1 Kings 1 TN
David was old and getting close to death. He died at 80 years old. He had circulation problems and couldn’t get warm, so they went out and found a beautiful young woman by the name of Abishag just to lie with him to keep him warm. 1 K 1:2 - Let her lie in your arms that my lord the king may be warm; 4] The king knew her not. The Scripture makes it clear they shared no sexual intimacy. They knew if they didn’t make this clear, people would talk.
Now the question arose, who was going to take David’s place? Who would succeed him as king? David was old and weak, and Adonijah thought he could take advantage of David’s age and weakness and take a run at the throne.
David had chosen Solomon to be his successor and Adonijah didn’t like that. He was the oldest surviving son and thought the crown should be his. So he did what Absalom his brother did when he launched a coup d'etat against David. He started riding around in a chariot and had 50 men as vanguard running in front of him everywhere he went. So he was running around town looking like a king.
The Bible says 5] Adonijah exalted (lit. lifted himself up) saying I will be king.
He had a little coronation ceremony 9] by the Serpent’s Stone beside En-Rogel. This was a spring in the Kidron Valley, just south of the city of Jerusalem.
Adonijah was crowned king by his followers. He convinced Abiathar the priest and Joab to follow him. So he had his priest and his military commander. Remember David had finally demoted Joab, who was a bad actor. So Joab wanted to get his position back and was more than willing to join the coup
Adonijah had now been crowned king by Abiathar, and David didn’t know anything about it. But Nathan, David’s prophet, found out about it and told Bathsheba, you had better go see David right now and tell him what’s happening so you can 12] save your own life and the life of your son. Nathan knew that the first thing Adonijad would do was kill Bathsheba, the queen, and kill Solomon, David’s choice for successor. So Bathsheba there was a lot at stake. Nathan told her to say to him 13] Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying Solomon your son shall reign after me?
15] So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber, and Abishag the Shunamite was attending to him. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall, and seen the looks Bathsheba gave to Abishag when she went in and found Abisha cuddling with her husband.
At any rate, David called for Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Beniah the son of Jehoiada, one of his mighty men, and said 33] Have Solomon my son ride on my own mule.
Remember this was the ride of kings, not a powerful mighty steed but a lowly humble donkey. This was how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, claiming the crown, and identifying himself as the King of the Jews. So David said, get him on my mule, and bring him down to Gihon (which was a spring just east of Jerusalem, not too far from En-Rogel where Adonijah was having his little coronation party, about a third to half-a-mile from En-Rogel) - 34] and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, Long live King Solomon!
So they did it, 46] and all the people went up after him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise. This meant that Adonijah and his followers could hear it, and they ran for their lives- 49] All the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way.
50] Adonijah went and took hold of the horns of the altar, David said, look if you behave yourself, I’ll let you live: If he will show himself a worthy man, not one his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.
Two things are highlighted in this story - how did Adonijah grow up to be so bad? 6] His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, Why have you done thus and so? -This was David’s besetting failure. David never mastered or overcame this sin, and paid a price for it in the end. The Bible says that folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod drives it far from him. David never used the rod with his sons, and the folly they were born with wrapped itself tighter and tighter around their hearts.
The second sin that is revealed here is the sin of self-promotion. Adonijah exalted himself. So God’s men are never to angle for power, manipulate to get it, or maneuver to get it. The Bible says, Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and he will exalt you, and lift you up in due time. So the lesson is to trust in God for promotion. Do you know how you can tell if that’s a problem for you? How do you feel when you get passed over, when somebody gets a promotion that you think you deserve, gets an opportunity that should have been given to you? God will beat that out of us if he has to. One guy said, “My ego is God’s pinata.” He will whack it until all the pride and self-promotion have been emptied right out of us. The mark of humility is the ability to take second place without complaint.
So the lesson here is, allow God to be the one who promotes you. He knows you, knows all your gifts and abilities and knows what you are ready to handle. He is in charge of everything, If there’s a spot you should be promoted to, he’s got a mighty hand and can lift you up to exactly the spot you ought to be in.
Thank you. I am an old man. Too old to just be learning not to promote myself. He has brought me to a place, a good place. These days I love to serve Him alone, or in the company of just one other person. Peace to you.