God calls His faithful Philadelphians in this end time the “sons of Zadok.” There is quite a lot about Zadok and the sons of Zadok in the Bible. But one thing the Bible shows us that we haven’t emphasized as much is what a warrior Zadok was. Zadok instructed and even led some of the mighty men of David. Zadok was a captain, a fighter—not the type of priest you would normally think about.
When King Jeroboam broke 10 tribes of Israel away from David’s throne, he schemed to get the weakest priests in power so he could control them. That’s not the way it was when Israel was great. In David’s time, the unified kingdom had some priests whose examples of courage and power will rock you back on your heels!
Zadok had a lot of these men of character around him.
The men who were loyal to David and to God had to be strong warriors. Just think about some of the trials David endured: David sinned with Bathsheba and even had her husband murdered; two of David’s own sons came very close to kicking him off his throne. Men like Zadok had to deal with many serious problems and difficult struggles. But Zadok was there from beginning to end and never left David—never left God.
Zadok also had an outstanding son and a grandson—fighting sons of Zadok.
Before Zadok Became a Priest
This history is found in the former prophets, which is all prophecy for today. I believe there is also evidence to show that the book of Chronicles is specifically for the Philadelphia Church of God in this end time, more than for anyone else in history. All these scriptures are prophetic about the time we live in right now.
For the first seven years of his reign, David ruled only over Judah, in Hebron. After Saul died though, thousands of Israelites came to show they wanted David to rule them. “And these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord” (1 Chronicles 12:23).
Among these thousands of people were some “mighty men of valour for the war” (verse 25). Here was one of them: “And Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father’s house twenty and two captains” (verse 28).
Zadok hadn’t always been a priest. He was a strong man—a mighty man of valor—before he was ordained!
When you look at this world, do you see that kind of a strong man becoming a priest or a minister? This is unusual. Zadok, a mighty man of valor, ruled over captains and hundreds of men who were themselves men of valor.
Zadok’s Son: ‘A Good Man’
Zadok spent a lot of time by King David’s side, and he learned some profound lessons from David.
He witnessed David’s son Absalom trying to draw the hearts of the people away from God’s anointed king. Absalom launched a conspiracy to usurp the throne that gained a lot of momentum. He actually got to the point where he was ready to kill Israelites—and even his own father if he needed to—in order to satisfy his lust to be king!
When David learned of the treachery, he decided to flee the city (2 Samuel 15:13-14).
It is in desperate circumstances like these that those who are truly loyal to God’s throne distinguish themselves. “And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint. And the king went forth, and all his household after him” (verses 15-16).
There were two priests with David at this time: Zadok and Abiathar. They were both very obedient to David, but I think for very different reasons.
Zadok and the Levites were carrying the ark of the covenant, and after they had gone out of Jerusalem, David instructed Zadok to bring it back (verses 24-25). The ark really did belong in Jerusalem—but by this time, the city had grown quite hostile and rebellious toward God. David said, “[I]f I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him” (verses 25-26). David was saying, The ark belongs in Jerusalem. If God is with me, He will bring me back to Jerusalem. And if not, well, I don’t need to go back.
It took a lot of courage to fulfill this command—but this was also a tremendous lesson for Zadok. David just trusted God, and that had to be very impressive to Zadok. This great king didn’t say, Let’s start chopping off heads and killing all the rebels we can. He said, You just take the ark back, and we’ll see what God works out for us.
David then sent Zadok and Abiathar on a mission with their sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, to spy for him. That was a big and a dangerous job for those sons—two young men who were likely teenagers, maybe 17 or 18 years old (verses 32-36). But they didn’t question such a commission; they just did what David said with a good attitude.
This made a good impression on the king. Later we see Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, receiving quite a commendation from David.
A battle ensued as Absalom and most of the Israelites fought against David and his servants. David loved Absalom, even though he had killed David’s firstborn son, Amnon (after Amnon raped Absalom’s sister—his own half-sister), and now was angling to take over. David took special precautions to ensure Absalom would be spared: “And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom” (2 Samuel 18:5).
Joab was a powerful servant of David’s. David was weak in this situation, and he really needed Joab. But Joab decided to take matters into his own hands.
As it turned out, Joab found Absalom, whose long hair had become tangled in the branches of an oak tree. David’s captain ignored what he had been told and thrust three darts through Absalom’s heart (verse 14).
Amid all the trauma besieging the throne at this time, here was another act of disloyalty to David’s government!
