Commentator Dale Ralph Davis makes this observation regarding the death of David in 1 Kings chapter 1:
“The kingdom of God frequently passes through precarious moments in this world. It may be the passing of Joseph and the rising of bondage (Gen. 50 – Exod. 1), the death of Moses and the transition to Joshua (Deut. 34 – Josh. 1), the burial of Joshua and the apostasy to Baal worship (Josh. 24 – Judg. 2)—others are not lacking. The situation in our text is one of them. Here in David’s nearing death is a transition point in the kingdom of God, one of those critical situations where a wrong move, a false step, a stupid turn, could spell disaster. It seems that the contemporary church might benefit from this text. How frequently we are deluged with the various crises the church faces, with the perils she must meet in days of unprecedented moral decadence, ethical relativism, global upheaval, or whatever. I do not wish to downplay the crisis element in 1 Kings 1 or at any time among the people of God, but the church has repeatedly passed through such times when when she has had to walk on the edge of disaster. Apparently, there is a hand that steadies her.”