Today’s scripture: 1 Kings 1:11-31 (ESV-text and audio) (NRSV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me in this passage? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two before reading on.
My thoughts (Tyler Connoley):
I think all of us have probably been in a situation similar to Bathsheba’s at one time or another. We’ve never been wife to a king, or mother to a crown prince, but we’ve been in a place where we felt we were passed over for a promotion. Or maybe it was a time when we were betrayed by someone in authority — the boss promised us a bigger cubicle and then didn’t follow through.
Our first impulse in such situations is often to storm into the boss’s office, guns blazing. Or maybe we choose to lick our wounds, quit, run away. In Bathsheba’s case the latter option might have been the safest thing to do. She didn’t know for certain that David hadn’t chosen Adonijah as his successor (David was a fickle leader after all). And, in those days, it was common for a new king to kill off all potential heirs — which meant Solomon was in mortal danger from Adonijah, if Adonijah was the legitimate heir.
But Bathsheba didn’t hit the king with a fit of rage, and she didn’t run away. Instead, she came to David in humility, but with a firm conviction of what she deserved and what he had promised.
Bathsheba trusted the king’s word, and treated him appropriately. She went to him directly and confronted him with what was going on. Without defensiveness or hostility, she held David firmly to his promise. The result was that her son became king, she became the queen mother — and, more importantly, God’s mission in Israel was expanded. Bathsheba’s brave actions, cool head, and forthrightness paved the way for a golden age in Israel’s history.
Thought for the day: Is there a situation where you feel you’ve been slighted by someone in authority? Might it be appropriate to follow Bathsheba’s example (and the advice of Matthew 18:15-20) and take your complaint directly to the source?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to start, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.