1 Kings 1:28-40

Solomon Anointed King

v. 28. Then King David, now thoroughly aroused to the danger of the situation, answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king's presence and stood before the king, awaiting his pleasure.

v. 29. And the king sware, with a very solemn oath, and said, As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, giving David evidence of His mercy and truth in so many great dangers, for which reason this word of praise was all the more appropriate,

v. 30. even as I sware unto thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon, thy son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead, even so will I certainly do this day. He was evidently deeply moved, and saw the necessity for quick and decisive action.

v. 31. Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord, King David, live forever. It was an expression of her heartfelt gratitude.

v. 32. And King David said, Call me Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, who had also retired from the king's presence after his interview, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. David now showed that he was still strong in mind and will in spite of his bodily weakness.

v. 33. The king also said unto them, they were to act as his representatives in the matter which he had in mind, Take with you the servants of your lord, the king's own body-guard, and cause Solomon, my son, to ride upon mine own mule, this being an actual declaration that the latter was king, and bring him down to Gihon, a place west of Jerusalem, with a spring of water which fed two reservoirs,

v. 34. and let Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him there king over Israel, the investiture being emphasized as taking place by divine right; and blow ye with the trumpet, as was done on solemn occasions, and say, God save King Solomon!

v. 35. Then ye shall come up after him, in a procession befitting the importance of the occasion, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead; and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah, over the united nation, as David had twice consolidated the tribes.

v. 36. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, upon whom rested the responsibility for the outward arrangements, answered the king and said, Amen; the Lord God of my lord the king say so too, a prayer that God might permanently establish the throne of Solomon as the successor of David.

v. 37. As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, even so be He with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord, King David, since this growth and establishment depended upon the gracious blessing of Jehovah.

v. 38. So Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, the body-guard of the king, went down, according to David's command, and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

v. 39. And Zadok, the priest, took an horn of oil out of the Tabernacle, for the oil of holy ointment was kept in the tent in which the Ark of the Covenant was stationed, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save King Solomon!

v. 40. And all the people came up after him, full of happiness over David's decision, and the people piped with pipes, flutes being used on festival occasions, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent, resounding mightily, with the sound of them. The anointing of Solomon is a type of the anointing of that greater Son of David, Jesus Christ, whom the Lord has set as His King on His holy hill Zion.