King David Research Paper

“Do not be decived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (New King James Version, Galatians 6.7). This short verse reflects the life of King David and the life of his famous son, Solomon. With God by his side, David ruled Israel with great prosperity until he slept with a married woman, named Bathsheba, and killed her husband. David sowed a seed of destruction, therefore, he reaped destruction. The Lord took away David’s honor and the life of the child his sin conceived. Adversity sprouted up from David’s children and he was not permitted to build the Lord’s temple. However, God never left David and later granted him with another son by Bathsheba. This son was named Solomon, meaning unbroken or whole.

Adonijah was next up to inherit the throne and, like his brother Absolam, attempted to seize it by force. He rallied the support of the common people, which was not difficult considering he was immensely attractive, much like the first king of Israel. With the peoples backing he went outside of Jerusalem and declared himself king. Bathsheba, warned of this threat to her family’s lives by Solomon’s tutor, went to the dying King David and begged him to make Solomon king. Bathsheba clamed David had previously sworn Solomon would be king, which may or may not have been factual. In any case it was enough to convince the sick king to immediately hand over his throne to Solomon. Solomon was taken Gihon where a priest swore him in as king. Since Solomon’s claim to kingship was supported by the previous ruler it had more authority then Adonijah’s. Thus Adonijah fled to the alter for sacrifice out of fear of Solomon’s punishment. Once Solomon found him he spared him, but promised that if he slipped up again he would be executed. While scholars debate how old he was when he became king, the important thing is Solomon had finally taken his place as ruler over all of

Jerusalem still did not have a temple for the Lord. God had previously promised David that Solomon would be the one to build it. In accordance with God’s word, Solomon set out to erect the most fantastic temple he could. Thirty thousand workers cut down cyprus and cedar trees. They also quarried both large and expensive stones to lay the foundation. Then, in Solomon’s fourth year as king, the temple was begun. It took seven years to complete the massive structure. It was entirely overlaid with gold and carved with reliefs. The doors were made of olive wood and the walls were made of cedar. He even had a man named Hiram come and craft two nearly twenty-three feet tall bronze pillars to place by the vestibule of the temple. All in all the building was magnificent and one can only imagine how expensive and beautiful it was. Nevertheless, the most essential part of the temple was the Ark of the Covenant placed under gold covered cherubim statues in the inner sanctuary. The Israelites finally had an official place to worship their creator. By Solomon’s hand, The Lord’s promised temple had come to