When King David was old, his son Adonijah decided to make himself king. He followed the tactic of his rebellious older brother, Absalom, and started riding around Jerusalem in a chariot with fifty men running before him. As before, David was passive and did nothing to stop his son’s behavior.
Fortunately, Nathan the prophet worked to remind David of his promise to make Solomon king after him. Following a carefully worked out strategy, Nathan and Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, went to David and helped move him to action.
Great leaders and warriors don’t necessarily make great fathers. And they rarely do a good job at preparing their organizations for a smooth and successful succession. Yet, God gave David excellent counselors, such as Nathan, who helped make the transition from David to Solomon the most successful succession in all of Israel’s history.
Starting well is good, but finishing well is even better.