If you read Israel’s history, you know this was a significant event. God takes vengeance on that kind of rebellion—and, when the time was right, Joab was going to be punished.
David’s men won this civil war in Israel, and the two teenage sons of the priests had a lot to do with that. Zadok’s son, Ahimaaz, wanted to deliver the message of the victory to David (verse 19). Joab didn’t want to let him run the message to David because he knew how David felt about his son, and Absalom was dead. Joab sent Cushi instead. But Ahimaaz wouldn’t give up. Finally, when Joab relented and let him run, he outran Cushi to tell David the news. He ran because he loved David, just like his father did.
This was a dark hour for David, at a time when he was a very weak king. But perhaps the messenger would bring good tidings. Notice what David said about Ahimaaz. “And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings” (verse 27).
David knew this son of Zadok, and he called him a good man. From having experience with Zadok close by, David knew this was a loyal young man, running with news of the battle.
After the battle was won, David was most of all concerned about Absalom. I’m sure he thought about all the times he had these different wives and the times he neglected to train Absalom well; he probably blamed most of that on himself. Absalom was a violent man, and he died violently. But David was devastated to lose him. Even with the victory, it was a dark time for David.
Still, even amid this tragedy, we have some shining examples in Zadok and his son.
Zadok Anoints Solomon
1 Kings 1 records another terrible rebellion against David that teaches us more about Zadok.
At this time, David was old and getting weak. His son Adonijah seized the opportunity and crowned himself king, and he had a lot of power.
God laid much of the blame at David’s feet. 1 Kings 1:6 reveals, “And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, ‘Why have you done so?’” (New King James Version). David had not trained and challenged his son like he should have. The Moffatt translation reads, “His father had never checked him all his life, by asking what he meant by his conduct.” Maybe David was around Adonijah so little that he felt guilty about correcting him. Yet that correction earlier in Adonijah’s life would have been a great blessing! That is the kind of training that Zadok gave his son.
It was in the midst of this betrayal that the character of Abiathar, the other priest who had been loyal to David for so long, was revealed. “And [Adonijah] conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him” (verse 7). This is what happened to Abiathar. He forsook David and helped the king’s rebellious son!
Abiathar had been with David for a long time. He stayed with David before he became king. He stayed with him while Saul was chasing them and forcing them to hide in caves and making their lives miserable. He stayed loyal through David’s mistakes and all the challenges he faced. But in the end, he lost it all and went with Adonijah. He looked at David as a man only, and decided David was too old to lead them. He wanted young, powerful Adonijah, even though God wasn’t with him.
Abiathar must have been giving David his support on a carnal level only. This was a terrible ending—forsaking God’s man and looking to another man. Abiathar appears to have looked only to David the man and not to the God behind him.
Notice, though: “But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah” (verse 8). These men remained faithful! And notice: Zadok is listed first. This indicates that Zadok had a lot to do with spiritually instructing and directing Benaiah. David taught Zadok, and then Zadok taught Benaiah—this mighty man of David. Zadok was a strong priest who had the respect of David’s best warriors!
Nathan came and announced that Adonijah had called a great celebration to confirm his kingship (verses 22-25). “But me, even me thy servant,” Nathan said, “and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called” (verse 26).
Adonijah knew who was loyal to David! He knew exactly where those men stood. It is quite an honor that these men were not invited to Adonijah’s feast.
David quickly planned a coronation for Solomon: “And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada” (verse 32). They took servants and put Solomon on David’s mule, bringing him down to the Gihon Spring. “And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon” (verse 34).
Even to this day, coronations on David’s throne—today residing in Britain—still ring with these stirring words: “God save the king!” Why? Because of this history!
After David gave these instructions, Benaiah responded in a most inspiring way: “And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the Lord God of my lord the king say so too” (verse 36). This response shows a wonderful perspective: Benaiah, like Zadok, was focused not on a man, but on where God was! He was following God’s anointed, but he was looking to “the [Eternal] God of my lord the king”!
God really blessed those men for that spiritually oriented attitude. They had the honor of anointing Solomon king. At that point, the whole situation turned around very rapidly.
Men of War Fit for the Battle
Benaiah is listed as one of David’s mighty men in the book of Chronicles.
“Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day. And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear” (1 Chronicles 11:22-23).
Later, Benaiah was given an important job. Adonijah was given a chance to live, but he rebelled again and deserved to die. Joab, too, needed to be executed for some of the things he had done. Once Solomon became king, he directed Benaiah to kill both of these men.
