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Okay, you can turn in your Bibles 
to 1 Kings. 1 Kings chapter 1. It's a lengthy 
chapter, so we're going to cut it in half and just take up the 
first half this evening. 1 Kings chapter 1, verses 1 to 
27. Now King David was old, advanced 
in years, and they put covers on him, but he could not get 
warm. Therefore his servants said to him, let a young woman, 
a virgin, be sought for our Lord the King, and let her stand before 
the King, and let her care for him, and let her lie in your 
bosom, that our Lord the King may be warm. So they sought for 
a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, 
and found Abishag, the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 
The young woman was very lovely, and she cared for the king and 
served him. But the king did not know her. 
Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, I will 
be king. And he prepared for himself chariots 
and horsemen and fifty men to run before him. And his father 
had not rebuked him at any time by saying, Why have you done 
so? He was also very good looking. 
His mother had borne him after Absalom. Then he conferred with 
Joab the son of Zariah, and with Abiathar the priest, and they 
followed and helped Adonijah. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah 
the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Ray, and the 
mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah. And Adonijah 
sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone 
of Zoleth, which is by En-Rogel. He also invited all his brothers, 
the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. 
But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the mighty 
man, or Solomon his brother. So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba, 
the mother of Solomon, saying, Have you not heard that Adonijah 
the son of Haggith has become king, and David our Lord does 
not know it? Come, please, let me now give 
you advice that you may save your own life and the life of 
your son Solomon. Go immediately to King David 
and say to him, did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your 
maidservant saying, assuredly your son Solomon shall reign 
after me and he shall sit on my throne? Why then has Adonijah 
become king? Then, while you are still talking 
there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm 
your words. So Bathsheba went into the chamber 
to the king. Now the king was very old, and 
Abishag, the Shunammite, was serving the king. And Bathsheba 
bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, What is your 
wish? Then she said to him, My Lord, 
you swore by the Lord your God to your maidservant, saying, 
Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall 
sit on my throne. So now look, Adonijah has become 
king. And now, my lord the king, you 
do not know about it. He has sacrificed oxen and fattened 
cattle and sheep in abundance and has invited all the sons 
of the king, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the 
army. But Solomon, your servant, he 
has not invited. And as for you, my lord, O king, 
the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them 
who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise, 
it will happen, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, 
that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders." And 
just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan 
the prophet also came in. So they told the king, saying, 
Here is Nathan the prophet. And when he came in before the 
king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 
And Nathan said, My lord, O king, have you said, Adonijah shall 
reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? For he has 
gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen, and fattened cattle, and 
sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, and the 
commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And look, they are 
eating and drinking before him. And they say, Long live King 
Adonijah. But He has not invited Me, Me 
your servant, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, 
nor your servant Solomon. Has this thing been done by My 
Lord the King, and you have not told your servant who should 
sit on the throne of My Lord the King after Him? Well, as 
we look at this particular book or books, I will consider it 
in this sort of larger context. We have essentially the rise 
of Solomon in verses, chapter 1, verse 1 to chapter 2, verse 
46. We have the rise of Solomon. 
Then we have the reign of Solomon in 1 Kings 3, 1 to 11, 43. Following that is the divided 
kingdom, and that takes us to 1 Kings 12 to 16. And then we'll see the ministry 
of Elijah. The divided kingdom lasts longer, 
but just by way of outline. We have the ministry of Elijah 
in 1 Kings 17 to 2 Kings 1, and then the ministry of Elisha in 
2 Kings 2 to 2 Kings 13. We have the disintegration of 
Israel, or the northern kingdom, the northern tribes, in 2 Kings 
14.1 to 17.41, and then, of course, the disintegration of Judah in 
2 Kings 18 to 25.30. So that is a lot that I've just 
said, but that is the way the books break down together. And 
that will be our working outline as we move through 1 and 2 Kings. Well, tonight, we already see 
trouble brewing in the kingdom. After finishing 2 Samuel and 
all of the tumultuousness in terms of the kingdom, all of 
the various ups and downs, we got to 2 Samuel chapters 21 to 
24, and they were a generally positive assessment of David's 
reign. Of course, at the end of chapter 
24, there was that business of the 70,000 Israelites dying as 
a result or consequence of David's sin of numbering the people, 
but the book does end on a high note. The threshing floor of 
Arana, which is the future site of the temple, is where David 
offers up sacrifices, and so the book ends on that note in 
terms of God's redemptive plan with reference to Israel through 
the sacrificial system. We come to 1 Kings 1, and we 
already see a threat to the kingdom. Solomon was to be the king. Solomon 
was to occupy the throne after David, but we see the machinations 
and the workings of this man Adonijah. He was the fourth son 
of David, and certainly he was aspiring to a position that was 
not his to begin with. So we'll look at verses 1 to 
27 under three considerations tonight. First, the declining 
health of David in verses 1 to 4. And then secondly, the ambitious 
self-exaltation of Adonijah in verses 5 to 10. And then thirdly, 
the faithful intervention of Nathan in verses 11 to 27. But 
note first the declining health of David. It mentions the king's 
condition. Now, King David was old, advanced 
in years, and they put covers on him, but he could not get 
warm. Now, he was 70 years old at this 
particular time. And those of you who are hovering 
around the 70-year-old mark, you're probably thinking, that's 
not that old. There are certainly a few more 
years left in me with reference to this particular situation. 
