him with a perfect
heart and with q willing mind"