ESOCS Devotional 19 April 2025 – The Lord is My Helper
MEMORY VERSE: “King David was now a very old man and although his servants covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.” 1 Kings 1:1
TEXT: 1 KINGS 1:1-14
Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. 2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.” 3 So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.
5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.) 7 Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of]Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.
11 So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”
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There is a saying that when the goat’s back scratches, it goes to the wall or tree to help itself. But when a man needs a scratch beyond the reach of his hands, he approaches his fellow man to help out. This was the case of King David and Solomon in our text today. In the case of King David, he was unable to get to help himself get warmth as a result of old age. Blankets provided by his servants could not solve the problem. He needed a woman. But could not help himself to get one. But it took the intervention of loyal and loving servants who helped him to get a young woman (1 Kings 1:1-5).
It is a blessed thing to find help from people around you when you need it. In some cases, we earn such help. In other cases, it is given out to tolerance. But we are advised to package our lives in such a way that people around us will see it as a duty to willingly render help, even when we have not asked for it.
In the case of Solomon, a promise of the Father was hanging on him. But Adonija the eldest son of King David had taken steps to assume that which was promised Solomon. It took the intervention of someone who had both the spiritual and physical capacity to help Solomon. Prophet Nathan did it and Solomon came on board (1 Kings 1:6-14).
It is yet another blessed experience to find spiritual help through counselling and prayer when you get helpless in the midst of life challenges. We are thus advised to package our lives in such a way that God will out of His love and mercy command help for us when we are in need.
There is no other way to get to this height except by being on the side of the Lord both in faith and in service: those who believe God receive from Him and those who serve God get their wages from God (Romans 10:9, 10; Psalm 126). May God provide and command a worthy helper for us at the point of need, in Jesus name. Amen.
CHALLENGES
- How often do you volunteer to provide help to those in need?
PRAYER POINT
- Father, I offer myself to be an instrument in your hands to give help to the helpless, in Jesus name. Amen.
FURTHER READING:1 Kings 1:15-37; 1Corinthians 4:1-21
ESOCS Devotional 19 April 2025
