In our study of 1 Kings chapter one, we will look at the family battle to be the successor to King David. We will look into this battle and apply it to our lives today.
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King David grew old, the years took their toll, and he couldn't get warm even when they covered him with bedclothes. His servants said to him, "Let us try to find a young virgin for my lord the king. She can wait on the king and be a companion for him, and she can lie next to you, so that my lord the king will get some heat."
The books 1 Samuel & 2 Samuel give us the details of the rise of David to be the king of Israel and recount his days in office. Here, we see that David is getting up in years and cannot even stay warm. His servants decided to get him a young servant girl to provide body heat to keep him warm. We might ask ourselves the question of: Why didn't the queen do it? and we have to understand that she was probably running the affairs of the kingdom as the king had become old and senile.
After looking through all of Isra'el's territory for a beautiful girl, they found Avishag the Shunamit and brought her to the king. The girl was very beautiful and became a companion for the king. She took care of him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her.
A beautiful young virgin girl was found in the city of Shunem which was located in the land given to the tribe of Issachar. The girl became the king's servant but they did not have a physical intimacy.
Adoniyah the son of Haggit was beginning to claim that he would be king; to this end he organized chariots and horsemen, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never in his life confronted him by asking, "Why are you behaving this way?" Moreover, he was a very handsome man; he was born next after Avshalom.)
In this passage, we see what happens when a father does not discipline his children. We see that David had never corrected Adonijah and so Adonijah was proud and conceited. He decided that he had the right to be king since he was the oldest and so he went about exalting himself. The same type of thing is happening more and more today as children are not being disciplined and so grow up thinking that they are entitled to whatever their heart desires. Like it was with King David, this is a failure on the part of the parents.
He conferred with Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah and Evyatar the cohen; and they both supported Adoniyah.
Joab was the commander of the army and was David's right hand man. He probably would not have picked Solomon to replace David and, together with the priest, they supported Adonijah's power grab. This combination of the political and the religious leaders joining forces to go against the will of God happens today in many countries. It will become worldwide in the last days with the emergence of the unholy trinity (see Revelation 13).
But Tzadok the cohen, B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada, Natan the prophet, Shim'i, Re'i and David's elite guard were not on Adoniyah's side.
Not everyone went along with Adonijah's plan. Zadok was descended from Aaron and would become the first high priest. Benaiah was one of the most famous and fearless soldiers in Israel. Nathan whose name means "He has given" was a prophet who was always willing to speak the truth as he had been the one to confront David with his sin with Bathsheba. These men were willing to go against the tide and stand firm because they were strong men of God. All of them were close to the king and it is a reminder to us that we all need to have strong men and women of God close to us in our walk in this world.
One day Adoniyah killed sheep, oxen and fattened calves at the Stone of Zochelet, by 'Ein-Rogel. He summoned all his brothers the king's sons, and all the men of Y'hudah the king's servants; but he did not summon Natan the prophet, B'nayah, the elite guard or Shlomo his brother.
Adonijah threw a party to announce himself as king but we can tell that it was not God's will as he offered sacrifices near En-Rogel instead of in Jerusalem. The Stone of Zoheleth (the serpent-stone) was a rocky plateau overlooking the Kidron Valley. The Gihon Spring was located there and was the main source of water for Jerusalem. The spring did not continuously flow and so a pool was built in Jerusalem to store water for the time when the fountain did not flow. The spring is also called the Virgin's Fountain as many believe that Mary washed Jesus' swaddling clothes there.
Natan went to Bat-Sheva the mother of Shlomo and said, "Haven't you heard that Adoniyah the son of Haggit has become king without the knowledge of David our lord? Now, come, please let me give you advice, so that you can save both your own life and that of your son Shlomo. Go, get in to see King David, and say to him, 'My lord, king, didn't you swear to your servant, "Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne"? So why is Adoniyah king?' Right then, while you are still talking with the king, I will also come in after you and confirm what you are saying."
King David had promised Bathsheba that her son would be the next king but he had not made it official. In his old age, David evidently became forgetful (if not senile) and so he had not even thought about making his selection of successor public. The resulting power grab by Adonijah would mean death to other potential kings such as Solomon. Therefore, Nathan and Bathsheba decided to remind the king of his promise and by so doing save their lives as well as the life of Solomon.
Bat-Sheva went in to the king in his room. (The king was very old; Avishag the Shunamit was in attendance on the king.) Bat-Sheva bowed, prostrating herself to the king. The king asked, "What do you want?" She answered him, "My lord, you swore by ADONAI your God to your servant, 'Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne.' But now, here is Adoniyah ruling as king; and you, my lord the king, don't know anything about it. He has killed oxen, fattened calves and sheep in great numbers; and he has summoned all the sons of the king, Evyatar the cohen and Yo'av the commander of the army; but he didn't summon Shlomo your servant. As for you, my lord the king, all Isra'el is watching you; they are waiting for you to tell them who is to sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. If you don't, then, when my lord the king sleeps with his ancestors, I and my son Shlomo will be considered criminals."
Bathsheba went to the king and reminded him of his promise to her. She also informed him of what was happening in his kingdom. Finally, she plead for him to take action to make his choice of heir to the throne public. She reminds him of his responsibility and that, if he fails to do so, she and Solomon will probably be killed.
