Unbridled Ambitions: Moral lessons from the life of Adonijah

BQ NO 67 -  WHAT MORAL LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THE LIFE OF ADONIJAH SON OF DAVID?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

ADONIJAH AND FAMILY

Adonijah is first introduced to the Bible reader in 2Samuel 3:4 where he is listed among the sons of David.

His mother was Haggith, the fourth of David’s seven wives. Incidentally, Adonijah was the fourth of David’s six sons born to him at Hebron. The first born son was Amnon whose mother was Ahinoam the Jezreelite who was David’s first wife.

Amnon was later involved in incest rape with his half sister Tamar and was killed by Absalom her brother in an act of revenge (2Sam 13).

David forgave Absalom of the murder of Amnon after his mother pleaded with the king to spare his life.

Unfortunately, Absalom did not appear to have learnt from his evil because he later staged an unsuccessful palace coup against his father David and died in his rebellion while fleeing from the royal army led by Joab (2Sam 19).

Now back to Adonijah.

ADONIJAH'S PALACE COUP PLOT

The next mention of Adonijah is in 1Kings 1 in connection with the succession intrigues in David’s palace.
Adonijah, like Absalom, was an ambitious prince. Both men had fixed their eyes on succeeding their father David but neither had his approval.

What prompted Adonijah to proclaim himself king?

Adonijah may have understood that David would not name him the crown prince. He therefore took advantage of his ageing father and decided to declare himself king without his blessings.

There is also strong evidence from the Bible that following the death of Amnon and Absalom, Adonijah may have considered himself the next in line.

Why was Chileab, David's second born son, not mentioned in the succession struggles?

Little is known of Chileab beyond his mention in 2Sam 3:3. Chileab probably died at a young age.

Some Bible scholars believe he is probably the same person named Daniel in 1Chron. 3:1, suggesting that he may have had a second name. Nothing is however heard of Chileab after this chronicle record.

If we assume that Chileab died young, then Adonjah had legitimate expectations of succeeding his father and this could probably explain his desire to become king after David.

However, all said and done, his secret succession plot was evil and treasonable.

The next question that begs is this: why was Solomon missing from the list of David’s sons mentioned in 2Sam 3:1-5?

It is not clear why the writer of the Book of 2Samuel did not mention Solomon among the sons of David in the first list.

Solomon’s birth is however recorded in 2Sam 12, suggesting that he may have been born much later. Some Bible scholars say that the list of sons contained in 2Sam 3:1-5 was recorded much earlier while David ruled only Judah and Ephraim from Hebron.

Ten other sons were later born to David in Jerusalem including Solomon by Bathsheba and nine other sons whose mothers are not mentioned in the Bible (ref. 1Chron. 3:6-8). We can called this the Jerusalem record.

The Jerusalem list also excludes David's other sons by his concubines but mentions his only daughter Tamar, the sister of Absalom who was raped by Amnon.

Now back to Adonijah.

The Bible states in 1 Kings 1:5-6  “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.  6 (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.)”

Adonijah possibly knew that the king preferred Solomon and this could explain why he avoided David’s close advisors in selecting those to join his rebel camp.

Surprisingly, Joab the army commander and Abiathar the Priest were listed into the rebellion behind David's back, yet these were David's faithful men who stood by his side during his fugitive days.

1Kings 1:6 is instructive of Davids shortcomings. It indicates that David failed to discipline his children. David had apparently abdicated his moral duty as a father in failing to provide leadership for his large polygamous family.

BATHSHEBA'S PETITION & SOLOMON'S APPOINTMENT AS CROWN PRINCE

The royal conspiracy by Adonijah was apparently kept secret so that few royal officials were privy to it. Solomon’s mother Bathsheba was not aware of the goings on until Nathan the prophet spoke to her and guided her on how to approach the king over the delicate matter (1Kings 1:11-14).

Nathan knew that Adonijah would execute all contenders to the throne including their siblings if he managed to usurp the throne.

David was apparently unaware of the rebellion and when he was informed about it, he quickly confirmed his promise to Bathsheba that Solomon would reign after him.

He immediately proceeded to proclaim Solomon as the crown prince. There is no evidence that David abdicated the throne at this stage. He simply resolved the succession question.

Adonijah’s conspiracy miserably backfired and his team collapsed as each fled for their lives (1King 1:49).

Adonijah sensed that his fate was sealed and rushed to the sanctuary and took the horns of the altar in pleading for mercy. Solomon graciously forgave him on condition that he will behave himself going forward (1Kings 1:52-53)

SOLOMON SUCCEEDS DAVID AND EXECUTES THE COUP PLOTTERS

David’s death is recorded in 1Kings 2:10-12. Solomon took over from him immediately upon his death. Surprisingly Adonijah was not done with his life of conspiracy. He had more tricks in his bag.

He desired to have Abishag his father's consort as his wife.  This was a fatal miscalculation! Abishag the Shunamite was taking care of David his father before his death. She was now listed among David's concubines.

Adonijah approached Bathsheba to present his request to king Solomon.

Solomon rightly understood that the request was an act of treason!