Do you see gutsy men like this in Israel today? When David was a teenager, he slew a lion and a bear, and then Goliath. Benaiah followed that example and fought against great odds. This is the kind of warrior you would want on your side!
And realize: Benaiah was trained by Zadok—the priest!
That may seem incongruous. But the fact is that it took great faith to do such mighty deeds. And again, this history is recorded mainly for God’s Church today.
1 Chronicles 12:8 describes the great servants of David. These were “men of war fit for the battle.” That is what we need to be today. God has called us to be spiritual soldiers. We are here to take on the worst Goliath of all time: Satan the devil. We must be fit for this spiritual battle.
This is an age when we really need to remember our own history and Israel’s history. This history is specifically for us. When we see men like David, Zadok and Benaiah, it helps us realize how much more valiant we need to be, physically and spiritually, in this battle!
We must learn to war and fight like these tough soldiers who had faith in God and who really loved each other. God is telling us He wants us to be tougher. We need to become warriors like Zadok and Benaiah and their sons. We can have their kind of courage because, like them, we have the unlimited power of God behind us!
When Benaiah crawled down into a pit to get that lion, he wasn’t just looking to David. If he had been, he’d have probably asked David to do the job. He was looking to God! He knew this was required of him in order to further the cause of a ruler of Israel, and he simply believed God. That valiant, faith-filled attitude enabled him to accomplish some amazing things.
One of modern Israel’s recent prime ministers said, “We’re tired of fighting.” Just like the Laodiceans, the Jews are tired of fighting. But if they don’t fight, they will face the worst time of suffering ever. The Laodiceans will have to spill their blood just to make it into the Kingdom of God!
We must fight! We must fight to do spiritual battle every day. We have to fight to remain faithful to the great God. We have to fight to get our prayer in. We have to fight thinking that we are “too busy” to pray. If you get “too busy” to pray to God and don’t fight to put Him first in your time, then you are in the carnal zone. Never allow that to happen. As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life”!
How to Show Yourself a Man
“Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die,” 1 Kings 2 begins. The king was old, near death. He had almost lost the kingdom twice to his own sons, Absalom and Adonijah, whom he loved in spite of their rebellion.
Here, with a lot of intensity, David gave Solomon some crucial parting wisdom: “I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself” (verses 2-3).
Don’t be like Absalom and Adonijah, he said. Show yourself a man and keep the commandments of God! That was the reason David had been successful, and his servants were successful: They obeyed God.
This is how to show yourself a real man. If you men want to be masculine, this is how to do it—for real, not a phony Hollywood-type manliness. This is where our young men will get their masculinity.
This was David’s advice to Solomon. If you follow it, you will prosper and achieve astounding exploits!
God’s Work today prospers because of God. He is the one doing all of this, not any man. And the times are so urgent. We need to be loyal, tough, faithful, mighty servants of God who can rule with Him and show this world how to solve its problems.
Sons of Zadok
Throughout David’s life, Zadok and Benaiah had always stayed right there with him because they knew where God was. If God had left David, they would have too, it seems.
In 1 Kings 2:35, Zadok was made the chief priest. That was a wonderful job, giving him the opportunity to serve right there beside David. Before, Abiathar had that job, but he had to be kicked out. Zadok was loyal throughout, though, and he was given the chief seat and the authority to direct all the ministers. He was a “priest’s priest.” All because he was loyal to David, and to God, from beginning to end.
To this day, we use the wonderful title “sons of Zadok” to describe the faithful people of God.
1 Kings 4:2 states that Zadok’s grandson Azariah (1 Chronicles 6:8-9) was made a prince for Solomon. That loyalty to God’s throne continued in the family, and so too did the honors for that family!
God is grooming royal priests today for His Kingdom tomorrow. His people have a tremendous and exciting calling! If you want to be a “prince” or leader in God’s Kingdom—if you want to be a royal priest for God—then take a lesson from the success of Zadok and his family.
Zadok also had other relatives who were dedicated and accomplished great things. They received many rewards, even in this life, because, as Azariah’s name means, they were “strengthened by God.”
If you are strengthened by God, amazing things will happen in your life, just like they do all the time in God’s Work! You do have to do a lot of praying to really be strengthened by God. You may think you have strength—but you’re not really strengthened by God unless you go to God to receive that strength.
