1 Kings 1:5 - Meaning and Application

David had much trouble with his children. Amnon and Absalom had both brought him grief, one as his firstborn and the other as his third son (2 Samuel 3:2, 2 Samuel 3:3). We may suppose he found comfort in his second son, whom he had by Abigail. His fourth was Adonijah (2 Samuel 3:4), one of the sons born in Hebron. We hear nothing of him until now, and here we learn that he was a handsome man, next in age to Absalom and, as it turned out, much like him in spirit (1 Kings 1:6). He had once been a jewel in his father's eyes, but now he was a trouble.

His father had spoiled him. He had never displeased him at any time (1 Kings 1:6). That does not mean Adonijah never upset his father. It is likely he did often, and David secretly grieved over it before God. But David had not checked him, denied him what he wanted, asked him to give account of his actions, kept him to his studies or work, or rebuked him for what he did wrong. He never said, "Why have you done this?" because David saw that correction pained him, and he could not bear the discomfort. The son's fault was that he hated correction and took it as an insult, so he lost its help. The father's fault was that, since he saw it upset him, he did not correct him. Now he rightly suffered for indulging him. Those who honor their sons more than God, as those do who fail to keep them under good discipline, lose the honor they might later expect from them.

In return, Adonijah made a fool of his father. Because David was old and confined to his bed, Adonijah thought no notice need be taken of him, and so he exalted himself and said, "I will be king" (1 Kings 1:5). Children who are indulged often grow proud and ambitious, and that ruins many young people. The way to keep them humble is to keep them under proper rule. Notice Adonijah's boldness. He looked on the days of mourning for his father as near, and so he prepared to take over, even though he knew that by God's choice and David's choice Solomon was to be king. David himself had already made that known, and the succession was settled, as if by law, according to God's appointment (1 Chronicles 22:9, 1 Chronicles 23:1). Adonijah tried to tear up that settled order by force, in contempt of both God and his father. In the same way, Christ's kingdom is opposed, and some still say, "We do not want this man to rule over us."

Adonijah also looked on his father as worn out and useless, and so he moved at once to take the throne. He could not wait until David was fully gone, but wanted it said right away, "Adonijah reigns" (1 Kings 1:18), and, "God save King Adonijah" (1 Kings 1:25). He reasoned that his father was too old to govern, Solomon was too young to rule, and therefore the government must pass to him. It shows a very low and wicked heart when children mock their parents because of old age and weakness.

To carry out this ambitious plan, Adonijah first gathered a large retinue, with chariots and horsemen for display and for force, to attend him and fight for him (1 Kings 1:5). He also won the support of Joab, the army commander, and Abiathar, the high priest (1 Kings 1:7). It is not strange that he sought out men whose influence in both church and army could help him. What is surprising is how he drew them to his side. They were old men, faithful to David through the hardest times, and men of sense and experience, who would seem unlikely to be deceived. They could gain nothing by siding with Adonijah, since both were already at the top of their position and secure in it. They could not be unaware that the crown had been promised to Solomon, and they could not change that. So it was in their own interest to support the rightful heir. Yet God left them to themselves in this matter, perhaps to discipline them for some earlier fault with a scourge of their own making.

We are also told who did not join Adonijah, and who was so trusted that Adonijah did not even dare propose his scheme to them: Zadok the priest, Benaiah the captain, and Nathan the prophet (1 Kings 1:8). A man who has already shown firm loyalty to what is right will not be asked to help with what is wrong.

Adonijah then prepared a great feast (1 Kings 1:9) at En-rogel, not far from Jerusalem. He invited the king's sons and the king's servants, feeding and flattering them in order to win them to his side. But Solomon was not invited, either because Adonijah despised him or because he had no hope of swaying him (1 Kings 1:10). People who serve their own appetites and are willing to follow whichever side feeds them are easy targets for deceivers (Romans 16:18). Some think Adonijah slaughtered sheep and oxen, even fattened animals, as a sacrifice, and that this was a religious feast. If so, he began his usurpation with a show of devotion, much as Absalom did under the cover of a vow (2 Samuel 15:7). He may have done this the more convincingly because the high priest himself was on his side. It is a shame whenever anyone can say, "In the name of the Lord," and use that as the start of evil. Religious acts should never be used to support corrupt behavior.