Well, John Gill makes this very accurate statement. He says, 
there are many persons at the age he was that are lively, helpful, 
and robust, comparatively speaking, at least. But David's strength 
was impaired and his natural force abated by his many wars, 
fatigues, and afflictions he met with from his family and 
his friends as well as enemies. In other words, David had a hard 
life. Living as a criminal or fleeing 
as a criminal, not being one, but fleeing like one from Saul, 
living in the wilderness, running from Philistines, fighting Philistines, 
fighting just all manner of wars, you could see how that would 
age the man. And this is what we're told. He's old. He's advanced 
in years. They put covers on him, but he 
could not get warm. Now, as we come to 1 Kings, we 
ought to remind ourselves as to what type of king David had 
been. His accomplishments with reference 
to the kingdom of Israel are several. Remember that he subdued 
Moab, Ammon, Syria, and Philistia. David faithfully engaged in warfare 
against a whole host of enemies, and David extended the borders, 
the boundaries of Israel, and he increased their money. In 
other words, there was treasures brought as a result of David's 
having gained victory. Remember that he captured Jerusalem 
from the Jebusites, and he makes it the political capital and 
the religious capital in all Israel. And David had effectively 
reigned over a united monarchy. Remember, he initially occupies, 
or he is initially over the tribes of Judah, and then after the 
Abner fiasco, David is then given consolidated reign over the entirety 
of the kingdom, both north and south. David was an effective 
king. David was a very effective leader. So when we come to 1 Kings 1, 
we mustn't forget that. He lived a long and productive 
life in the service of God Most High. So he is 70. He was 30 
years old when he began to reign, and he had reigned for 40 years. 
Now note specifically what it says concerning his problem. 
They put covers on him, but he could not get warm. And I think 
that this verse, or these verses rather, indicate something not 
only of his decline in health, but as we move through the narrative, 
he's also not really conscious of what's happening with reference 
to the kingdom. The fact that Adonijah is doing 
this, And the fact that he has to be told what Adonijah is doing 
by both Bathsheba and Nathan indicates that he's not fully 
with it in terms of his role as the king of Israel. Now his 
mind is not gone. You need to understand that. 
His body may be cold and it may be difficult for him to get warm. But after he receives the message 
from Nathan, the confirmatory message concerning this movement 
by Adonijah to try and steal the throne, David goes into action 
and David makes sure that Solomon occupies the throne. So he's 
not lacking in terms of his mental ability but rather his physical 
health has declined to such a point that he's really inactive with 
reference to his reign. So then when Solomon is installed, 
it's a co-regency. David is still alive, but Solomon 
is on the throne to ensure that no other usurper tries to take 
the throne of the kingdom of Israel. And so the verses underscore 
his decline in health, and as well, some have seen that the 
verses indicate his decline in his ability to rule the kingdom. 
Now note the specifics that they call for. It says in verse 2, 
therefore his servants said to him, let a young woman, a virgin, 
be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the 
king, and let her care for him, and let her lie in your bosom, 
that our lord the king may be warm. So they sought for a lovely 
young woman throughout all the territory of Israel and found 
Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. Now a lot of 
people look into this and say, well, the fact that it ends with 
verse 4 that he did not know her. The idiom there is he did 
not know her sexually. Some conclude that because he 
lacked virility, that was an indicator that he lacked the 
ability to rule the kingdom. That's probably reading too much 
into it. As well, we ought to realize 
that most likely he married Abishag. Now, it wasn't right to multiply 
wives, but it would have certainly been better to multiply her as 
a wife, then take her into his bed the way that he does here. 
After the narrative proceeds and Solomon occupies the throne, 
Adonijah asks for this particular woman. And Solomon understands 
what his point is. One of the customs was that the 
king or the successing king would get the wives of the one he succeeded. Remember when David had sinned 
against God with reference to the Uriah incident, God the Lord 
says, I gave you your master's wives. He's speaking about Saul's. There is an instance as well 
in the Ish-bosheth and Abner situation where Abner desires 
or goes into a wife of Saul. And so when Adonijah asks for 
Abishag the Shunammite, it's probably with the mindset of 
taking David's wife, so that this will pave the way for Adonijah. If he gets his wife, then he 
ought to get the throne. And Solomon sees through this 
and knows what he's doing and has him executed as a result 
of the fact that he still wanted to have the kingdom. So that's 
probably what's going on here. It's not just some young girl 
that is doing this, he probably did marry her, but the text is 
conspicuous. In verse 4, the young woman was 
very lovely and she cared for the king and served him, but 
the king did not know her. Now, as we jump into this particular 
narrative, it does several things. It does highlight for us the 
current condition of David with reference to the kingdom of Israel. 
As well, there is a contrast in what we find with verses 1 
to 4 and then verses 5 and following. Because of David's declining 
health, because of his inability with reference to governing the 
kingdom, because of all the various things affecting him, this paves 
the way for Adonijah to try and take the throne away from him. And that brings us, secondly, 
to the ambitious self-exaltation of Adonijah. Now, that's a mouthful, 
but I think it captures what's going on here with reference 
to Adonijah. He's an ambitious man and he 
is self-exalting. He exalts himself into this particular 
position. Now, he is a son of David. 2 Samuel 3 indicates the sons 
of David. Now, Adonijah is the fourth son. Amnon was the first, but remember 
that Amnon died. He raped Tamar. and Absalom killed 
him. The second was a man by the name 
of Celiab. Now, we don't hear anything more 
about Celiab after 2 Samuel chapter 3. The supposition, most likely, 
is that he died somewhere along the way. And then Absalom was 
the third son. And, of course, Absalom was responsible 
for the death of Amnon, and Absalom was responsible for a usurpation 
himself, an attempt to try and take the throne away from David. 