2 Kings 15:32-33 are about another king of Judah, Jotham. He began to reign as a young man, “[a]nd his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done” (verses 33-34). Here was a mother who, just as the Proverbs instruct, taught her son how to be king. I’m sure she was quite an outstanding wife and mother, just judging by the fact that she came from Zadok’s family.
Not every example was perfect, but the Bible really does record some great deeds performed by the “sons of Zadok” anciently. And God bestowed additional honor on that faithful priest by attaching his name to an inspiring prophecy.
Ezekiel 44 is an end-time prophecy about some terrible abominations occurring within God’s sanctuary, the Church of God. We have lived through a time of great treachery and apostasy among God’s people—upheaval even worse than what King David faced! The great majority of the very people of God have been disloyal to David’s throne during this Laodicean era.
But look at verses 15-16: “But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God: They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.”
What a wonderful honor it is to be called a loyal son of Zadok in this end time! In God’s millennial headquarters temple, those who followed Zadok’s example in staying faithful as most of the people betrayed God are going to have special duties ministering to God Himself. Ezekiel 40 talks about a chamber in that temple whose prospect is toward the north. That chamber is for the priests, whom God calls the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi. God says, Only the sons of Zadok are going to come near to me.
This is the honor that awaits the sons of Zadok today! (You can read more about this in our free booklets The Key of Davidand Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet.)
Jeremiah: A Son of Zadok
Jeremiah was the ultimate son of Zadok. He probably knew a lot more about Zadok than we do, and his example is tied in with this Work today.
“Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:4-5). This was a rare opportunity for a prophet!
Jeremiah, however, still had to get into the right frame of mind. “Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child” (verse 6). This teenager saw what God was talking about and knew what God wanted him to say to Israel. But he tried to excuse himself and say, “Well, God, I’m only a child! I’m a teenager! I can’t do that!” When God asks something of you, do you give excuses?
“But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak” (verse 7). There is nothing unclear about that command! “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord” (verse 8). God told Jeremiah to be strong, to fight! He tells us, Don’t be afraid! We should not fear people in this world. God says He will empower us with His Holy Spirit. Like Zadok and his son and Benaiah and David, we don’t have to be afraid of anyone as long as we have God! What a promise!
Jeremiah was just like you and me. We are all human beings, cowards at heart; we are fearful. But if Christ lives in us, all that changes. We will take on anything, anybody, anytime, anywhere, because we know God is with us! We don’t look to men to follow, the way Abiathar did—and we don’t fear men, like Jeremiah did at first. We look to God!
Events will unnerve us if we don’t know God is right there with us. If we are going to crawl down in the pit with a lion, we had better have faith, or we won’t make it back out! But we will make it if we pass God’s test of our faith.
“See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (verse 10). God commissioned Jeremiah to go to the nations—not just Judah, but also Israel. Jeremiah was in prison when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah. Nebuchadnezzar took King Zedekiah captive and killed all his sons and all the nobles. Then he took Zedekiah to Babylon, where he died.
This king of Babylon worked it all out so nobody would be left to sit on the throne of David—or so he thought. Then he let Jeremiah out of prison. And what happened? Jeremiah took that throne and went to Ireland and preserved it! This was a hazardous journey for Jeremiah. He had almost died in prison, and now he must have thought, What if Nebuchadnezzar hears what I’m doing? He’ll kill me. But he was courageous like Zadok and accepted this commission, plucked up the throne, took the princess Tea-Tephi and the harp of David and the stone of destiny, and off he went to Ireland. What a voyage! (This is all explained in our free book The United States and Britain in Prophecy.)
Jeremiah was a courageous son of Zadok.
Verses 11-12 bring God’s Work today into the picture. “Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.” The rod of an almond tree means “a vigilant watchman.” This is someone who will remain on the lookout for exactly what God tells him to watch for.
Who is this watchman today? “And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north [the Holy Roman Empire] an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land” (verses 13-14). Who is telling the world what’s about to happen in Europe and all over the world? Who is delivering Jeremiah’s message, and talking about David’s throne and Zadok?
Jeremiah had this commission, and God has given it to His Church in this end time as well. (This is described in detail in our free booklet Jeremiah and the Greatest Vision in the Bible.) Like Jeremiah, we may not want to do the job. But God says, Don’t worry about that—just do as I command you.
