Now Adonijah, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” 1 Kings 1:5
In his old age King David was confined to his bed; but no matter how many blankets were heaped on him, he was always cold. “The cure for this,” his aides told him, “is to find a young virgin to be your concubine and nurse. She will lie in your arms and keep you warm.” So they searched the country from one end to the other to find the most beautiful girl in all the land. They brought her to the king, and she lay in his arms to warm him (but he had no sexual relations with her).
At about that time, David’s third son Adonijah decided to crown himself king in place of his aged father. So he hired chariots and drivers and recruited fifty men to run down the streets before him as royal footmen. Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time—not so much as by a single scolding! He was a very handsome man and was Absalom’s younger brother. He took General Joab and Abiathar the priest into his confidence, and they agreed to help him become king. He went to En-rogel where he sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fat young goats at the Serpent’s Stone. Then he summoned all of his brothers—the other sons of King David—and all the royal officials of Judah, requesting that they come to his coronation
But he didn’t invite those who remained loyal to King David...Nathan the prophet, Zadok or Benaiah, the loyal army officers, or his brother Solomon.
We should recall, Adonijah was David’s third son...behind Amnon and Absalom. He could reasonable expect to become king because he was first in line to the throne. Yet, the expectation wasn’t good enough for Adonijah. He wanted the throne now. He didn’t want to wait for the appropriate time so he took it. We aren’t surprised by his hubris. He was just like his two older brothers...handsome, privileged and undisciplined. But, God had other plans.
I wonder, how many times I have said “I will be...”
We can say it...and have said it but...if we fail to seek the counsel of God...there is no mechanism that can assure it happens. God will have His way. The important question for people of faith is this: How may I ensure my desires are in line with God’s intentions? Well, we have a certain clue in this story. When Adonijah set up his plans to take his father’s throne he didn’t invite anybody that was loyal to his father.
He hid his intentions...
But, of course, God saw...and mobilized Nathan to intervene. So, are we in the habit of hiding things from God, or the Godly people who might guide us most faithfully? Our arrogance (or foolishness) may tempt us to follow that road but it’s always a dead end. Turmoil and failure are often symptoms of an “I will be” attitude. If our choices result in constant struggle maybe we should just ask God what He wants and go with it. After all, God is not David. “God disciplines those whom He loves.” (Hebrews 12:6) It’s His way of discouraging us from becoming like Amnon, Absalom or Adonijah.
Live boldly out there today...
