Take your Bibles with me and turn to 1 Kings 1. 1 Kings 1. We are going to be looking tonight at a story about the rise of King Solomon.
There are four themes I want to address as we look at this chapter today. And as we address each theme, we will read that passage.
The first theme I want to address is...
1. The pathetic failure of the "great" man
David, there can be no doubt, is one of the greatest men who ever lived. He was a man of faith. A man of worship. A man of bravery. A talented king who brought Israel into their greatest period.
But here in 1 Kings 1 we see the pathetic end of David. Let's read it...
[!bible] 1 Kings 1:1-4 - KJV
- Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
- Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
- So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
- And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
David is old. He's not just old, he's at that point where he is starting to be feeble and to be cold. I've heard commentators say that David was probably only 70 years old at this point - and I don't have reason to doubt that - but he is an old 70.
I remember when Pastor Pullen was still alive, near the end of his life when he would come to church, he would wear gloves, even in July. He just couldn't get warm. I've seen this in other's too.
That's where David was. He's weak and he is cold and (as we'll see) he's kind of out of it. He's in his Joe Biden phase. His autopen phase of aging.
So his helpers hatch a plan. They are going to get David a very high end electric blanket. They hatch a "miss Israel" contest to find the most beautiful girl in the land, and the winner is this girl named Abishag. And you don't have to read very far to figure out what they were after. No doubt they thought - if extra blankets can't get him going, surely this beautiful young woman will.
But their plan doesn't work. Probably not because of David's scruples, but because he's past that point. He's a weak shell of who he was.
If ever there was a Sunday School hero - a flannel graph superhero - it is king David. He is the super man of the Bible. The king full of power with a sword in his fist - the man that every other man would be compared to. And yet - this is how it ends for David - he is a shell of what he was, he's shivering in the heat. There are things going on in his kingdom that need his attention and he's just trying to stay warm.
And I think the lesson that this is intended to show us is one we ought to know by now very well - that the best of men are men at best. That it is foolish for us to pin our hopes on flesh and bone. The greatest of men will be a disappointment.
Whatever David was - he wasn't it. He wasn't the one who would rule forever and make everything right. He may have seemed more promising than anyone, but even David failed in so many ways.
It was David of all people who wrote these words:
[!bible] Psalms 103:15-16 - KJV 15. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 16. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
David was fading. He wasn't the promised one. He wasn't the son of Abraham who would bless the whole world.
So that's the first theme "the pathetic failure of the "great" man."
The second theme I think we see in this chapter is..
2. The foolishness of trying to order our life contrary to God's will.
Let's pick up in verse 5 and read some more.
[!bible] 1 Kings 1:5-10 - KJV 5. Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6. And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom. 7. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. 8. But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. 9. And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel, and called all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah the king’s servants: 10. But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
Adonijah was probably David's oldest son. He was likely in his mid-thirties at this point. He was Absolom's brother and like Absolom, he was very, very handsome.
Verse 6 tells us something instructive about Adononijah - "his father had not displeased him at any time." I think this is at least hinting at the idea that Adonijah was a spoiled brat. Adonijah was a guy who had never been told no. His daddy had given him everything he ever wanted. So he was a spoiled man-child.
And now the spoiled man-child wanted to be king. Daddy was fading. He saw his opportunity. So he went for it.
He got this big party together. He kicked off his social-media campaign. He was gathering some influencers like Abiathar and Joab. He was getting his enthronement party together.
Of course, he didn't ask Solomon. I think everyone knew that Solomon had been chosen by God. In 1 Chronicles 22 God told David:
[!bible] 1 Chronicles 22:9 - KJV 9. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
Solomon was God's choice. But Adonijah wasn't seeking God's will. He was trying to do what he wanted, which was to become king.
He wasn't alone. David's right hand man and even the High Priest were in on this.
What Adonijah does here is what so many of us do - we pursue our desires without seeking if they are God's desires. We scheme. We manipulate. We put things in place. But listen, if God isn't in it - it is bound to fail.
[!bible] Proverbs 19:21 - KJV 21. There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
Another passage, one you know well says:
The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.
Adonijah may not have said it out loud. He may have even tried to give his actions the patina of religiosity. But he was acting here as a practical atheist. He was acting like he could choose what was only God's to choose.
So let me ask you - are there areas of your life where you are trying to do something that probably isn't God's plan for you?
What could be more egotistical, than to think that you will win in a battle against God?
So this chapter teaches us about the pathetic failure of great men, it teaches us about the foolishness of trying to live our lives outside of God's will.
But as we keep reading, we see a third theme emerge, and that is...
3. The mercy of God to use fallen people.
Let's read on here, starting in verse 11 and see what happens:
[!bible] 1 Kings 1:11-27 - KJV 11. Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? 12. Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. 13. Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign? 14. Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words. 15. And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king. 16. And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou? 17. And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. 18. And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not: 19. And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called. 20. And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21. Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders. 22. And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. 23. And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. 24. And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? 25. For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah. 26. But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called. 27. Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
What happens here is Nathan the prophet sees what is going on, and he picks an unlikely ally. He goes to Bathsheba. Together they stage an intervention. They are going to go to David one after another and remind him of who God had chosen.
