Is This Normal?

David had many sons:
Amnon, Chileab, Absalom, Adonijah, Shephatiah, Ithream, Shobab, Nathan, Shimea, Solomon, Ibhar, Eliphelet, + more.
Certainly Solomon was NOT next in line of succession.
So why was HE the next king?

Only one reason.
Solomon was specifically appointed by the Lord (1 Chr 22:6-10). He was the son of promise. And the king of promise.
Just like his father David was a king by promise (1 Samuel 16:10-12).

God was obviously in charge, doing this HIS way—not man’s way, not the “natural” way.

It’s a common refrain in David’s life. Remember these events?

Mephibosheth—it would have been “natural” for David to leave him in exile or kill him. But he had made a promise to Jonathan.

Goliath—was it “natural” for a shepherd boy to be meeting the enemy’s champion with God’s reputation on the line?

Of course, David didn’t always follow God’s ways…

The Census—isn’t it “normal” for a king to know if he had enough soldiers to win HIS battles? No, not the way God was operating.

Bathsheba—It was certainly “the norm” for kings in that time and place to take the best for themselves—land, crops, and even women. But God’s idea of a king isn’t the same as everyone else’s.

So David’s life is full of examples of how God works in ways that aren’t “natural” to man. Does this make sense?

Is this…normal?

--from Wednesday's class, Nov. 14