1. RESPONSIBILITY COMES WITH AUTHORITY.
I Kings 1:29,30 - "And the king took an oath and said, 'As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, "Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place," so I certainly will do this day.'"
David was still king at that moment and he still had the authority of a monarch, despite the presumptuous behavior of Adonijah. He would honor his word to Bathsheba and he would do it immediately. Solomon would be king. David used his remaining power in an honorable and responsible fashion. May those in authority follow this example today!
2. THOSE WHO LIVE BY THE SWORD WILL DIE BY IT.
I Kings 2:31,32 - "Then the king said to him, 'Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed. So the LORD will return his blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword--Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa, the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah--though my father David did not know it.'"
This practical lesson is very plain and is seen in many places in Scripture. In this context it was Joab the murderer who would die by the sword. We will all reap what we sow (cf. Gal. 6:7,8). The wise will take heed and live accordingly.
3. A WISE & UNDERSTANDING HEART IS A GREAT GIFT FROM GOD.
I Kings 3:12,13 - "Behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days."
Solomon started off so well as king. He asked for that which is better than long life, riches, and military conquest. He requested wisdom and understanding so that he could render proper judgments. Truly he had a lot of wisdom even to make such a request to begin with! Today, wisdom is still a great gift from God and He gives it to those who seek it properly (cf. James 1:5,6).
4. NO ONE DOES GREAT THINGS BY HIMSELF.
I Kings 5:13-18:
"Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains, besides three thousand three hundred from the chiefs of Solomon's deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work. And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple. So Solomon's builders, Hiram's builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple."Solomon's temple was an amazing structure, but he didn't build it alone. He and his father initiated the project, but tens of thousands of people helped in various ways. There is a point worth considering here regarding your own life. Whether you realize it or not, everything you accomplish of value is dependent to some degree upon others who helped you get to where you are. The point here is not to negate one's contribution to something great but to see it in a realistic light--as part (not the whole) of something wonderful.