I would like to share with you a sermon from Doug Hamilton, preacher at the Junction City Church of Christ, Junction City, KS.

This morning’s lesson is:

David and Solomon: A "Passing-the-Baton" Relationship

"A Passing-the-Baton" Relationship

By Doug Hamilton, Junction City Church of Christ, Junction City, KS
Doug Hamilton Video link

The First Mentioning of Solomon

was in:

2 Samuel 5:14-16,

Now these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,…​

And then it names some other sons, because David had more than one wife. David had some kids early in his reign and then you have the Jerusalem reign and so he was already in Jerusalem when Solomon was born.

15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

He was the replacement son

of the one who had passed, that you read about in 2 Samuel chapter 12, when Bathsheba’s child had died. When [David] was trapped in his sin.

It says in…​

2 Samuel 12:24,25,

Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved him 25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the LORD’S sake.

And Jedidiah means "Beloved of the LORD". His name around the house was "Jedidiah," Solomon was his formal name. Because he was "beloved of the Lord." He also helped stem the grief at that point. Just like Seth means "Add another," when Cain killed Abel, Eve had another child, she named him Seth, which means the Lord has "added another." And the same thing with Joseph. When Joseph was born, the first thing Rachel wanted to do, she named him "give me another one," basically is what that means. She wanted another kid. She was playing "catch up" to her sister.

Note

Background information (excerpts from The Narrated Bible, by F. LaGard Smith):

David desires to build a permanent temple to God.

2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Chronicles 17:1-15

  • David says to Nathan the prophet, in essence, I want to build a temple for God.

  • God comes to Nathan at night and says to David:

    2 Samuel 7:12-14 (ESV)

    When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,…​

David prepares for the building of the Temple

1 Chronicles 22:1-19; Psalm 30, Dedication for the Temple

  • Temple site designated, materials ordered,

  • Solomon identified as the one tasked by God to build the Temple,

    1 Chronicles 22:6-10 (ESV)

    "Then [David] called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. 8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.' "

  • Leaders to assist

David holds a National Convention

1 Chronicles 23:1a-29:22

The Narrated Bible comment: In the last years as king, David moves to provide a smooth transition of government from himself to Solomon. Realizing Solomon’s youth and inexperience, David takes great pains to organize his governmental officials and religious leaders. Once the necessary appointments are settled, David calls all the leaders together for a national convention, where he addresses them regarding the need for unity and mutual support, particularly in the building of the temple. At both the beginning and the end of the convention, Solomon is presented as the king-designate to follow his father on the royal throne.

The point is: Solomon is PUBLICLY introduced and identified as the next king of Israel.

Following this convention and as David is nearing the end of his life, David’s son…​

Adonijah attempt[s a] power grab.

There is another son, who was born earlier, who attempts a power grab.

1 Kings 1:1-10, I’ll paraphrase that here,

Now [about] Adonijah, David is becoming old now, a lot of times you would have people who would try to, in a family, try to do a coup de tat, you would have a power grab and Adonijah was trying that. Absalom did one last week, when we studied him in our lesson on David and Absalom. But King David was old and advanced in age, they covered him with clothes but he could not keep warm. [H]is servants said to him, "Let him seek a young virgin for the king.

And what they did was, they hired an official bed-warmer named Abishag, it wasn’t a sexual thing, she would go and lay under the covers with him just to keep him warm, because he’s pretty old by that time, he had quite a few years on him.

So Adonijah, verse five, son of Haggith, one of David’s wives, exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." He could see, being the fourth oldest son, Absalom was the second and Absalom’s gone now, so Adonijah moved up the power ranks, So he thought he would make a move on the throne.

Look also there in verse five and see that Adonijah "prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him."…​ Now think back to last week, who does that sound like? Who else have we heard, in relation to King David, prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him?…​ Absalom. And it’s not surprising then because Haggith, Adonijah’s mother was also Absalom’s mother. Adonijah and Absalom were full brothers.

Verse six tells that he was very good-looking (like Absalom). His mother had borne him after Absalom. So it’s not surprising then that we find in verse six that, "His father, had never crossed him/rebuked him at any time by asking 'why have you done so.' "

Verse seven, Adonijah conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah (who is one of the generals and David’s nephew) and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. Verse 9, Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle…​; he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother. (So, he didn’t invite ALL of the king’s sons! He left Solomon out.) They are having a feast to Adonijah the king.

SR - So you have a presumptive coup going on here where Adonijah takes it upon himself, with his supporters, to name him king. Leaving out Nathan, Solomon, and their supporters.

SR - Now an intercession intervention is going to be made by Nathan. It is important to note that while this is occurring Adonijah’s feast is STILL going on. The resultant action from this intercession is put into place before the feast concludes. This is QUICK action.

Intercession had to be made.

(Remember Solomon was already publicly promised to be king by God.) Nathan starts things rolling with Bathsheba.

1 Kings 1:11-14 (NKJV)

So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go immediately to King David and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, "Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?' 14 Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words."

Bathsheba makes her Plea to David

1 Kings 1:15-21 (NKJV)

So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 16 And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, "What is your wish?"

17 Then she said to him, "My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your maidservant, saying, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.' 18 So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20 And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders."

Nathan’s Confirmation

1 Kings 1:22-27 (NKJV)

And just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. 23 So they told the king, saying, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 24 And Nathan said, "My lord, O king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne'? 25 For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, 'Long live King Adonijah!' 26 But he has not invited me—me your servant—nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 27 Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

This is a strategic play by Nathan and Bathsheba. There’s going to be something done at this point.