Absalom died in battle ultimately at the hands of Joab. So that's 
who we're dealing with. Adonijah, the son of Agaith, 
exalted himself saying, I will be king. Notice that is his plan. He exalts himself. This is a 
terrible thing when a man tries to take position that he's not 
duly constituted for, that he's certainly not qualified for. 
The Proverbs say that a man's gift makes room for him. It's not the case that a man 
makes room for his gift. And what Adonijah here is doing, 
he is going against all of Israelite tradition. Remember that Israelite 
tradition was that God chose the king, and then he confirmed 
the choice of the king through the prophetic ministry. It wasn't 
the case that a man just woke up in the morning and said, well, 
I want to be the king in Israel, even if he was the fourth son 
of David, the king of Israel. So he exalts himself, he desires 
to be king, and then notice he even acts like a king. And here 
he takes his cue from Absalom. Notice in verse 5. It says, I 
will be king and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen 
and 50 men to run before him. That is a kingly activity. Look 
back at 2 Samuel chapter 15. Absalom does the exact same thing 
in his treachery and in his attempt to take the throne away from 
David. The idea being, I want to be the king, I'm going to 
exalt myself as the king, and then I'm going to function like 
the king and just hope nobody stops me along the way. This 
is truly an arrogant and wicked man that we are dealing with 
with Adonijah. But notice in 2 Samuel 15.1, 
after this had happened that Absalom provided himself with 
chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him. Now this is 
when Absalom worked the crowd. This is when he schmoozed the 
people. This is when he endeared himself to them so that he could 
occupy the throne in Israel. And that is precisely what is 
happening here with Adonijah. He functions like a king. He 
might have the adage, if it walks like a duck and it quacks like 
a duck, well then it must be a duck. He walked like a king, 
he quacked like a king, and so therefore he must be a king. 
And that is his procedure in this particular situation. Notice 
as well, back in 1 Kings 1, verses 5 and 6, this actually worked 
for a time. It actually worked, and it worked 
because of this. Notice in verse 6, this parenthetical 
remark, and we'll investigate this a bit further later, but 
it says, And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, 
Why have you done so? We've seen this before with David. 
We'll see it tonight when we make our concluding observations. the throne. But as a matter of 
life, as a matter of conduct, when this young man was a young 
man, when he was a teenager, when he was a young adult into 
his time now, look at how David treated him. His father had not 
rebuked him, literally had not pained him. He didn't restrain 
him. He didn't father him. He didn't 
control him. He didn't beat him as it was 
necessary. Not only beat like pound his 
head against the wall, but the blueness of the wound scours 
away evil and David did not exercise that in the life of this particular 
man. This is commentary telling us 
how perhaps Adonijah got to this point. The importance of parental 
restraint in the lives of children is underscored throughout these 
former prophets. We see it with Eli. What was 
Eli's problem? Well, Eli was a priest who had 
two sons that were priests, and these two sons would lay with 
women at the actual tabernacle. These two sons would steal sacrifices 
that were brought by worshippers to the tabernacle in order to 
offer them up to Yahweh. These two sons of Eli would take 
their prawns and shove it into the meat and take out the best 
for themselves. And what we find is most indicting 
with reference to Eli. Remember, this was the first 
message that young Samuel got was concerning Eli and his judgment 
to come. Eli knew that these things were 
going on and Eli did not restrain them. Eli did not exercise fatherly 
leadership and guidance. And we see the same thing here 
with David. We see this comment, his father 
had not rebuked him, his father had not restrained him, his father 
had not pained him at any time by saying, why have you done 
so? Brethren, it does our children 
no good to never pain them. It does our children no good 
to never rebuke them or to never restrain them. It does them no 
good to allow them to pursue their own lusts and to exercise 
their own lawlessness. And this is the fruit of it. 
Adonijah rises up and says, I want to be the king and nobody's going 
to stop me. I'm going to look like a king. 
