Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David, with his sovereignty firmly established. The Bible likes to tell the story of salvation as an inexorable movement where God’s will gradually unfolds. Reading between the lines the story is more complicated. The succession of Solomon to the throne of his father David was not inevitable or obvious. There were many sons of David, each of whom thought he should be king. Solomon through his guile and making the right friends outmaneuvered his brothers to seize the throne. Then he purged (a gentler term than the reality) those who backed a different claimant. All of which says that our own following of the will of God will not be clear — we must pray and discern.
