David the shepherd boy, the prince of singers, the invincible in war, the guardian of his faith the servant of the true God, and the King of his people Israel was coming to the close of his life, and the successes or failures of his kingdom for which he had used his strenuous life, laboring in tears, and fear, and blood to establish it, was eminent.
If the great King had failed in the selecting of his man, a true successor to his throne, his glory would have faded, and the beautiful Temple for which he had hewn all the wood, shaped all the rocks, and gathered the silver and the gold, and precious stones to adorn the hills of Zion, and to perpetuate her memory would have been lost, and his name along with that of Israel perish from the earth.
David had several sons who desired to be King, and rule in his stead. Adonijah while the old man was yet alive assayed to usurp his throne. He gathered a crowd and proclaimed himself King.
It was at this point that quick action on David’s part was necessary and the Lord gave him wisdom and strength and courage to perform his duty; where upon he caused the prophet Nathan and the high priest Zodak
