2. Know and Accept Who You Are
As King David progressed in age, there was a tussle for his throne. His sons Absalom ( 2 Samuel 15) and Adonijah ( 1Kings 1) made attempts to succeed their father’s throne. From a human standpoint, they had every right and reason to the throne. However, as far as God was concerned, the throne belonged to Solomon. This must have seemed strange to his family members, based on the controversial union of his parents King David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12). Solomon and his mother appear to be outsiders in King David’s family.
Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah who were royal officials. But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon
1Kings 1:9-10 ( NIV)
This is echoed by Bathsheba’s plea to King David to intervene on behalf of her son in verse 21 of the same chapter:
Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”
It is easy to assume that Solomon had it made, simply because he was the king of Israel. Yet it is revealed to us that his ascencion to the throne was anything but easy. The atmospere in the palace, with his brothers must have been wrought with tension. In fact, the only way he managed to get to the throne was through the Lord’s intervention, in the form of wisdom from Prophet Nathan ( see 1 Kings)
The king then took an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”
1Kings 1:29-30 (NIV)
It would have been easy for Solomon to reject his throne in order to appease his brothers and win their favour. Yet, in spite of the negativity surrounding him, Solomon accepted his place as king for he knew that was his calling! It did not matter that he was hated by those close to him.
What about you? Do you know who you are? Have you accepted who you are? Have you embraced the weight of who you are or are you shying away from yourself, trying to please everyone else but yourself?
One of my favourite quotes comes from Marianne Williamson:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
To you I say, accept who you are and light the world with your presence. Anything less is simply unacceptable…