Time with Abba, Singing Praising 親親爸父，唱詩歌頌 : OT DAY 477 - David Had Another Son Who Wanted to Take His Throne (Please click here for English podcast)

Monday, May 9, 2016

OT DAY 477 - David Had Another Son Who Wanted to Take His Throne (Please click here for English podcast)

Silence

1. Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2. Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1. Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2. Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3. Open your heart to praise the Lord

Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

Psalm 18:50

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

“Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2. Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

"Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (1 Kings 1:1-53)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=撒+母+耳+記+下+23&version=ESV

5 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. 8 But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.

1 Kings 1:5-8

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

My Listening

You got to read the whole chapter today so that you know how sad and ridiculous it is that David had another son, Adonijah who wanted to take David's throne without David's knowing and might cause Solomon and his mother to be killed. What happened to David really? How can a man had failure like that and still can be called the one close to the heart of God?

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

Someone asked why God uses all these sinful people in the books of Samuel and Kings, and I answered, "Well, he doesn't really have much choice, does he?"…God works through people's manipulations and failures and fears and plotting. That doesn't necessarily mean we get away with them.

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Kings for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.9.

All three elder sons of David already died, so Adonijah should be the one who came next to succeed the throne as in general sense. But, God did not laid down that the eldest of a king's offspring should be the king. We can see God chose Jacob rather than Esau.

Absalom and Adonijah did the same thing who planned wicked scheme to overthrow David's throne! Killing each others to get to the top to be in control has been happening everywhere since the creation, the time of Cain and Abel.

There is a deep kind of wisdom of what Professor Goldingay says, ""Well, he doesn't really have much choice, does he?" Are you ready and willing to let God to prepare you to be a faithful servant so that He can have a good choice? How are you going to respond to this question?

Dear Lord Jesus,

Open our eyes to see our weakness to be a human always want to take control. Lead us to be willing to let you to control us and prepare us to be faithful servants. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.