Bible in a Year - Women’s Thematic Reading Plan | Day 46

February 15 / Day 46 

Bathsheba: Solomon Receiving the Throne 

📖 1 Kings Chapter 1 

A Minute of Grace

1 Kings Chapter 1 takes place when King David is old and physically weak. The kingdom is approaching a transition, and David’s son Adonijah takes the opportunity to exalt himself as king. He prepares chariots, horsemen, and men to run before him. He gains the support of Joab and Abiathar the priest, but he does not invite Solomon, Nathan the prophet, Zadok the priest, or David’s loyal mighty men.

At this tense moment, Nathan comes to Bathsheba and tells her that Adonijah has become king, while David does not know it. He reminds her that David had sworn to her that Solomon would reign after him. Nathan urges Bathsheba to go before David and ask him to remember his oath. Bathsheba then comes to David, bows before him, and clearly explains the danger: if Adonijah becomes king, she and Solomon may be counted as offenders, and their lives may be at risk.

Bathsheba’s role here is very important. She does not rush in out of uncontrolled emotion, nor does she argue merely for personal advantage. At the critical moment, she reminds David of the oath he has already made. She brings the present crisis before the king and becomes an important instrument in the process by which Solomon receives the throne. Nathan then also comes before David to confirm the matter, and David declares that Solomon shall sit upon his throne. He commands Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah to anoint Solomon as king.

From the perspective of “Women in the Bible,” Bathsheba’s life deserves careful reflection. Her path was not a simple road of honor. She had experienced passivity, shame, loss, family turmoil, and many of the painful consequences within David’s house. Yet in this chapter, at a critical moment, she acts with clarity, courage, and caution. Her voice is used by God as part of the history of His covenant faithfulness.

Today’s theme, “Bathsheba: Solomon Receiving the Throne,” invites us to reflect: How does God keep His covenant in complicated history? Sometimes our background is not simple, family relationships are not clear, and the past is not perfect. But God’s faithfulness is not stopped by human confusion. He can continue working in brokenness, preserve His promise in crisis, and reveal His unchanging grace in life stories that feel complicated.

Whispers for the Heart

1 Bathsheba had a painful and complicated past, yet God still used her voice later in history. Have you ever felt that your past experiences, wounds, shame, or family complications made it difficult for God to use you again? How does this passage remind you that God’s grace can move beyond human brokenness and continue working in a life?

2 Bathsheba did not remain silent during the crisis over the throne. She came before David with caution, clarity, and courage. Are you facing a moment when you need to speak, explain the truth, remind someone of a commitment, or protect your family? Are you willing to ask God for wisdom—not to respond with impulse or accusation, but with truth, respect, and courage?

3 Adonijah tried to seize the throne through human ambition and strategy, but God used Nathan, Bathsheba, and David’s confirmation to establish Solomon as king. Are there situations in your life that seem controlled by human schemes, power, pressure, or confusion? Do you still believe that God can keep His promise in complicated history?

As you read 1 Kings Chapter 1 today, do not only notice the royal struggle for power. Also pay attention to Bathsheba’s clarity and courage at a critical moment. Her story reminds us that God’s covenant grace is often revealed within histories that are complicated, imperfect, and marked by wounds.

Take a quiet breath before you begin. Bring your complicated relationships, unresolved past, situations where you may need to speak, and hope in God’s promises before the Lord, and let His Word meet you there.

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1 Kings Chapter 1 (KJV) 

1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.

2 Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

4 And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.

5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

6 And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.

7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.

8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

9 And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants:

10 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.

11 Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?

12 Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon.

13 Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?

14 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.

15 And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.

16 And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?

17 And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the Lord thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.

18 And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:

19 And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called.

20 And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

21 Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.

22 And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.

23 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.

24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?

25 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.

26 But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.

27 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?

28 Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.

29 And the king sware, and said, As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,

30 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.

31 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.

32 And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.

33 The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:

34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.

35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.

36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the Lord God of my lord the king say so too.

37 As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.

38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.

40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

41 And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?

42 And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.

43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.

44 And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule:

45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.

46 And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom.

47 And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed.

48 And also thus said the king, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.

49 And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.

50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.

51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword.

52 And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.

53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.

💡 Closing Thought · Trusting the Covenant-Keeping God in Complexity 

After reading 1 Kings Chapter 1, we see that Bathsheba did not live in a simple story. Her past carried wounds, her family was complicated, and the crisis over the throne was filled with danger and tension. Yet within that very history, God still kept His promise. Bathsheba spoke at the critical moment, Nathan reminded at the critical moment, David confirmed at the critical moment, and Solomon finally received the throne according to God’s arrangement.

As we close this page and return to our own lives, perhaps your family, relationships, past, or present situation also feels far from simple. Perhaps you are learning to trust God within a complicated history. Remember this: God’s faithfulness is not only revealed in tidy and beautiful stories. It can also be revealed in brokenness, confusion, tension, and waiting. Human weakness cannot cancel God’s promise, and human confusion cannot stop His hand.

May today’s Scripture remind you not to assume God has left simply because the story is complicated. May you have wisdom and courage when you need to speak, healing as you face the past, and faith in the covenant-keeping God when you cannot see the full picture. He can continue working in complicated history and open a new path of grace in your life.

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