King Me!
First Kings 1: 1-10
King me DIG: What is David’s condition? To what is an aging king vulnerable? Who arranges for Abishag to wait on David? Why does the writer view Adonijah in a negative light? Is he a champion schemer or an anxious heir apparent? Why did Adonijah invite Joab and Abiathar to his party? Why didn’t he invite Solomon and Nathan to his coronation ceremony?
REFLECT: In what ways do you feel more vulnerable now than ten years ago? What bothers you about aging? How competitive are you? Would you run over people in order to win? Walk over them? Ask them to step aside? What ambitions have you yet to fulfill? Do you try to control things directly or indirectly? How are you tempted to take what you want?
Have you ever felt the temptation to take what you wanted, when you wanted it,
instead of waiting for what God would give?
In every simple game of checkers there is a thrilling moment when one of the ordinary playing pieces suddenly becomes royalty. Having moved and jumped all the way to the far side of the board, a checker becomes a king. “King me!” commands one of the players. A second checker is carefully placed on top of the first checker, and from then on the new king has the power to move all over the board.
Many people want the game of checkers to become their way of life. Not content to be ordinary, they want to be the royal center of attention. “King me!” they say, wanting enough power and money to get the control and buy the pleasure they want out of life. “King me!” is what the single man is saying when he uses other women. “King me!” (or “Queen me!” to use a chess term) is what the overbearing mother says when she makes her own desires the rule of the household). And “King me!” is what I am saying whenever my own desires become the most important thing in life, even at the expense of others. The problem with building our own little kingdoms is that we never find our rightful place in the true kingdom of God. This is the central issue in our walk with the Lord, and it is the issue as we open the book of First Kings. Who will be king? Will we accept the Kingship that ADONAI has established? Or will we always insist on having our own way in this life?
The question of kingship arises right from the beginning of First Kings. The books of Samuel were dominated by the kingship of David. But First Kings opens by telling us that when King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. For anyone who admires King David, this scene is full of sadness. He was among the greatest of earthly kings – maybe the greatest. From boyhood he performed many heroic feats in battle. He killed lions and bears to defend his father’s flocks and herds. He slew giants. He conquered kingdoms. He established a fortress for his people in Jerusalem. He sired a royal dynasty, fathering many sons to be the princes of Isra’el. But now, the famous king was old and gray, and for all his greatness, he was on his deathbed.
David’s feeble decline is a sad reminder of our own frailty. The king was about seventy years old when this event took place (Second Samuel 5:4). What happened to him will happen to all of us: our hearing will fail; our eyesight will grow dim; and our limbs will get weak and brittle. Eventually we will be confined to bed, and maybe will find it hard to stay warm. How important it is, therefore, to pay attention to this counsel from Scripture: Remember your Creator while you are young, before the evil days come, and the years approach when you will say: They no longer give me pleasure (Ecclesiastes 12:1). If, like David, we give our hearts to God when we are young, we will still remember Him when we are old, and He will remember us.26
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for being so wonderful! You are the absolute best Father, wisest King, Strongest and Most Almighty General, Perfect Lover, Gracious and always near friend. It is such a blessing that You welcome into Your family all who love You (John 1:12) and receive You as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). What a joy to trust You as a child and to have You always near to help and to guide.
What a joy to make time to meditate on Your power and glory because I looked for You . . . to see Your power and Your glory (Palm 63:3). When we remember how great and Awesome You are, we delight in praising You! Since Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You (Psalms 63:4). Meditating on You is a sure way to bring joy to my heart! When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You through the night watches. For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You – Your right hand upholds me (Psalms 63:7-9). May we bless You with praises. You are a wonderful God and Father and I seek to bless You in all I do, say and think! In Holy Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen
So, his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.” Then they searched throughout Isra’el for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. Abishag’s employment as a kind of human hot water bottle raises more questions than it answers. Were David’s servants simply trying to keep him warm? If so, then why did they conduct a Miss Isra’el pageant to find the prettiest young thing in the Land. Though the situation seems charged with sexuality, we also sense that the king was diminished. This was hardly the David who knew Bathsheba – a David who fathered so many other sons and daughters. Not even a stunning young virgin could stir his blood. On the contrary, his sexual incapacity showed that he suffered from a loss of vitality and virility. The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her (First Kings 1:1-4). The woman chosen to minister to David had the status of a concubine, though in fact she served David as a nurse and nothing more.
