A Sermon on Solomon’s Accession
Years ago, there was a game show called “To Tell the Truth.” Three contestants would pretend to be, say, Dean Ulrich. Several regular panelists would ask questions of the contestants and try to determine which contestant was telling the truth. At the end of the show, the host would ask, “Would the real Dean Ulrich please stand up?” The accounts of Solomon’s accession bear some resemblance to this game show. Kings and Chronicles have very different accounts of how Solomon became king. In fact, it might seem as if one of the writers doesn’t have his facts straight. We might be tempted to ask, “Will the real historian please stand up?”
These two perspectives on Solomon’s accession point to your struggle as a Christian. There is tension in your life. You still wrestle with the vestiges of the old sinful nature (that’s the perspective of Kings), but you sit with Christ in the heavenly places (that’s the perspective of Chronicles). Perhaps we could ask, “Will the real you please stand up?” Even so, these two accounts give hope in the midst of this tension. Our lives can be confusing, conflicted, and messed up. We can wonder where God is or where we went wrong. These accounts assure us that God is at work to redeem us. The accession narratives also prepare us for communion. We come to the Lord’s Table as people who are far from perfect, but we also come as recipients of God’s grace and promise.
Kings presents your continuing struggle with sin. We see here the human side of Solomon’s accession. Notice the tumultuous transition of power. David is sick and weak as well as unable to control his sons. Adonijah with the help of Joab makes a play for the throne, and then Nathan and Bathsheba orchestrate Solomon’s enthronement. The priests take sides but are never said to consult God. Shimei, a descendant of Saul, represents further opposition from a segment of Israel that still questions the legitimacy of Davidic kingship. Later, David tells Solomon to act according to his wisdom with regard to David’s unresolved business. Solomon eventually executes Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei. Only then does he ask God for wisdom.
How could God’s people sink so low? Can you imagine the reaction of the godly when they read the newspaper? There were still faithful Israelites, and such behavior by their leaders must have disturbed them. Israel was hardly acting like a kingdom of priests to the nations around them. They had failed to model a redeemed alternative to the business-as-usual of the ancient Near East. It is for this reason that Kings was written. It told people in exile that they had justly reaped what they had sown.
Now look at your own life. How have you recently fallen short of modeling a redeemed lifestyle? Where is the tension between the old sinful nature and new life in Christ? Whom have you hurt by your actions or speech? How have you tried to manipulate someone into serving your agenda? Have you used conventional worldly tactics instead of following God’s counter-cultural and self-denying instruction? My point is that Christians don’t always act like Christians. Even Paul in Romans 7 said that he didn’t do the good that he wanted to do or avoid the evil that he wanted to avoid. Almost in despair he asked, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” This is the painful side of sanctification. Jesus has saved you from your sins, and God has declared you righteous. But your experience lags behind your position. You find yourself in messes and failure of your own doing.
Kings reminds us of our frailty. In this life we remain prone to sin and all its miserable effects. Kings pulls the rug out from under us and leaves us without excuse. Try as we might, we don’t fully obey God. We’re too often not much different from these people in 1 Kings 1-2. As we approach the Lord’s Table, we come as those whose experience is less than perfect. Given this realization, the proper attitude is one of brokenness and penitence.
If Kings emphasizes our imperfection, Chronicles highlights God’s grace. Notice how the account of Solomon’s accession is cleaned up so that there is a smooth transition of power. Adonijah is never mentioned, except indirectly with the sons of David. All Israel crowns Solomon, and there is no reference to Shimei. There are no executions. Solomon’s accession occurs in the context of elaborate worship. God receives credit for Solomon’s success as king. Moreover, David’s death notice has a ring of majesty. He is present for Solomon’s public accession, and nothing is said about his sickness. Abishag, the young woman, is never mentioned. David dies with honor.
Why does the chronicler whitewash the account? Chronicles was written after the restoration from exile. Isaiah’s promises of a glorious restoration hadn’t yet fully come true, and the post-exilic community was asking, “Is God still interested in us?” The chronicler retold the story of the monarchy in order to say a resounding yes. One of the proofs is the portrait of David and Solomon. The chronicler eliminates their faults. Now this is not a case of dreamily remembering the good old days. The chronicler is aware of all the problems, and he tells his readers where to go for more information. Nevertheless, what God did through them pointed to a greater king. David and Solomon model the chronicler’s messianic hope.
No, David, Solomon, and the others were not perfect, but their hope, and our hope, as God’s people does not depend on our performance. Our obedience does not make us heirs of God’s promises. Likewise, our failures do not annul God’s promises. God’s promises depend on God’s performance. Follow the historical trajectory from David and you come to Jesus. Chronicles begins with nine chapters of genealogies—from Adam to the post-exilic era. Likewise, the New Testament begins with a genealogy that reviews Old Testament history and ends with Jesus. Jesus is the last name in the biblical genealogies. All that history of God’s redemption reaches its climax in him. Jesus flawlessly kept the law of God—something we are not able to do—and Jesus gave his life as an atoning sacrifice for our transgressions. Our unrighteousness is imputed to him, and his righteousness is imputed to us. For this reason Paul could also exclaim in Romans 7, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ!” It is this truth that we celebrate in this sacrament.
The chronicler is saying that God started a good work with them and with you. At no point has he ever abandoned his people. Through David and Solomon’s greater son, Jesus, God is making you perfect. Someday, the chronicler’s vision of an ideal future will be fully realized. Then our experience will correspond to our position.
For now, you and I come to the Lord’s Table as something of a contradiction. On the one hand, our practice falls short of God’s will (the perspective of Kings). We must confess our sins and be reconciled with our neighbor. Even then, we take our place at this table conscious of our dependence on Jesus. On the other hand, we are righteous by virtue of the imputed righteousness of Jesus (the perspective of Chronicles). When God sees you here, he sees the perfection of Jesus. He doesn’t see your faults and the ensuing messes. It is our position in Christ that gives us a place at this table. We eat and drink as adopted sons and daughters who are heirs of the kingdom. Our position gives us solid hope to persevere in godliness with expectation of greater changes to come.
So then, will the real historian please stand up? Actually, the writers of Kings and Chronicles can both stand up. They look at the same event from different perspectives, and their accounts address the pastoral needs of their respective audiences as well as you and me.