1 Kings 1:23

1 Kings 1:23 says, And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.  After Bathsheba told David what was happening, Nathan came in, as he had arranged to do before hand.  Verse twenty-four adds, And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?  Nathan first asked David if he had said Adonijah would succeed him as king.  He allowed David to make the decision instead of just telling him what was happening.  We cannot make the decision to accept salvation for anyone else, but we must always present accepting the gospel as what it is, their choice.  Verse twenty-five continues, For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.  Nathan then told David about Adonijah having a feast with several of David's key people and declaring himself king.  Sometimes today, in government or even in the church, someone will attempt to declare themselves ruler, even if they have not been selected by the people.   Verse twenty-six states, But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.  Nathan then said that Zadok the priest, Benaiah, Solomon and Nathan himself had not been called.  If something is happening that isn't in accordance with God's will, we want to be like those who were with Nathan and not a part of the crowd who are acting against God's will.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?  Nathan then asked David if he had endorsed Adonijah to be king and not told Nathan.  Today, when we see someone attempting to grab a position of power, we as followers of Christ need to ask God if it is His will.  Verse twenty-eight declares, Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king.  David told Nathan to call Bathsheba, who had evidently left the room, and she came to him.  When there are decisions to be made today, whether they are big or little decisions, Godcwill always call Christians to come to Him for answers, and we simply need to come in faith.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,  David told Bathsheba God had redeemed his soul out of distress, even though he had allowed himself to turn away from God when he first saw her.  We have to assume that after the death of their first child that God had forgiven them, and even if we start in disobedience to God's will, if we repent, we can be forgiven and restored to Him by asking forgiveness and putting our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse thirty continues, 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.  David told Bathsheba just as he had sworn to God that Solomon would reign that day.  What we promise to God we always need to fulfill if we can, and we must do it by His power and leadership.  David said he had also promised this to Bathsheba, but his promise to God was the one that ultimately was of importance.  Verse thirty-one concludes, Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.  Bathsheba bowed in reverence to David and asked that he live forever, even though that is never going to happen in this lifetime.  Likewise, we as followers of Christ must bow in reverence to God, because He does live forever.