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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
1 Kings 1
It’s often difficult to decipher the order of events in the Bible. I suspect, though, that this incident with Adonijah describes the first of Solomon’s two enthronements noted in 1 Chronicles. (1 Chron. 23:1 & 1 Chron. 29:22). In 1 Chronicles 22, the chapter prior to the first enthronement, David commissioned Solomon to build the Temple. He made it quite clear at that time that Solomon was not just his choice as a successor, but was God’s choice. And he ordered all of Israel’s leaders to help and support Solomon. Despite the written order, though, it could very well be that this commissioning happened after Solomon had officially secured the throne. I don’t know. Either way, though, I find it very hard to believe that the leaders closest to David were not aware of God’s word to David regarding his son, Solomon.
My question, then, is why would anybody who had been faithful to David during his entire reign side with Adonijah in his effort to succeed his father on the throne? Surely they knew it was God who ordained Solomon as Israel’s next king. Even if they were not aware, however, did they not know after all those years that God was with David and it was wise to stay on his side? Yet some of David’s leading men chose foolishness. This situation wasn’t just a matter of picking sides. It was a matter of defiance against God. And regardless of what they did or did not know, the foolish choice should have been obvious.
I guess I say all of this to remind myself to practice good discernment in my decision making. This is especially important when choosing who to side with. Adonijah may have been a logical choice as king from a human reasoning standpoint. The big, red flag, however, was that he, “kept exalting himself” (from 1 Kings 1:5). Exalting one’s self is the equivalent of defying God. And that is never something I should desire to support.
1 Kings 2
Solomon gave Shimei grace as long as he stayed in Jerusalem. The moment he stepped out of Jerusalem, however, he stepped out from under that grace. That paints a picture to me of God’s provision for us. Our Jerusalem is Jesus Christ. And, as He tells us, “If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (Jn. 15:7).