Life Lessons : Adonijah

by Amy White, M.A. LMHC.

History of the person

Did you ever hear the expression, “There are takers in this world and there are givers?” Most of us do some of each, but it does seem there are those whose primary focus in life is to make sure they get what they want. In pursuit of their self-centered ambitions, they are not above using the simplest of requests down to intricately devised schemes – whatever will aid their cause. Remember Eddie Haskell of Leave It To Beaver fame? Who can forget his tone of voice as nearly every week he flattered the Beaver’s mom: “That certainly is a beautiful dress, Mrs. Cleaver.” We all knew what he was up to, didn’t we?

While these folks may, indeed, become successful in many areas, they often don’t know where to draw the line and end up doing themselves in. If we are one of the observer’s of their life choices, we usually shake our heads at the foolishness of their actions, commenting: “They didn’t realize how good they had it. They should have quit when they were ahead.” One of Solomon’s brothers, Adonijah, was a person who seemed to fit this personality profile.

David’s life was drawing to a close.Adonijah, David’s fourth son, had intentions of taking over the throne. Because his three older brothers had passed away, it appears that Adonijah believed the throne was rightfully his.

And Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king. And he prepared himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. . . and he talked with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest. And they helped Adonijah, following him.

(1Kings 1:5, 7)

Adonijah had the backing of the chief priest and had secured followers among the people. There were others who were not as ready to turn the kingdom over to this man. One person in particular was Bathsheba – wife of David, mother of Solomon. She was not about to turn a deaf ear and jeopardize the future of her son. When she caught wind of Adonijah’s self-proclaimed headship, Bathsheba went to King David and said: “ My lord, you swore by Jehovah your God to your handmaid, saying, ‘Surely your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.’ And now, behold, Adonijah reigns. And now, my lord, you do not know.” (1Kings 1:17 -18)

David was quick to follow through on his promise to Bathsheba. “And Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the Tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the ram's horn, and all the people said, Let King Solomon live!” (1Kings 1:39 ) Well, Adonijah was in hot water now. His friends deserted him and Adonijah was left to make an earnest plea for his life. His half-brother extended grace.

And it was told to Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon. For, lo, he has caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword. And Solomon said, ‘If he becomes a son of virtue, not a hair of his head shall fall to the earth. But if wickedness shall be found in him, then he shall die.’ And King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to King Solomon. And Solomon said to him, ‘Go to your house.’ (I Kings 51-53)

You would think Adonijah would have gone to his tent in the country and lived out his days with as little fanfare as possible; but the takers of the world don’t go away that easily. Adonijah devises a plan to secure the kingdom for himself. Adonijah went to Bathsheba and asked her to speak to the King on his behalf. He had a request – to be given Abishag the Shunammite as his wife, perhaps insinuating it would be compensation for his loss of the kingdom.

His words were smooth and Bathsheba did not have the insight to grasp his true agenda. Bathsheba agreed to present his petition to her son, apparently not the least bit suspicious. You may be wondering how a marriage to Abishaq could give Adonijah opportunity to claim the throne. To understand, we have to rewind the tape to shortly before King David died. King David was in ill health and his staff did not seem to be able to help him. They came up with an idea.

And his servants said to him, ‘Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin. And let her stand before the king, and let her nurse him, and let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may get heat.’ And they sought out a beautiful girl throughout all the borders of Israel , and found Abishag, a Shunammite. And they brought her to the king. And the girl was very beautiful. And she nursed the king and served him. But the king did not know her. (I Kings 1:2-4)

In the time of the Kings, whatever was brought near to the king was seen as sacred and not for common use, including the King’s Royal harem. When a king died, his wives either remained widows for the rest of their lives or became the wives of the king’s successor. In requesting Abishag, Adonijah was trying to move the boundaries and in so doing, later be able to stake his claim to Solomon’s kingdom. Solomon knew if he granted Abishag, it would only be a matter of time before Adonijah’s aspirations would again emerge with a vengeance, possibly posing a dire threat to his reign as King.

And King Solomon swore by Jehovah, saying, ‘May God do so to me, and more He shall do, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his life.

And now, as Jehovah lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as He spoke, Adonijah shall be put to death today.’ And King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And he fell on him so that he died.

(I Kings 2:23 -25)

 Life Lesson

In spite of a very close call, Adonijah could not put aside his earthly ambitions. By hook or by crook, he was determined to get what he wanted. In his quest for the throne, he ignored the most important criterion of all: whether or not it was God’s plan for his life. In our own lives, how often do we emulate Adonijah? We step on the gas and go full speed ahead in a quest to get what we want. If we’re smart, somewhere along the way we pull over and seek God’s will in the matter. If not, a fate similar to that of Adonijah may await us.

 

Life Question

 Are you willing to slow down and focus on becoming the person God wants you to be rather than pursuing the ends dictated by your own ambitions?