I'm going to act like a king. And hopefully nobody gets in 
my way. This is a problem. Notice as 
well, he was a good-looking man. He was also very good-looking. His mother had born him after 
Absalom. He was good-looking. What does 
that suggest to us coming out of 1 and 2 Samuel? Saul was another 
good-looking man, wasn't he? I mean, he stood head and shoulders 
above the rest of Israel. Already here in 1 Kings 1, the 
author is telling us this is a big mistake. This is bad news. Adonijah is a bad guy. This is 
not good for us. If we had just arrived at this 
particular passage and we hadn't got to the rest with reference 
to Nathan and Bathsheba, we should already be alarmed. We should 
already be alerted because he's putting himself in this place 
rather than being chosen by God and confirmed by the prophetic 
ministry. As well, we see that he's been an undisciplined and 
an unrestrained man. His father had not rebuked him 
at any time by saying, why have you done this? And as well, he 
was also very good looking. This is something that drove 
the narrative in 1 Samuel 16. Remember, after Saul is rejected 
by Yahweh, Jesse is told to gather his sons together so that God's 
choice can be made known. In fact, you can turn there, 
1 Samuel 16. 1 Samuel 16. Eliab presents himself And of course they say, surely 
the Lord's anointed is before him. This is verse 6. And then 
in verse 7, the Lord said to Samuel, do not look at his appearance 
or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord 
does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, 
but The Lord looks at the heart. He's not looking for an ambitious, 
self-exalting, self-willed, undisciplined, unrestrained man. He is looking 
for a man who fears God. He is looking for a man who is 
a man after his own heart. Turn over to 2 Samuel chapter 
14. 2 Samuel chapter 14. We see the same thing with reference 
to Absalom. So you've got this problem with 
Saul. Not that it's a problem to be good-looking. I mean, it 
goes on to say that David was ruddy. He was a good-looking 
enough fellow. I don't think that you're cursed 
if you're good-looking. I mean, that's not necessarily 
the situation involved here. But the point is you don't select 
a king based on his looks. You don't select a king based 
on his externals. You select a king based on the 
fact that he fears Yahweh, that he's obedient to the Lord, that 
the book of Deuteronomy is in his heart and in his head. But 
notice in 2 Samuel 14, verse 25, Now in Israel there was no 
one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to 
the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he 
cut the hair of his head at the end of every year, he cut it 
because it was heavy on him. When he cut it, he weighed the 
hair of his head at 200 shekels according to the king's standard. 
To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter whose name was 
Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance." So this was a stunning 
man. He was a handsome man, but he 
was a wretch. So as we come to 1 Kings and 
we see this brief description in verses 5 and 6, we ought to 
take note, we ought to be on the alert, and we ought to be 
on the guard. Everything that is stated here 
concerning Adonijah is absolutely contrary to what we know about 
God's dealings with Israel in terms of a proper king. We are 
not to look at the externals. We are not to look at what's 
on the outside. But, rather, we are to look at 
a man with reference to leadership, be it political or be it ecclesiastical, 
that first and foremost he fears Yahweh. Secondly, that he's devoted, 
not that secondly, that it's connected. If he fears Yahweh, 
he's going to be obedient to the Word of God. He's going to 
march in lockstep with reference to the revealed Word of God. 
That's the primary requirement. That's what's essential. That's 
what's called for. Not that he's a handsome man. 
I mean, come on, that certainly cannot be the criteria. So his plan is to exalt himself. Notice his support in verse 7. He's got some heavy hitters behind 
him. He's got the support of the military, Joab. Remember, 
Joab has been a longtime supporter of David, but that support can 
wax and wane. That support has mostly been 
good, and there are some glowing moments with reference to Joab, 
but there's some really bad ones as well. Nevertheless, Adonijah 
has Joab in his corner. Also, he has Abiathar the priest. They followed and helped Adonijah. One wonders what these men were 
thinking. What are you doing supporting this particular man 
who is a claimant to the throne that does not have the right 
or entitlement to it? But he is opposed by several. He's opposed by Zadok, the priest. He's opposed by Benaiah, which 
he ought to have feared and trembled. If you are opposed by Benaiah, 
your life is probably not going to be long and prosperous. If 
you are opposed by Benaiah, you more likely than not are going 
to lose your head. Because when Benaiah opposes 
you, he gets the job done. He doesn't mess around. He was 
opposed by Nathan. It's a terrible thing to be opposed 
by the prophet of God. If you are opposed by a man like 
Nathan, you are on the wrong side of the situation. He was opposed by Shimei. Now, 
that's an interesting one because, remember, Shimei was not the 
most pro-David fellow that one would have ever met. And some 
suggest, well, it must have been a different Shimei. Probably 
Shimei hitched his cart to David's pony because this was the lesser 
of two evils as far as Shimei was concerned. Shimei was a descendant 
from Saul. He probably figured he would 
fare better under a David-like leader than under an Adonijah-like 
leader. And he was opposed by Ray, this 
R-E-I, we don't know anything else about this particular man. 
He's mentioned here, and he was opposed by the mighty men, those 
men who belonged to David. They were not with Adonijah. So his plan is to exalt himself 
with reference to his desire to be a king, so he acts like 
a king. And this has happened because, 
in a sense, David hasn't restrained him, David hasn't rebuked him. 
So probably he was the kid on the playground that got his way 
every time because he whined and moaned and grumbled and said, 
mine, mine, mine. This is the kind of life that 
he had. He has some support with reference to Joab and Abiathar, 
but he has a lot of opposition. Good men oppose him. Note his 
coronation in verses 9 and 10. And Adonijah sacrificed sheep 
and oxen, and fattened cattle by the stone of Zoaleth. That's 
important that the location is mentioned because it needs to 
be an earshot when Solomon is coronated. When Solomon is proclaimed 
king, Adonijah and his host are just finishing eating. And they 
hear the rigmarole. They hear what's happening. They 
don't know the particulars. And Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, 
comes and tells them specifically what's happening. But that's 
why the location specifically is highlighted here. Zoaleth, 
which is by En-Rogel. He also invited all his brothers, 
the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. 
Now, this probably is a coronation feast. Alter says, this is clearly 
a ceremonial feast at which the monarchy is to be conferred on 
Adonijah. I mean, look at this presumption. 
