ALL CHANGE!

Opening Prayer

Lord God, continue to speak to me through your Word and show me who I am in you.

Read 1 KINGS 1:1–27

Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”

Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.

Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses[a] ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.

Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.

11 Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? 12 Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.”

15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. 16 Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.

“What is it you want?” the king asked.

17 She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 And the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.

24 Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25 Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. 27 Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 1:5 Or charioteers

New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’1

Think Further

In every society the transition between leaders is critical. In this passage, David is nearing the end of his days and the issue of his successor is important.

Adonijah, David’s fourth, but probably eldest surviving, son seems ready to assume power. Allied with Joab, the leader of the armed forces, and Abiathar, a significant religious leader, he effects a carefully planned coup. Remaining loyal to David are Benaiah, the commander of the palace guard, Nathan the prophet, and Zadok the priest of Jerusalem. The fact that Adonijah excluded such people is evidence that this is no peaceful coalition but drawn on factional lines. This sad situation causes us to reflect on the nature of legacy. In the eyes of the author of 1 Kings, the succession crisis is a result of moral failure both in the nation and in David’s private life. Furthermore, David hasn’t made plans for his exit and succession. The loose ends he leaves mean the potential for chaos in the land. It falls to Nathan, who has been David’s conscience before, to try and rescue the situation through collaboration with Bathsheba.

The point the author wants us to see – and will hammer home repeatedly in the next few chapters – is that despite the schemes of human beings, God’s will endures. The continuing reign of the Davidic dynasty and the messianic hope upheld through Solomon, shows that despite our meddling, God is sovereign. There will be a time to step up and allow God to act through our actions and decisions, and times to keep out of the way and allow Him to work by other means.

Apply

Where in your life is God asking you to step up? Where is it time to let God’s plans take their course?

Closing prayer

Mighty God, I praise you that you work all things for the good of your people. Give me wisdom as I seek your purposes.

Last Updated on May 6, 2024 by kingstar

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