Soon old David would be dead and buried, which showed one of the inherent limitations of kingship in ancient Isra’el. All the kings died, throwing the kingship into question for each new generation of the people of God. David was the best of Isra’el’s kings, yet even he went down to the grave, where his body remains to this day. His very mortality meant that he could never be the ultimate King for God’s people.
This shows, by way of contrast, the superior Kingship that we have in Yeshua Messiah, who is the true Son of David and the only divine Son of God. Yeshua also died, suffering crucifixion for our sins. But on the third day He was raised again to reign forever in kingly majesty. Messiah is the immortal King of all ages (First Timothy 1:16). This is the Kingdom we need, ruled by a King who will never die again, but will always live to rule us and defend us. Our Lord will never shiver in the cold chill of old age, but will remain at the full glow of His divine powers for all eternity – our once-and-forever King!27
As David’s kingship came to an end, his royal court was full of intrigue. The advisers were whispering in the hallways, “Who will be the next king?” That question had been on people’s minds for years, much the way that people have long speculated about who would succeed England’s Queen Elizabeth II. In fact, there had already been at least two attempts to take the throne away from David: the rebellion of Absalom, which led to civil war (Second Samuel 14-18), and the uprising of Sheba the Benjamite (Second Samuel 20). David was able to quell both rebellions, but as he grew older he also grew weaker. Now he was not even able to get warm in bed, and his shivering impotence was creating a power vacuum.
As far as ADONAI was concerned, David’s rightful heir was supposed to be Solomon. Although he was not the oldest son – he was actually tenth in line – Solomon was the chosen son. God did not always choose the oldest son as David’s own coronation illustrated (First Samuel 16:10-13). We know from First Chronicles 22:9-10 that the word of the LORD had announced to David that Solomon would be the next king: But you will have a son who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies that surround him; for his name is to be Solomon, and during his reign I will give peace and quiet to Isra’el. It is he who will build a house for My name. He will be my son and I will be his father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Isra’el forever. By divine calling, Solomon would be Isra’el’s king.
Yet, there was another contender for the crown, an alternative candidate to sit on Isra’el’s throne. Most people saw him as the heir apparent. His name was Adonijah, and he seemed to be everything that David used to be but was no more. The Bible describes him as a very handsome man (First Kings 1:6b). Humanly speaking, Adonijah had everything going for him. He had all the qualifications that people usually look for. Like his older brother Absalom, he was easy on the eyes, which counts for a lot in life – more than we sometimes would like to admit. So, as far as kingship was concerned, Adonijah looked the part (at least to people who look at the outward appearance, which God doesn’t).
So, the young man decided to seize his chance, declaring his intention to be the king after his father. Because David’s reign was scarred by violence, it isn’t a surprise that this chapter about his demise and succession is permeated with an undercurrent of violence.28 Now Adonijah, David’s fourth son, whose mother was Haggith, cherished the thought of his right to succeed David as king and put himself forward, brazenly declaring, as if thumping his chest: I will be king (First Kings 1:5). This gives us a window into his soul. The form of the verb may indicate continuous action, as if to show that Adonijah’s self-exaltation was not simply a one-time thing; his whole life was all about putting himself forward to be the king. But he seems to have learned nothing from his failed brother Absalom, for like him, he asserted himself without reckoning with the still formidable power of David to make or break his ambitious sons.
From a merely human perspective, Adonijah’s ambition is thoroughly understandable. After all, who wouldn’t want to be the king? Besides, isn’t it the natural order of things for a king to show some initiative and seize his crown? But this was no ordinary kingdom. The royal house of David was part of God’s plan for salvation of the world. David had received a divine and covenant promise that his dynasty would last forever, that his throne would be established eternally. This was the will of YHVH. It would be the work of God, which meant that rather than making its own choice for a king, Isra’el was supposed to trust ADONAI to provide the man of His choice. God would announce His own king in His own good time (Deut 17:15). The problem was that men like Adjonijah (and Absalom) would not accept God’s choice, but kept exalting themselves. They would not even wait for their father to die (Luke 15:12), but tried to take by force something that was only God’s to give.