Look at this chutzpah. Look at what he is doing here. 
Let's have a feast to crown me king because I want to be the 
king. I mean, thankfully life doesn't work like that. Well, 
I guess it does in some senses. Some people just want something 
bad enough and they put themselves in those particular positions. 
But this is precisely what is happening. Now note the invitees 
are indicated there in verse 9, but notice the absences in 
verse 10. But he did not invite Nathan 
the prophet, Benaiah the mighty man, or Solomon his brother. 
That's calculated. There's a reason for that because 
he knows that Solomon is the one who's destined for the throne. 
Now, before we proceed, we need to make an observation. It's 
never told us in 2 Samuel that Solomon was destined for the 
throne. Nathan comes to Bathsheba and 
highlights the fact that Solomon was supposed to be the king. 
When Bathsheba presents herself to the king, she says that he 
had sworn an oath under God with reference to the installation 
of Solomon on the throne. David confirms that in verse 
30. He says, just as I swore to you 
by the Lord God of Israel saying. So my take is, is that it's not 
written in 2 Samuel, but it was known. It was understood. People 
knew that it was Solomon who was destined to the throne. Now 
I should tell you as well there are certain commentators that 
say that Nathan concocted the whole thing. That Nathan said 
that David made this oath that Solomon was to be on the throne. Bathsheba takes that to David 
and the power of suggestion is so strong for David that he really 
thinks that he made this particular oath. But as I've argued earlier, 
David's mind is clear. David's mind is right. David's 
body may shiver, but he understands what's happening. And he's not 
just saying, oh yeah, I guess I made this oath that Solomon 
was going to sit upon the throne. That is not When we compare Chronicles, 
we see that David knew and David did swear. And I suspect that 
Adonijah knew that as well, and Adonijah knew Solomon's supporters, 
so they certainly weren't going to be invited to this bash. They were certainly not on the 
invitation list. He didn't want Nathan, he didn't 
want Benaiah, he didn't want the mighty men, and he certainly 
didn't want Solomon because Solomon was his competition. And if Solomon 
and the mighty men and Benaiah come, not Nathan, Nathan wouldn't 
take up the sword, but Benaiah would take up the sword as much 
as he could have possibly done, and the mighty men, they would 
have neutralized this particular threat and this, an attempted 
accession to the throne of Israel. So let's look finally at the 
faithful intervention of Nathan. Notice in verses 11 to 27, we 
have first Nathan and Bathsheba in verses 11 to 14. He rehearses 
the situation. Verse 11, Nathan spoke to Bathsheba 
the mother of Solomon saying, have you not heard that Adonijah 
the son of Haggith has become king and David our Lord does 
not know it? Now this is the first time we 
hear from Bathsheba. You know, she is, you know, a 
pivotal character in 2 Samuel chapter 11. Certainly David marries 
her, they have Solomon together, but we don't really hear much 
about Bathsheba until this particular situation. And so Nathan comes, 
he rehearses the situation to her, and then he gives advice. 
And he says it's advice that will save your own life and the 
life of your son Solomon. Verse 12, notice, come please 
let me now give you advice that you may save your own life and 
the life of your son Solomon. She says essentially the same 
thing to David. She says, if he becomes the king, 
then my son, I and my son will be counted as offenders. She 
doesn't mean because he was conceived by a relationship that was born 
out of adultery and murder. It's not that. It's because he's 
a competitor to the throne. What would Adonijah most certainly 
order if he did occupy the throne? He would order the exclusion 
of Solomon from any life of happiness in Israel. Right? That's how 
kings operated. You liquidated the competitors 
to the throne. In fact, that's how Solomon's 
going to operate once we get to chapter 2. David's charged 
to Solomon, what should a good king do to secure his kingdom? 
One, obey the law of God. Two, liquidate your enemies. 
Get rid of those who are competitors to the throne and make sure that 
they do not take it from you. That's David's parting counsel 
in 1 Kings 2. Obey God's law and deal with 
your enemies. So, that is what she means when 
she says that to David. So, she gets this from Nathan 
and it's correct. And then Nathan goes on to say 
in verse 13, Go immediately to King David and say to him, Did 
you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, 
Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall 
sit on my throne? Why then has Adonijah become 
king? Then while you are still talking 
there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm 
your words." This is brilliant. Again, this isn't Nathan producing 
this or Nathan making this up or Nathan concocting this. This 
is Nathan saving the kingdom. Now, God obviously saves the 
kingdom. God obviously steadies the kingdom. God obviously keeps it on its 
proper path and trajectory. But God uses means, and Nathan 
was the man of the hour. Nathan goes to Bathsheba, tells 
Bathsheba, not tomorrow, not next week, not in 15 more days, 
but go immediately to the king and tell him what Adonijah's 
doing. We've got to neutralize this threat. We've got to stop 
this particular process. And that brings us then to Bathsheba 
before David. Notice, she reveres him, verses 
15 and 16. So Bathsheba went into the chamber 
to the king. Now the king was very old and 
Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king. And Bathsheba bowed 
and did homage to the king. Then the king said, what is your 
wish? And she presents her case. My 
Lord, you swore by the Lord your God to your maidservant saying, 
assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me and he shall sit 
on my throne. So now look, Adonijah has become 
king and now my Lord the king You do not know about it. Again, 
David is old and David is ill, but David should know about it. 
