And the king swore, saying, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity,
David is old and weak, and one of his sons, Adonijah, has already thrown himself a coronation feast. Into that weakness comes the king's oath, which names God as his rescuer and settles who will take the throne.
The name David swears by
David does not simply swear "by God." He swears by the God known through a lifetime of rescue. He had used these same words years before. One writer draws out what they meant then:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinHe acknowledges the Lord's gracious help in the past and his present confidence in Him. His case had rested in the Lord's hands.
The oath also says what David will not accept:
H. L. Rossier"As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity …" Such is the One in whom I trust. I will receive nothing from the world because I depend on the Lord.
New energy in a dying king
Until now the king has been too weak to notice the danger. Then Nathan and Bathsheba speak:
H. L. RossierBut the aged king must be urged to reveal his secret. He decides at once. All his energy returns when it is a matter of the Beloved [Solomon]. "Even so," he says, "will I do this day" (v. 30).
Adonijah's whole plan rested on the assumption that a failing old man could no longer act. That calculation left God out:
Leslie M. GrantAdonijah had thought David was too old and drained of strength to have any power left as king. But the God who had brought David through all his troubles was still God. He could enable David to still use the moral and spiritual power that had carried him through much opposition before. God always backs up what is His own work.
God's choice, not David's favourite
David is not picking a favourite son. Israel already knew whom God had chosen:
William KellyEveryone in the house of David, and in the land of Israel, knew this. As God chose David from among his brothers, so He had also been pleased to appoint Solomon to the throne of Israel… Adonijah's sin was not merely ambition. It was not merely rebellion against the king, against David. It was rebellion against the LORD. It was a direct act of setting himself against the declared and revealed purpose of God.
The king himself saw none of the danger coming. The warning reached him because God sent it:
H. L. RossierThe king, weakened by age, shut up in his palace, "did not know" what was happening. Thankfully, God was keeping watch for him. God, who has the glory of His Son and His kingdom in view, does not allow the schemes of the usurper to succeed. To this end He sends the prophet to Bathsheba with a word of wisdom.
A plot that hastened the crowning
Without the plot, David's oath might have waited until his death to take effect:
William KellyThe only effect of Adonijah's conspiracy was not to hinder, but to advance Solomon to the throne of Israel. Had there been no conspiracy, Solomon would have waited for the death of the king; we can hardly doubt that. But the result was to secure the throne for him, and to secure it at once. So it is that if we are only calm, God always accomplishes His purpose.
A small coronation pointing to a greater one
David keeps the oath within hours. Solomon is anointed king that same day, and one writer looks past the scene to something still ahead:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe priest anointed him king and the people rejoiced with great joy. But what joy will come to this earth when He who is greater than Solomon takes His throne and receives His great kingdom! Solomon's glorious reign is only a faint picture of it. All that David did was according to the LORD's will and purpose.
Summary
- Redeemed. David swears by the God who has brought him out of every trouble. Past rescue remembered; present trust resting on it.
- Revived. The oath wakes a dying man. His strength returns when Solomon's throne is at stake, and he acts "this day."
- Revealed. God had made His choice of Solomon known in Israel. So fighting it was rebellion against the LORD, not merely against David.
- Rescued. David did not see the danger coming; God sent the prophet, because God guards the honour of His king's throne.
- Reigning. The plot only hastened the crowning. That small anointing points to the joy of the earth when One greater than Solomon reigns.