A SMOOTH TRANSITION
Tuesday, 2nd August 2016
1 Chronicles 29:21-25 (NKJV)
21 And they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.
22 So they ate and drank before the Lord with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before the Lord to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest.
23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.
24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, submitted themselves to King Solomon.
25 So the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
Yesterday, we saw how appreciative David was to the Lord for everything. Today, he and the people were moved to give a very handsome offering to the Lord of a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offering and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. David had already established Solomon as king of Israel in Ch. 23:1. Therefore, 29:23 clarifies that the ceremony described here was a second coronation. This shows that Solomon must earlier have reigned as regent alongside his father. However, at this ceremony, Solomon was anointed king and Zadok anointed as Priest.
The Results:
1) All Israel obeyed Solomon (29:24)
2) The Lord blessed him in the sight of all Israel (29:25)
3) Establishment of the kingdom of God (v.23)
4) All the officers and mighty men as well as all David’s sons pledged their obedience to king Solomon (29:24)
5) The Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel (29:25).
We are earnestly looking up to a time when these will be true of us in our Nation Nigeria and in the Church of God.
Prayer: Anoint and cheer our soiled face, with abundance of Thy grace. Keep far our foes, give peace at home; where Thou art guide no ill can come.(A&M 157:3).