“Bat-Sheva went into the king in his room. (The king was very old; Avishag the Shunamit was in attendance on the king.) Bat-Sheva bowed, prostrating herself to the king. The king asked, ‘What do you want?’” -1 Kings 1:15-16
Picking up from where we left off yesterday, following Nathan’s instructions, Bathsheba goes to the palace and enters King David’s room.
We’re given a little footnote telling us that Avishag the Shunamit was also present.
Recall, she was the beautiful young virgin (Almah) who was serving as David’s caretaker.
Recall also that the Scriptures go out of their way to tell us that David never did have sexual relations with this woman.
It’s also telling that Bathsheba didn’t seem alarmed in the slightest that this pretty nursemaid was in her husband’s bedroom.
Now what happens next is also quite telling.
We’re given a firsthand and intimate look at how royal protocol worked between a king and his wives.
Notice how Bathsheba bowed down before David in deep respect, and how David’s response was a curt, “What do you want?”
The sages say that Bathsheba prostrating herself was a sign that she had a request to ask of David.
They seem to be correct since Bathsheba next tells the king…
“My lord, you swore by Adonai
Your God to your servant,
‘Your son Shlomo will be king after me;
He will sit on my throne.’”
Now, recall, we discussed how we can’t find an explicit statement in the Scriptures saying that David declared Solomon would be his successor.
But we’ve got plenty of other passages (including Bathsheba’s own words herself) that reinforce this, including the passage from 1 Chronicles 22.
The bottom line is that Bathsheba had a very strong case to make in asserting that David had promised Solomon would be the next king, and that it would be very difficult for any other son of his to argue otherwise.
Alrighty, let’s stop here and get into the takeaway.
Here’s what’s coming to me.
Just as Bathsheba went out of her way to gain an audience with the king (even if the king was her husband) to assert her son’s rights…
So too must we also not hesitate to assert our God-given rights to the proper authorities when it becomes necessary to do so.
This could play out in many different ways.
It could mean exercising your voting rights and voting for a politician who represents your values.
It could mean exercising firm boundaries to protect your family and neighborhood from ungodly forces that seek to undermine your stability…as the Japanese are doing by taking a firm stand against Islam.
It could mean saying NO to participating in certain activities you know the Lord would not approve of.
The Bible never calls us to be doormats and let people walk all over us for the sake of peace.
Quite the contrary, we are to be firm and vigorously proactive for the things of the Lord, both in our personal and public lives.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
-Matthew 5:16
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