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?
Overview of 1 and 2 Kings
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,
Introduction to 1 Kings 1
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.
David's Declining Health
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.
Adonijah's Ambitious Self-Exaltation
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.
Adonijah's Character and Lineage
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.
Parental Indulgence and Its Fruit
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.
God's Standard for Leadership
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.
Adonijah's Supporters and Opponents
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.
Adonijah's Presumptuous Coronation Feast
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.
Nathan's Faithful Intervention
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 and Bathsheba Before David
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.
Application
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.
The Necessity of Qualified Leadership
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.
The Danger of Indulging Children
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.
Thanking God for Faithful Men
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.
Closing Prayer
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.