Right then, while she was still talking with the king, Natan the prophet entered. They told the king, "Natan the prophet is here." After coming into the king's presence, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. Natan said, "My lord king, did you say, 'Adoniyah is to be king after me; he will sit on my throne'? For he has gone down today and killed oxen, fattened calves and sheep in great numbers; and he has summoned all the king's sons, the commanders of the army and Evyatar the cohen; right now they are eating and drinking in his presence and proclaiming, 'Long live King Adoniyah!' But he didn't summon me your servant, or Tzadok the cohen, or B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada or your servant Shlomo. Is this authorized by my lord the king without your having told your servant who would sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"
Nathan had earned the trust of the king as he had been the one to go to the king and call him to repent for his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband. Now, he confirms the power grab that she had told him about and asks if this is on orders from the king or not.
King David answered by saying, "Summon Bat-Sheva to me." She entered the king's presence and stood before the king. Then the king swore an oath: "As ADONAI lives, who has delivered me from all adversity, as I swore to you by ADONAI the God of Isra'el, 'Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne in my place,' so will I do today." Bat-Sheva bowed with her face to the ground, prostrating herself to the king, and said, "Let my lord King David live forever."
The king came to his senses and restated his promise to Bathsheba that Solomon would be king.
King David said, "Summon Tzadok the cohen, Natan the prophet and B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada." They came before the king. The king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, have Shlomo my son ride on my own mule and bring him down to Gichon. There Tzadok the cohen and Natan the prophet are to anoint him king over Isra'el. Sound the shofar and say, "Long live King Shlomo!" Then escort him back; he is to come and sit on my throne; for he is to take my place as king. I have appointed him to rule over Isra'el and Y'hudah."
David backed up his promise with action as he ordered that they announce Solomon as the new king of Israel.
B'nayah responded to the king by saying, "Amen! May ADONAI, the God of my lord the king, confirm it! Just as ADONAI has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Shlomo and make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!"
The military man pledged his loyalty to Solomon the son of David and asked a blessing upon him.
So Tzadok the cohen, Natan the prophet, B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada and the K'reti and P'leti went down, had Shlomo ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gichon. Tzadok the cohen took the horn of olive oil out of the tent and anointed Shlomo. They sounded the shofar, and all the people shouted, "Long live King Shlomo!" All the people escorted him back, playing flutes and rejoicing greatly, so that the earth shook with the sound.
David's pick for king was made known as it was his own bodyguards that escorted them to Gihon. It was all done in the open so that the people could see and know that Solomon was the chosen king unlike Adonijah who had thrown a party for the upper class. This is a picture of the fact that Jesus, the King of Kings, was for all people and not just a select group of privileged people.
Adoniyah and all his guests heard it while they were finishing their meal; but it was Yo'av who, when he heard the blast on the shofar, asked, "That noise - what's the meaning of this uproar in the city?" While he was still speaking, there came Yonatan the son of Evyatar the cohen. Adoniyah said, "Come in! You're a worthy man, so you must be bringing good news!" Yonatan answered Adoniyah, "The truth is, our lord King David has made Shlomo king.
Adonijah received the news that he was not the chosen king. His attempt to seize power has failed and the party is over. We are reminded that, even if we do not like the leaders that are in place, they are there by the will of God. In many cases today, Christians forget this lesson and get caught up in politics instead of trusting the fact that God is in control.
Moreover, the king sent with him Tzadok the cohen, Natan the prophet, B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada and the K'reti and P'leti; they had him ride on the king's mule; and Tzadok the cohen and Natan the prophet anointed him king in Gichon. Then they escorted him back from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar; this is the noise you've been hearing.
As Jonathan tells Adonijah of the events of Solomon's coronation, you can imagine the shock and horror that was building in those that were at this party. With the mention of the mule, he would have known that it had the seal of David's authority. We often hear the story of Jesus' triumphal entry and the fact that He was riding on a donkey. Many say that this was a sign of His humility but, as we see here, it was kings that normally rode on donkeys during peacetime. The average person did not have a donkey to ride. Just like the procession with Solomon, the fact that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey was a statement that He was a king.
Moreover, Shlomo is now sitting on the throne of the kingdom. More than that, the king's servants came and blessed our lord King David with these words: 'May God make the name of Shlomo better than your name and his throne greater than your throne,' after which the king bowed down on the bed. Finally, the king said, 'Blessed be ADONAI the God of Isra'el, who has given someone to sit on my throne today, when my own eyes can see it.'"
Jonathan completes his report with the fact that the king and all of the royal officials have asked a blessing from God on Solomon and his reign. Have you ever came to realize that you are on the wrong side of God's plan? That is what it must have been like for Adonijah as he realized it was a no win situation.
At this all Adoniyah's guests grew frightened; they got up, everyone going his own way. Adoniyah too was afraid because of Shlomo; he got up, went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
When they heard of Solomon's coronation, the people scattered but Adonijah went to the tabernacle and grabbed onto the horns of the altar. From what we know, he was not a religious man but grabbing hold of the altar was a plea for mercy.
Shlomo was told, "Here, Adoniyah is terrified of King Shlomo; he has grabbed hold of the horns of the altar and is saying, 'First let King Shlomo swear to me that he will not have his servant executed.'" Shlomo said, "If he will demonstrate that he is a worthy man, not a hair of his will fall to the earth. But if he is found making trouble, he will die." So King Shlomo sent, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and prostrated himself before King Shlomo; and Shlomo said to him, 'Go on home.'"
Unlike Adonijah, King Solomon was a man of God and so he showed mercy upon Adonijah.He came and bowed down to Solomon and it was finished as it was apparent to all that there was only one king and it was Solomon.
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