I think the author is sort of giving us a picture here. In 
verse 4, he did not know Abishag. And here in verse 18, he did 
not know that the kingdom was being taken away from him. John Gill sees this as acquittal. He is acquitted from all blame. 
So it made the sin of Adonijah the more heinous that he should 
do this without consulting his father about it, and was not 
only a neglect of him as a father and an act of disrespect and 
disobedience to him as such, but even of high treason to assume 
the throne in his father's lifetime without his consent." I think 
that's legit. It does exacerbate the sin or 
crime of Adonijah. I mean, this is his father, and 
he doesn't check in with his father to assume the throne. 
But as well, David, according to 2 Samuel chapter 14, was like 
an angel of God that knows everything in the land. The king has declined. The king has gotten to the point 
where Solomon is crucial to sit upon the throne alongside of 
him until he goes the way of all flesh and dies. He's not 
fit to be a sole king at this particular time. He doesn't know 
that the kingdom is being taken away from him right before his 
eyes. And this is what Bathsheba says. Verse 19, she rehearses the coronation, 
tells who's on his side, tells who's not been invited. And then 
in verse 20, and as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of 
all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit 
on the throne of my lord, the king, after him. This is another 
problem. You know, leadership needs to 
be decisive. If David was declining, he needs 
to make his successor known, not just to Bathsheba and not 
just to Nathan, but to the nation as a whole. This leaves people 
in a very precarious position because when Adonijah, a good-looking 
man who is a son of the king, sets himself up on the throne, 
people that haven't been advised or people that haven't been instructed 
People that aren't in the inner workings of the political process 
in Israel may be akin or attuned to just follow this man willy-nilly. And I think in some sense, this 
is a problem with reference to David here. Remember, the sacred 
narrative tells us the excellence of David, but it doesn't keep 
back from us David's misgivings or things that were not right. 
She says, you should tell them who will sit on the throne of 
my lord the king after him. Otherwise, it will happen when 
my lord the king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon 
will be counted as offenders. And if that's the case, they 
would be executed. So this is her presentation, 
and now Nathan comes in, and it basically confirms the whole 
thing. He confirms the whole thing. He enters. He shows his 
respect. He shows his reverence. He bows 
to the Lord. He says to him, My Lord, O King, 
have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me and he shall sit 
on my throne? This is his question to the king. 
And then he rehearses the coronation. He rehearses the fact that they're 
sacrificing oxen and fattened cattle. He rehearses the fact 
that Joab and Abiathar are there. He rehearses the fact that he 
himself and Zadok and Solomon were not invited to attend this 
soiree. And then in verse 27, he says, 
Has this thing been done by my lord the king? And you have not 
told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord 
the king after him? Nathan is incredulous here with 
David. He says, you haven't told me 
that Adonijah is going to sit upon the throne? Nathan is the 
prophet that has been by David's side every step of the way. If 
this is indeed the case, David, then you should have advised 
me so that I can be the one to anoint Adonijah. But we know 
that it wasn't supposed to be Adonijah and then verse 28 and 
following takes the positive turn where David deals with the 
situation and it preserves the kingdom. So what do we learn 
from this particular section of scripture? Brief as it may 
be in terms of the specifics. The first place, I think we learned 
the precariousness of the kingdom. I don't know if that's even a 
word, but you know what precarious means. It means it just sort 
of teeters or totters on a very thin thread. Precarious means, 
you know, if I were to stand on a tightrope 100 feet in the 
air and I was doing this, that's precarious. And sometimes the 
kingdom looks like that when we read through the Old Testament, 
doesn't it? Well, if you've been here through 1 and 2 Samuel, 
you'll have to say, yes, it appears to be precarious. It appears 
to be 100 feet above the ground, just sort of teetering on this 
tightrope. The end of 2 Samuel is generally positive. The expectation 
is that all will be secure. But lo and behold, we get to 
the introduction of men, and we see that with reference to 
men, the kingdom is in a difficult position. but we need to take 
comfort in the reality that God is involved and therefore all 
is secure. Now we have the benefit of already 
knowing what happens, right? What about in our situation when 
the kingdom, whose visible expression on earth today is the church, 
seems to be in a precarious position? I mean the rise of Islam, secularism 
in the government, political leaders that are just absolutely 
wretched, that call good evil and evil good and have, you know, 
multitudes of people that follow them. Sometimes the believer, 
sometimes the people of God get a little bit, you know, wary 
or concerned about the existence of the church. going to make 
it? Is she going to make it to the 
22nd century? Is she going to make it out of 
this, you know, decade? Is she going to, you know, have 
to succumb to the governmental pressures and influences and 
all that sort of thing? Well, I think if we read through 
the Old Testament, we ought to realize that the kingdom goes 
through some difficult trials. It goes through some hardships. 