And David [issues a] Decree

1 Kings 1:28-31 (NKJV)

Then King David answered and said, "Call Bathsheba to me." So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king took an oath and said, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 30 just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' so I certainly will do this day."

31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, "Let my lord King David live forever!"

David’s Plan

1 Kings 1:32-37 (NKJV)

And King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." So they came before the king. 33 The king also said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule [that was one of the symbols of the king, no one rode that mule, but the king], and take him down to Gihon. 34 There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, 'Long live King Solomon!' 35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah."

Solomon anointed King.

1 Kings 1:38-40,

So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!' 40 All the people went up after him, and the people were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shook at their noise.

If this were a movie we would say, meanwhile, back at Adonijah’s feast…​ watch…​

1 Kings 1:41-42 (ESV)

Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.” But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, "No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king.

So ends Adonijah’s coup…​ If you want to know the "rest of the story," continue reading the passage

For us though now, look at,

1 Kings 1:47,48,

"Moreover, the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!' And the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 "The king has also said thus, 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.' '

Now listen to…​

David’s Charge to Solomon

  1. Be a MAN!

    1 Kings 2:1,2,

    As David’s time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 "I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.'

    You know, regardless of what the media says, God made men and women differently. Men are supposed to lead. They are protectors. And when somebody says, "Be a man," it’s talking about a man…​ in the greek, it is someone who is to lead.

  2. Keep the Commandments of God

    If you can picture this,

    David is about to die, his son was just made king and the former king is now charging the new king five rules you can live by.

    1) Be a man
    2) Keep the commandments of God

    1 Kings 2:3,

    "Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn'

    These rules are applicable to any young man.

  3. Hold to God’s Promises.

    Hang on to those promises, because God cannot lie, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18, God’s word is true. There’s no variance neither shadow of turning, James says.

    1 Kings 2:4,

    so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'

    You hold to God’s promises, there’s a royal seed line promise that God gave.

  4. Do not let the evil go unpunished.

    1 Kings 2:5,6,

    "Now you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet. 6 So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.'

    1 Kings 2:8,9,

    "Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, 'I will not put you to death with the sword.' 9 Now therefore, do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood.'

    There were some bad characters still hanging around from our last lesson from Absalom. Not everybody was on David’s side. There were people who said, I’m going to play politics, I’m going to get on this side, it looks like a winner.

    David said to Solomon, you don’t let that go unpunished. Because, as Solomon himself will say in Ecclesiastes:

    Ecclesiastes 8:11 (NIV)

    When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong.

    You have to deal with it!

  5. Do not let the righteous go unrewarded.

    1 Kings 2:7,

    "But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table; for they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother.'

You reward the righteous.

With that Solomon is anointed king and…​

David died, leaving Solomon on the throne.

1 Kings 2:10-12,

Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. 11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 12 And Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

There were always big plans for Solomon in the eyes of God.

2 Samuel 7:12-16,

"When your days [David] are complete and you lie down with your fathers,

Underline the rest of this through verse 14, this is what is called a dual prophecy. Not every prophecy is just about one thing. Because patterns repeat themselves and are applicable to Christ often times. Compare vs 14a with Hebrews 1:5b

I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 "I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.''

1 Kings 7:51,

Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things dedicated by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

Hebrews 1:5,

For to which of the angels did He ever say, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU'? And again, I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME'?

Jesus referencing himself in comparison to Solomon says in
Matthew 12:42,

"The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Summary

David had a "passing the baton" relationship with Solomon.

There is a saying in track and field relay races, [of] "Passing the Baton". The first three of the four members of a relay team are required to run their portion of the race and pass the metal baton to the next runner. When they reach the fourth runner, he takes the baton and finishes the race. If any of the runners fail to successfully pass the baton to the next runner, they are disqualified.

David was one of the most influential individuals in human history. Simple proof of this is captured in the fact that we are talking about him today more than 3,000 year later. God accomplished much in the life of David, but he was expected to pass the baton to his son Solomon to carry it further. He knew this was the case long before Solomon was even born.

Application

We need to have a "Passing the Baton' relationship with our younger brothers and sisters in Christ. Time has a way of removing every single one of us in the end. Are we seeking to empower the next generation? Do we have a mentorship approach when it comes to our curriculum? Unless we develop these types of relationships with others, we are only one generation away from apostasy.

Unless we come to grips with the idea that we have our portion of the race, but we also need to be handing that baton off to the next runner. And if we’re not preparing them, if we’re not training them, if we’re not helping them then…​ the church will cease to exist at this location!

Paul had a "passing the baton" relationship with Timothy.
2 Timothy 2:2,

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

That’s passing the baton.

Paul would say in
2 Timothy 4:1-5,

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Philippian 2:19-22,

But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.

Paul would call Timothy his own son. We have the account when Timothy was just a young, young man and Paul met him on his 2nd missionary journey and took him in and tutored him and mentored him and passed the baton.

Paul says in,

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (ESV)

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Who was he writing to? To Timothy
What was he saying? Take the baton! It’s now your time.

We have to have "pass the baton" relationship with our brothers & sisters and that’s what David had with Solomon.

My challenge to you this week is to make a lifelong commitment to teach others to teach others also.

Invitation

We are extending the invitation, now, to anyone who is subject to it. Come,…​ while we stand and sing.