The second born of David's sons is similar in character to
the first-born, Absalom. Adonijah
decides his time has come and he co-opts some of the leaders in the kingdom to
accept his claim to be king, primarily those who have some grievance with the
king like Joab who as passed over as commander of the army. The coup is so quiet in some ways that it is
not even known to the king until Nathan informs him. David was an indulgent parent who did not
discipline his children, his great fault and the one through which God's word
concerning his sin with Bathsheba came to pass.
Nathan and Bathsheba get together for the purpose of coercing David to
anoint Solomon as the king after David dies, the very thing the Lord had already
said would come to pass. Interesting
isn't it that these two, Nathan and Bathsheba are allied given that it was
Nathan who exposed David's sin with her in the beginning.
Is the tribulation of which Jesus spoke here that which
happened in AD 70 when the temple was overthrown or is it now or is it to
come? The answer on all three counts is
yes. The end times began when Jesus
ascended to the throne and have continued through to this day and will continue
until the appointed time of His coming again.
We live in the end times no matter where we live along that spectrum and
we need to be wise concerning how to live with a foot in both kingdoms, the
kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world which, at present, is not God's
kingdom. We are a foretaste of that
heavenly kingdom and, as such, are to be light for the world so that it can see
the better way, the eternal way where the light is God and Jesus is the lamp
through which that light shines. We are
the temple of God now and the Holy Spirit shines through the church. We know the true king no matter who the world
may accept and His anointing was on the cross with a crown of thorns and a
mocking proclamation of His kingship.
Paul's defense is also his testimony. His story and the accusations against him are
completely bound up in Jesus. The man
who stands before the king today is the man whom Jesus rescued from death, a
man to whom Jesus revealed Himself and who has, quite literally, seen the
light. He formerly thought he knew the
light through the study of Torah but what he has since realized is that he was
blinded to the true light by his own wisdom and that of his teachers. In Jesus he has seen the light and now his
only joy is to proclaim Him to all men alike.
He was given a job and he has been obedient to the heavenly vision. Can we say the same? If we are, Jesus says we will suffer for
it. We have been given a heavenly vision
and a commission, are we obedient to these?
Whose kingdom is most evident in our lives?
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