Have you ever felt the same temptation – the temptation to take what you wanted when you wanted it instead of waiting for what God would give? Children are tempted to do it by saying, “That’s mine!” and grabbing whatever they can get. Bigger kids are tempted to do it by getting angry when they don’t get their own way. Some adults are tempted to do it by taking the pleasures of sex without the gift of marriage. Others are tempted to climb over other people to get the next promotion, or to put themselves forward for ministry without any calling from the congregation, or to gain ungodly control over their spouses by force.
In one way or another, we are all tempted to exalt ourselves. All too often we are like Diotrephes, whom the B’rit Chadashah describes as someone who likes to put himself first (Third John 9). But when we put ourselves on the throne, ADONAI is no longer the God of our lives; He is only another one of our servants. Rather than seeking His Kingdom, we expect Him to advance ours. Sooner or later, we will get upset with Him for not doing whatever it is that we expect Him to do for us. Typically, we get angry when we don’t get what we want, which makes anger one of the best clues to our own private idolatries. When we get angry at the world or angry with God, it is almost always because we have the wrong person on the throne.29
Consider the various ways that Adonijah acted for his own honor. First, like Absalom, he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. If you want people to know how important you are, it helps to have your own entourage! So Adonijah gathered his posse, so to speak, an honor guard of palace chariots, and footmen to run ahead and announce his coming. When it comes to being important, image is everything. If you’re going to be the king, you need to act like the king, which includes having people around you treat you like the king. You need to have some followers – people to tell you how great you are. And so, like his brother Absalom before him (another ominous connection), Adonijah grandly employed an entourage of horses, chariots and foot servants (Second Samuel 15:1).
As a side note, David, had never disciplined him as a boy by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” Adonijah was merely allowed to do whatever he wanted to do, so he assumed himself to be his father’s favorite and presumptive heir (First Kings 1:6). An excessively indulgent father had produced a self-exalted son. Good looks and a favored status, coupled with parental indulgence, rarely build strong character. Neither do they install wisdom. Adonijah may well have enjoyed a happy childhood, but his father’s lack of discipline eventually led the young man into treason.30
Adonijah was cunning enough to get the support of both the army and the priesthood by enlisting Joab the general and Abiathar the priest (First Kings 7:1). Though their careers ended in disgrace, both of those men were key leaders. Joab was the commander of Isra’el’s army. For many years he had served as David’s right-hand-man. Joab was a general who helped the king conquer Jerusalem, who suppressed rebellion against his throne, and who protected his life by assassinating his enemies (Second Samuel 2:13ff; First Chronicles 11:4-6). Unfortunately, Joab had also disobeyed David’s order when he killed his son Absalom, which put him out of royal favor and diminished his political influence. Yet perhaps aligning himself with Adonijah, he could regain his powerful position in the kingdom. Thus, Joab was decisive, powerful, and politically dangerous to Solomon.
Abiathar the priest was also making a power grab. Like Joab, he was one of the king’s old associates, a man who had been with David almost from the beginning (see the commentary on the Life of David, to see link click Bd – Sha’ul Kills the Priests of Nov). Abiathar was not the high priest, but maybe he wanted to be. In any case, he decided that he would follow Adonijah in his rise to power. Both gave him their full support (First Kings 1:7b). Adonijah was falling headlong into rebellion against his father and his God. What made that especially ironic was that his very name meant “ADONAI is Master.” Yet, Adonijah wanted to be his own master, and thus he never submitted to the desires of YHVH.
To be more specific, he never submitted to the authority of the prophet, the priest, or the king that God had established in Isra’el. But he never consulted with the three men who had true, God-given spiritual authority: Nathan, Isra’el’s true prophet; Zadok, the first High Priest of Isra’el (First Chronicles 6:49-53); or Solomon, whom God had chosen to be the next king – representing the rightful kingship of David. Other mighty men – like Benaiah who was captain of the king’s bodyguard (see the commentary on the Life of David Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors) – did not join Adonijah (First Kings 1:8). Adonijah did not consult with them because he knew they would not support him. He had made up his mind to be king, for his own glory and his own pleasure without ever submitting to the will of Ha’Shem.