By seeking Abishag's hand in marriage, Adonijah was in effect taking the place of David through the back door and thereby laying grounds for a legitimate claim over the throne!

Solomon ordered the immediate execution of Adonijah and Joab the key conspirators of the Adonijah succession.

He spared Abiathar the priest because he had stood with his father in the wilderness. He simply defrocked him from the priesthood, bringing a prophetic end to the house of Eli.

SEVEN LESSONS FROM ADONIJAH’S TRAGIC AMBITION

Let us now conclude by examining seven key moral lessons that we can learn from the rise and fall of Adonijah.

1) PRIDE COMES BEFORE A FALL.

Adonijah exalted himself and declared that he would be king. This was not God's will for him. In the end he was debased and destroyed by his evil ambition.

We need to remember that Satan was thrown down from heaven for exalting himself and seeking to overthrow God.

Proverbs 11:2-3 says “When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.  3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.”

The Bible also teaches that we should humble ourselves before the Lord and he will lift us up in due season (James 4:10).

Only God can exalt us into positions of privilege if we are willing to be patient. No matter how much we covet power, we can never access positions that God has reserved for others.

We should therefore patiently wait for God’s time for our visitation.

2) WE SHOULD SEEK DIVINE WISDOM IN OUR MAJOR PURSUITS OF LIFE.

Adonijah trusted in his untested wisdom and poor judgment and did not seek the counsel of God and that of his godly father concerning the succession. He took the royal office of King for granted, not realizing that God alone determines who will sit on David’s throne (cf. Psalm 75:5-7).

The Bible teaches in Proverbs 14:12 that “there is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” This is truly what happened in Adonijah’s case. His foolishness was his greatest undoing.

The Bible also teaches in Psalm 20:7 that some trust in chariots, others in horses but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

Do you often remember to turn to God for direction each day?

3) WE SHOULD LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS

Even after being spared by Solomon through a royal pardon, and having witnessed the deaths of his two brothers, Amnon and his elder brother Absalom, Adonijah appears to have learnt nothing from the twin tragedies.

Someone said that a wise person learns from the mistakes of others but a fool does not learn from his mistakes.

Adonijah should have considered the royal pardon as an opportunity for self reflection and reform. There are times that God seeks to teach us vital lessons through the perils suffered by those close to us.

4) WE SHOULD SUBMIT TO GOD'S WILL

We should humbly allow God to have His way in our lives. Jesus did the same and was ultimately exalted by the Father (Philippians 2:1-10).

He prayed in Luke 22:42 saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

5) DISCIPLINE IS A VITAL INGREDIENT FOR GODLY CHARACTER

The Bible reveals in 1Kings 1:6 that David had habitually neglected to discipline his sons so that the results were devastating (cf. 2Sam 13:21-39).

David needlessly lost three sons, Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah partly because he failed as a father to admonish his children in the way of the Lord. Some say that David was busy fighting battles and had little time for his large family of more than 17 sons.

Conversely, children should on their part heed the wise counsel of their parents and elders so that they do not end up in moral ruin and depravity.

Proverbs 13:1 says “A wise son heeds his father's instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”

6) WE SHOULD CHOOSE OUR FRIENDS AND ADVISERS WISELY.

We should make careful choice of people and counsel our friends in godly wisdom without being motivated by vested interests.

Joab was probably aware of David’s choice of Solomon as his successor but he only focused on his narrow interest of serving as army commander after David. This appears to have motivated his joining the Adonijah rebellion and suggests that David may have already sidelined him.

Abiathar the priest probably desired the office of high priest in the new royal order, a position he never achieved in life! It is regrettable that he was unable to offer wise spiritual counsel to the young prince.

There is also a dark side to this mystery... Watch this......

Joab was a man under a curse because he had spilled innocent blood after murdering Abner, Saul’s commander who had defected to David after Saul’s death (1Sam 31). He did this out of jealousy!

Joab had probably feared that his coveted royal position may slip out of his hands if Solomon succeeds David. He chose to eliminate his perceived rivals as a method of self preservation but he was later to pay dearly for this.

Abiathar the priest should have counseled Adonijah to tame his ambitions and abandon the conspiracy. Unfortunately, Abiathar too was living under a divine curse which God had placed on his ancestor, Eli the priest and his offspring. Abiathar was the last priest to serve in the line of Eli.

What kind of counsel are you receiving from those close to you?

Are they honest enough to speak you in the eye where you are wrong?

What motivates your association with people?

7) WE SHOULD NOT JUDGE PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF THEIR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE BUT BY THE SUBSTANCE OF THEIR MORAL CHARACTER.

John Hagee, a leading American televangelist once said that love at first sight is cured by a second look!

Adonijah was reported to be an exceedingly handsome and comely young man and so was Absalom. Sadly, both men were devoid of moral character!

Physical features can be extremely deceiving and may conceal a ravenous evil heart that will eventually manifest itself! Read Jeremiah 17:9.

The Bible teaches in 1Sam 16:7 that the LORD seeth not as a man seeth for a man seeth on the outward but the LORD looks into the heart.

We should never substitute God's divine wisdom revealed in His word for our own frail and limited wisdom. We should never lean on our own understanding.

Shalom



© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019