It goes through some struggles, but it always goes through them. It's like the psalmist says in 
Psalm 23, There is a valley of the shadow of death, but the 
psalmist is confident that he's going to walk through it. He's not going to get stuck in 
it. He's not going to be bogged down by it, but he's going to 
walk through it. Why? Because thou art with me. We can take that individual experience 
of the psalmist and apply it to the kingdom, and yea, the 
church, as I said, which is the visible expression of the kingdom 
in this new covenant era, we ought to realize that though 
there are struggles and hardships and trials and difficulties and 
men who seek to destroy it, it will emerge. Jesus said in Matthew 
16, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it. Not that we ought not to be concerned 
to the point where we pray for her, where we bleed for her, 
and we sweat for her, and we work for her to promote her health 
and well-being in this age, but we need to understand that King 
Jesus has a special love for His church. It is the apple of 
His eye. And that being said, He will 
sustain her, He will bring her through all of her trials and 
all of her hardships, and He will bring us into consummated 
glory. Davis makes this observation, 
he says, how frequently we're 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. 
He says, 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 she has had to walk on the edge 
of disaster. He says, apparently there is 
a hand that steadies her. In other words, God does move 
even in these events to bring out His glory. And that's what 
we ought to be encouraged about. Every Adonijah that tries to 
batter down the kingdom of God is battered down by the kingdom 
of God. Every foe that rises up in opposition 
to the Lord Christ and His church will ultimately fail. Now, if 
men could have destroyed the church, we would have done it 
in the first century. The fact that it's here in the 
21st century evidences what Davis says. There is obviously a hand 
that steadies her. Secondly, we need to appreciate, 
and though this may be a bit of a stretch, I don't think it 
is too much, we need to appreciate the necessity of qualified leadership, 
whether it be political or ecclesiastical. In this instance, it's political. 
Now, his claim to fame was he was good-looking. That's not 
enough. That's not what a man needs to 
have in order to rule or to reign in a kingdom. And it's certainly 
not the case in ecclesiastical leadership. Well, he's such a 
handsome fellow, he'd be a great elder. May God strike us dead 
if we ever get to that point where we think a handsome fellow 
ought to be an elder. I mean, that's just ludicrous. It needs to be qualified. People 
are wowed by good looks or by other externals, but the man 
of God is one whom the Lord has prepared and has uniquely fitted 
and qualified For leadership, you look at the history of David. 
He wasn't a perfect man, but he was the right man for the 
job. He was God's man to do God's 
will in this particular expression of the kingdom. He wasn't perfect, 
but he was perfectly fitted by the Lord for the function that 
the Lord had entrusted to him. The ambitious, self-exalting 
character of Adonijah is a massive warning sign to any who would 
arrogate to themselves something that the Lord has not called 
them to. In other words, we ought to read Adonijah and be fearful 
at the thought of ever taking a leadership position that we're 
not qualified unto and recognized for with reference to either 
politics or ecclesiastical function. And I think, as well, we need 
to realize, in light of 1 Kings 1, there's always going to be 
Saul's. There's always going to be Absalom's. 
In fact, Adonijah's the new Absalom, isn't he? He's Absalom 2.0, basically, 
or Saul 2.0. There's always going to be them. 
We get to the New Testament, and who does John have to deal 
with? He's not Absalom. He's not Adonijah. He's not Saul, 
but he's a man by the name of Diotrephes. Unfortunately, these 
sorts are drawn to politics, and they're drawn to church leadership. I just don't know what it is. 
I mean, the last guy that you should want as the king is the 
guy who says, make me the king. That's not how David occupied 
the throne, was it? David wasn't looking for the 
job. David wasn't sending out resumes to the body politic in 
Israel. Hey, consider me for that slot. That's not it at all. As I've 
mentioned before, Solomon Wells says, a man's gift makes room 
for him. He doesn't make room for the 
gift. And I've seen this with reference 
to church leadership, the guy who says, the first time he visits, 
you should have me teach a Bible study or have me preach. I gotta 
tell you, he's the guy that I'm least likely to let teach a Bible 
study or preach. If in the first 10 minutes he's 
telling me, no, maybe he is Spurgeon, maybe he is John Calvin, but 
it's time that we'll evidence that, it's time that we'll demonstrate 
that, it's time that we'll manifest that. So be wary of those who 
put themselves into positions of authority. Thirdly, the danger 
of indulging children. One man has well said that good 
looks and a favored status coupled with parental indulgence rarely 
build strong character. I don't care how handsome you 
are. If your parents didn't spank you, you're going to be obnoxious. 
That's the general rule. Now, God is gracious and He can 
take undisciplined kids and He can save them. He can convert 
them by His powerful grace and make them disciplined, well-adjusted, 
normal, functioning human beings. But for the most part, if parents 
neglect their children, they don't usually turn out the most 
positive contributors in society. Proven says, the picture throughout 
2 Samuel 13 to 18 of a son out of control and a father who seems 
unaware of or uncaring about what is happening. That's what 
we have with David in 2 Samuel 13 to 18. Remember, after Amnon 
rapes his sister, Absalom kills Amnon. And then Absalom goes 
essentially on a wild rampage. I mean, he's like just going 
hog wild in the streets of Israel. And David isn't doing anything 
about it. In fact, turn to 2 Samuel chapter 
12. I'm sorry, 2 Samuel chapter 13. Two places where we see that 
David didn't exercise restraint. And two places where it really 
cost him, with reference to not exercising restraint. Look at 
verse 21. This is after the rape of Tamar. Verse 21, when King David heard 
of all these things, he was very angry. But he didn't do anything. He was angry, but he didn't do 
anything. What happened when he didn't 
do anything? Absalom steps up to the plate. So I'm convinced 
if the civil government does not punish criminal offenders, 
it encourages vigilantism. Now, I'm not condoning vigilantism. I am not saying that it's right. 