Now David had already publicly proclaimed the selection of Solomon to the throne when he announced the building of the Temple (First Chronicles 22 and 28). Nevertheless, Adonijah had arranged a coronation feast on the eve of his planned proclamation as David’s successor. He sacrificed (Hebrew: zaback, used to indicate the solemnity of the occasion) sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near the spring of En Rogel (First Kings 1:9a), which is located slightly southwest of Jerusalem, where the Hinnom and Kidron valleys intersect. It was evidently important that the coronation take place near a water source (this will come up later with Solomon). In addition, this stone may have been a sacrificial stone, and therefore a sacred place. It was somewhat secluded and thus ideally suited for Adonijah’s secret gathering of forces before taking public action.31
The participation of Joab and Abiathar in the ritual sacrifice and coronation lent an aura of legitimacy to the occasion (Absalom had begun his coup in a similar fashion). Adonijah invited all his brothers, the king’s sons (who evidently did not contest Adonijah’s claim to the throne) and all the royal officials of Judah. Maybe all his guests thought that David had actually laid his hands on Adonijah and named him king. But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon (who would have been killed at Adonijah’s ascension to the throne), so it was pretty obvious that Adonijah had named himself king without any authority from either David or YHVH (First Kings 1:9b-10).
This gives us a practical principle for our own decision making, which is always to submit to the will of God. Am I doing what I am doing because it is what I want to do or because it is what ADONAI wants me to do? Happily, in the goodness of the Lord many things that He calls us to do are the things that we want to do. But whenever there’s a conflict, we need to submit to God’s authority.
It is characteristic of godly decisions that they are made out in the open with the help of godly counsel, including from people who are willing to tell us some things that we don’t want to hear Submitting to God’s will always starts with knowing the Scriptures, which rule some things in and some things out. It also includes listening to the people God has provided for our spiritual guidance: parents, perhaps, or spouses, or teachers, or bosses, or Messianic rabbis, or pastors and elders in the congregations of God, depending on your situation in life.
Do not seek your own pleasure and glory, but submit to God’s will for your life. For Adonijah, that meant consulting with Nathan, Zadok, and David. For us it means submitting to Yeshua Messiah, who is the true Prophet, the faithful Priest, and the rightful King for the people of God. The prophets, priests, and kings in the TaNaKh all point to the Person and work of the Master. Yeshua is the Prophet who speaks the Word of God; listen to what He says. Messiah is the Priest who offered Himself as a sacrifice; trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins. The Lord is the King who rules us and defends us; ask for His protection.
As we consider Messiah as King, we can hardly help but notice that His Kingdom is the antithesis of everything we see in Adonijah, who announced his own kingship, for his own glory and his own pleasure. But Yeshua did the exact opposite. Unlike the proud Adonijah, He did not ride palace chariots or hire footmen to announce His royal majesty. Instead, He rode a lowly donkey, and whatever attendants He had followed Him of their own free devotion. Messiah did not come down to do His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him, even when it meant going to the cross for our sins. Setting aside His own pleasure, He endured the agony of the cross. Then, rather than exalting Himself, He waited for God the Father to raise Him from the dead and lift him to heaven’s throne (Philippians 2:6-11).
This is the King we serve: not a king who is in it for himself, but who rules for the good of His people and the glory of God. Now we are called to live the same way: not “kinging” ourselves, but crowning Messiah as King, and serving others for Yeshua’s sake.32
The Bible says that Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (First Corinthians 15:3b-4). If you believe that and have never asked Yeshua to be your Lord and Savior would you pray this simple prayer today: God, I admit that I have sinned. I believe Yeshua Messiah died for my sins, and I want to trust Him to save me right now. Now you need to find a good messianic synagogue or church that teaches the Word of God faithfully so you can grow in your faith and have fellowship with other believers.
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