Holy Roman Empire
Revelation 12 shows two churches going at each other throughout history: God’s Church and the Holy Roman Empire. From the beginning to the end, they are clashing. And they’re coming on the world stage right now. For years, God has prophesied about Satan being cast down, and now he is cast down, and he is stirring up hatred and violence and racism like you’ve never seen before. But Revelation 12 shows that God fights and the angels fight, and the people of God fight. We can tell the world how it’s all going to end, and it’s not the way people think.
“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child” (Revelation 12:13). God’s Church is about to face a storm of persecution! The sons of Zadok will have to face up to and fight a lot of persecution before they are cast out completely! But God is going to protect His people (verse 14). He will protect and strengthen the sons of Zadok, who never stop proclaiming the message about David’s throne and proclaiming that Jesus Christ is about to return to sit on that throne and straighten out this world’s horrible, evil problems.
I recently learned that the Philadelphia Church of God is the 11th largest employer in Edmond. Our headquarters operation has 125 employees. In Edmond, that’s pretty big! What struck me about that is this: It shows we are beginning to move into the spotlight.
There is really starting to be a buzz about Armstrong Auditorium. One newscast called it a “$20 million palace for the performing arts.” Media personalities and well-known businessmen in this area have come out to see the auditorium. Most of them say, We’ve never heard of you before. It shows you there’s a lot of work to be done. But that attention is coming, and as it does, we are going to have to be real sons of Zadok. Whatever God calls upon us to do, we must be ready to do it.
People around us might be friendly today; however, we know that could change. But I’m rejoicing because they are getting a little insight into what God is doing on this Earth, and it excites them. Armstrong Auditorium really is an inspiring structure to behold! It really is a palace!
God has let us build it only because we’ve shown ourselves to be men and women of God. It will cease if we cease doing what David told Solomon to do.
Are God’s sons of Zadok today ready for what is coming—and for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?
This world is in a terrible state. Internet porn is now an epidemic; the world is glutted with it! Three out of 10 children see advertisements for pornography. It’s so big that we’ve just surrendered to it. Mr. Armstrong said it is worse than the nuclear bomb!
On top of that, America is facing a gargantuan problem at our borders, and cartels are getting so powerful that they are taking over Mexico. And it’s all because our people have such upside-down families they just can’t get enough drugs in their heads to even face life! And we are so besotted with these mind-altering chemicals we’re not about to give them up. This is a grotesque spectacle to the whole world!
We don’t even blink at how saturated we are with pornography and drugs. Instead, we just talk about what team a sports star is thinking about playing for, or that some drug-soaked movie star is going to prison for a few days. We’re just obsessed with trivialities like that! These are the main news stories! What difference do silly things like these make? We are sick, sick, sick!
People like that try to guide us and tell us how we ought to live. But God’s people today are called to tell them how God wants them to live—and I mean really live!
God told Jeremiah, “Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defensed city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land” (Jeremiah 1:17-18). That is what God says to the sons of Zadok! He is going to make us as strong as iron. We can stand up to anybody, anytime, and tell them what God instructs us to do.
Verse 19 shows that people will fight against us. So are you a fighting son of Zadok? If you use God’s strength, you will prevail, “for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee” (verse 19).
Jeremiah was courageous and fought for God’s message. And even after he made it to Ireland, he had his battles there. According to what we can discern from history, he built a college at a place called Tara, and he had David’s harp and taught about David. He taught his students to know who they were and to get ready, just like we must today. The name “Tara” comes from the word torah, which refers to God’s law. Jeremiah went there and established the law. Show yourself men and women, and keep the law! His name, Ollam, means in Hebrew that he was the possessor of hidden knowledge. In Celtic, it means “revealer,” describing a Hebrew prophet. They had the laws Israel had, and they looked to the history of Israel and of David. The college Jeremiah founded still has an impact on Ireland and its music and a lot of other things.
Still today, that man who supported David is sung about. Every time a king or queen is crowned on the British throne, the chorus sings “Zadok the Priest.” The music was written by G.F. Handel, and the words are taken from 1 Kings 1:38-40: “Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, anointed Solomon king. And all the people rejoiced, and said, God save the king! Long live the king! God save the king! May the king live forever! Amen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen!”
Zadok really fought for David, and today they still sing about him because he was such a great fighter for God. And every time a king or queen is crowned in Britain, everyone hears this song about this fighter for God. It looks to me like we may be singing that song forever as more and more kings are anointed and brought into the Family of God!
So I think we can all say, “And long live Zadok the priest!”