I'm not saying it's proper. But I understand the logic. If 
the government or the civil government does not execute judgment upon 
offenders, I can see why people get upset and do what they do. 
The lesson is not to create vigilantes, but a state that takes their 
job seriously. It still never ceases to amaze 
me that the two primary functions that government has, I would 
argue two of probably the only functions they have, are the 
things that nobody ever talks about. They're supposed to protect 
us from enemies, domestic and foreign. That's it. That's what 
government, according to Paul in Romans 13, is supposed to 
do. When do we ever hear a government 
official saying, we're going to work to institute the death 
penalty. We're going to work to execute 
criminal offenders, because we want to protect you. You don't 
ever hear that because obviously they don't care. At any rate, 
look at this particular situation. King David heard of all these 
things. He was very angry. So Absalom takes matters into 
his own hand. Now listen to the Septuagint's 
reading on verse 21. The Septuagint is the great translation 
of the Hebrew Old Testament. The Old Testament was written 
in Hebrew, the Masoretic text, but there was a translation called 
the LXX, or the Seventy, or the Septuagint. And basically it 
is a Greek translation of the Old Testament. But the LXX, or 
the Septuagint, may have had, you know, some access to manuscripts 
that have not existed into this day. So some of the readings 
are quite interesting, and they're not necessarily wrong. But listen 
to the reading on 2 Samuel 13, 21, with reference to this situation. It says, And King David heard 
of all these things and was very angry. But he did not grieve 
the spirit of his son Amnon, because he loved him, for he 
was his firstborn. Well, I'm sorry, that's not supposed 
to matter. If your son rapes your daughter, 
you discipline him. That's an evidence of love. He 
who spares the rod hates his son. There is a Bible version 
called the Contemporary English Version. I don't use it. I happen 
to see a reference to it, so I looked online. I knew from 
Davis's commentary and a footnote that some English translations 
reflect the Septuagint's reading here. Listen to the Contemporary 
English Version. It says, when David heard what 
had happened to Tamar, he was very angry. But Amnon was his 
oldest son and also his favorite, and David would not do anything 
to make Amnon unhappy. Now, that's probably a very loose 
and a very non-literal translation, but it's probably not a far-off 
interpretation. He didn't want to make Amnon 
unhappy. He was angry, but he loved him, so he didn't want 
to hurt him. He didn't want to pain him. He 
didn't want to restrain him. So we go back to 1 Kings 1, 6, 
and that is precisely how Adonijah grew up to be one of the reasons, 
I'm sure there's a lot of reasons why. somebody grows up to be 
obnoxious, but one of them was because his father had not pained 
him at any time by saying, why have you done so? This is very 
similar, as I said, with reference to Eli in 1 Samuel 3.13, for 
I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity 
which he knows because his sons made themselves vile and he did 
not restrain that. Fathers and mothers, we ought 
to learn from the former prophets that our children need discipline. 
It's a manifestation of love to discipline them. It's a manifestation 
of love to restrain them, to rebuke them, to cause them pain, 
not by knocking their heads against the wall, but by stopping them 
from doing the foolish things that they will no doubt pursue 
because they are in Adam. Their hearts are corrupt. Foolishness 
is bound up in the heart. The rod of correction will drive 
it far from him. Listen to Solomon in the Proverbs. 
Listen to Solomon as he tells us that we are to withhold, not 
correction. Though you beat him with the 
rod, he will not die, but you will spare his soul from hell. 
Adonijah grew up to be an obnoxious human being, a terrible human 
being, a guy who, because he was good-looking and because 
he could amass some horses, thought he should be king. No, you shouldn't, 
Adonijah. That's not your job. It's not 
your position. And somewhere along the line, 
your father should have rebuked you or restrained you or given 
you some pain to discredit you or to diminish these thoughts 
of grandeur in your head. that you ought to be the king. 
So we need to learn from these passages. And though brief as 
it is, it's powerful, isn't it? His father had not rebuked him 
at any time. You know what you're doing to 
your kid if you don't rebuke him at any time? You allow him 
to get away with everything? You allow him to rule the roost? That is just a recipe for disaster, 
not only for the roost that you live in, but for that kid. He is going to turn out miserable 
unless the powerful grace of God changes his heart. And the 
final lesson is we ought to thank God for Nathan's. Nathan means 
gift from God, and Nathan was certainly a gift from God to 
David, wasn't he? Nathan serves as a gift from 
God with reference to David and the entirety of the kingdom. 
Nathan saw what the problem was, Nathan knew what the answer was, 
and Nathan put it into practice, and David listened, thankfully, 
to him. and it put the kingdom back on 
track as a result certainly of the sovereignty of God, but he 
used the means that Nathan brought to the table. Well, let us pray. 
Our Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for 
the lessons that we gleaned from these Old Testament passages, 
and I pray that we would see and appreciate the fact that 
Jesus is building His church and that all the threats and 
all the menaces and all the trials that befall her, the Lord Christ 
will see her through them. In this we greatly rejoice and 
we pray that you would help us to have this confidence not in 
us, not in our abilities, but in the sovereign Lord of heaven 
and earth. We thank you God for this time that we can meet together. 
We pray that you would go with us now and watch over us in the 
remainder of this week. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.