And they do. Bathsheba comes into David and asks him "Don't you remember what you promised me? That Solomon would be king?"
Bathsheba and Solomon's life was on the line - because there is no doubt that Adonijah would kill off anyone who was a threat to his throne.
David didn't know. He didn't know what Adonijah was doing.
Right after Bathsheba Nathan comes in and tells the same thing. He reminds David that David had told him it was going to be Solomon who reigned and setup the Temple.
Perhaps the biggest scandal in David's life was what he did with Bathsheba. He took her. He killed her husband. Adultery. Murder. Lying. And it was Nathan - the godly prophet - that stood before David and said "Thou art the man!"
But isn't it interesting that it is Nathan, working with Bathsheba, to enthrone Solomon - the son of Bathsheba and David - that saves the kingdom?
I mean, let's be honest, I think most of us would want to put a scarlet letter on Bathsheba and everything related to Bathsheba after this. I think we would want to treat her as David's wife with an asterisk.
Because if we are honest, very often, it is not God that struggles to extend mercy and forgiveness and grace to people - it is us. It is God's people.
But Nathan got over it. God got over it. David had repented. David had been judged. Bathsheba was now his wife. They likely had a happy life together. And we have to be ok with that.
Let me ask you something - are there areas in your life where you struggle to forgive others? Do you want to give people forgiveness with an asterisk?
What about forgiving yourself? God offers forgiveness that is full and free - and God uses sinners, if He didn't, He would have no one to use.
So we've talked about the pathetic failure of great men, about the foolishness of trying to live our lives outside of God's will and about the mercy of God to use fallen people.
Let's finish the story and look at one last theme:
4. Solomon the "prince of peace"
Let's read verses 28-52
[!bible] 1 Kings 1:28-52 - KJV 28. Then king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king. 29. And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, 30. Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day. 31. Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever. 32. And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. 33. The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: 34. And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. 35. Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. 36. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too. 37. As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. 38. So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. 40. And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. 41. And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? 42. And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings. 43. And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king. 44. And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mule: 45. And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard. 46. And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. 47. And moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed. 48. And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it. 49. And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. 50. And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 51. And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword. 52. And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
David acts quickly in these verses and sets up Solomon to be the next king. As Adonijah and his crew of would be usurpers are having a party - they hear the shout of the people and they know what that means: Solomon has been named king. There is a new king, and he's only about 17 years old!
Quietly, a bunch of them leave. They don't want to be caught in a failed coup.
There are at least three ways here that Solomon is a picture of Christ. Let's talk about them and then be done this evening.
The first way Solomon is a picture of Christ is in his promise. You see, Solomon, like Christ was God's plan for the fulfillment of God's covenant. God promised that David's kingdom would never end, and God promised that His son Solomon would help establish that kingdom.
Solomon was the promised son. He is the (little m) messiah. Of course, the fulfillment of all the promises is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate Messiah. The ultimate end of the promises to Adam and to Noah and to Abraham and to David.
And Solomon points us to that.
The second way Solomon is a picture of Christ is in his peace.
Solomon was a man of peace. His very name means "peace" - it is a version of the word "shalom." Solomon was called "the prince of peace."
When Solomon was enthroned here, they put him on a mule. When a king rode a mule, it was a symbol of peace. Later on, Jesus would come as the ultimate prince of peace and ride a mule into Jerusalem on palm Sunday.
Solomon is meant to point the way to Christ.
The third and final way Solomon is a picture of Christ is in his mercy.
Adonijah had tried to take the throne to himself. He had his own king party and didn't invite Solomon - which kind of hints at what Adonijah planned to do to Solomon. It would have been natural and even prudent for Solomon to have him executed.
But as Adonijah runs and holds onto the horns of the altar, Solomon has a chance to do his first act as king and Solomon's first act as king is to offer this guilty man forgiveness and mercy.
And of course all of this points us to the mercy of Christ - who came to die for those who rejected Him. Who died Himself in our place.
Now, as I close this message tonight, I want us to think about one more thing:
Adonijah was just one of several people we've learned about in David's story that lifted themselves up to be king. They all went about it the same way. They got supporters. They got horses. They identified and excluded their enemies and they got people to say "long live the king." Absolom had done this - now Adonijah.
But God gets to pick the king. Who is going to be the king of your life? Are you going to scheme and manipulate what you want - or are you going to figure out what God is doing and get behind it?
"Tonight, you have the same choice Adonijah faced. You can keep trying to crown yourself king - scheming for your career, manipulating your relationships, demanding your way in your marriage, your parenting, your finances. Or you can do what Adonijah should have done - recognize that God has already chosen the King.
Jesus Christ is God's chosen King - not just of Israel, but of your heart, your Monday morning, your fears, your dreams. The question isn't whether He's qualified to rule. The question is: will you stop your rebellion and bow the knee?"
Connect back to your themes:
"We've seen tonight that even the greatest men fail - David ended up cold and confused. We've seen that fighting God's plan always ends in defeat - Adonijah's party became a funeral. But we've also seen God's mercy to use broken people like Bathsheba and Nathan. And we've seen the Prince of Peace offer forgiveness even to those who tried to steal His throne.
That same mercy is available to you tonight."
