The Lord Establishes His Kingdom
1 Kings 1
The Scriptures are always give a jolt. They are unique in that regard. How many books do you know that start with a dying, decrepit man?
If you were writing about the kings of your land, you would probably start with a young man, vigorous and strong. That’s not the way 1 Kings starts. It starts with a man who is very old; a man who is on the verge of dying.
That’s a good way to start this book though. 1-2 Kings is about a kingdom that dies. It’s about how the kings of Judah and Israel fail to live according to God’s covenant, and subsequently punished by God (they are sent into exile and disbanded as a nation).
The first few lines of this book really do set the tone. It’s a reminder that we need a Savior. We need the Lord to deliver us from our sins usher in his great kingdom.
All in all, we hear echoes of the Garden of Eden. Death looms large; we are faced with the curse of death. The very first thing we read in 1 Kings is that the curse for sin is very much alive and well. Satan rose up and drew Adam & Eve away from God. And God declared that there would be consequences.
But what about the promise? When God proclaimed his curse he also gave a promise. That wicked serpent would be crushed. A child would arise. A deliverer would come. A son of David was supposed to reign. And the one who supplanted God’s people would be put asunder; and death (and sin) would die with him.
What about God’s promise? That’s the question that the first audience was asking. Obviously 1-2 Kings was written after the time of the kings. It was written after the people of God had gone into exile. And it was written to answer that question. What of God’s promises? Have they died? Is there any hope? Or are we doomed to die under this reign of terror?
Well, this is where the story of 1 Kings 1 is so wonderful. This passage was written to answer that question. God’s promise will not fail. It’s here to declare that the Promised King will be exalted and the Usurper God’s kingdom would be crushed once and for all.
That’s what we see in this passage. The story before us has all the drama of a Shakespearian play. You have this guy Adonijah. He’s one of David’s children. And he decides to take the throne.
David’s old. David is essentially powerless. And Adonijah is an ambitious fellow. He sees this as an opportunity to seize control. In verse 5 we are told that he exalts himself, saying, “I will be king.” So he throws this party and gathers around himself some powerful people who will help solidify his rule.
The problem, of course, was that God had said otherwise. God had declared that Solomon was to be king. And the story before us is about how there is this counter plot by Nathan and Bathsheba. They know they are as good as dead, right? What is the first thing that a guy does when he seizes control? He kills off all the competition, right? So they know their lives, and the life of Solomon, is on the line. So Nathan & Bathsheba contrive this plan to get Solomon firmly fixed upon the throne.
Now, as we think about this text there are a few things I want us to take away from it. This passage is not just exciting; it is educational. There are several things that are noteworthy.
And the first thing I want you to notice is that God is in perfect control.
God is in control
The text is somewhat discrete about it, but there’s no doubt that the Lord is exercising his sovereign power the entire time. As the story unfolds, you can’t help but understand that God is at work. He is the one who is bringing about his purposes by means of his unseen providence.
As I said, the text is discrete, but you can definitely see it. The most prominent place it is found is in verse 29. If you look at verse 29, you see that David speaks of the Lord. And David recognizes Him to be the “living God.” David speaks of the Lord and says that he is the living God, the one who had redeemed David out of every adversity.
If you look at the structure of the passage, you’ll see that this statement is the core message. There is a chiastic arrangement of the text. The text begins with an old king who has no power to act. But the passage ends with a new king, Solomon. And, as we’ll see, he’s very much alive. He’s full of youthful vigor and isn’t afraid to exercise his power.
The second section has to do with Adonijah. At the beginning of the text he throws a little party. Towards the end of the passage that party breaks up and everyone leaves. Everyone hears about Solomon and they skedaddle. Nobody wants to be caught hanging out with Adonijah.
The next section is all about the plans to make Solomon king. First you have Nathan and Bathsheba concocting their plan to approach David to get Solomon on the throne. That’s contrasted with the plans that David makes in verses 32f. David gives instructions on how Solomon is to be taken to Gihon and anointed. People are to shout long live king Solomon. And he’s supposed to ride on the king’s donkey.
All in all, there’s to be a lot of pomp and fanfare. There’s to be no mistake that Solomon is the king.
But right in the middle of the text you have David’s confession. He is the living God. He is the God who is Active. He is the God who delivers his people.
What does the text want to emphasize? It wants to emphasize that while all humanity is essentially dead and has no power to bring God’s kingdom, God will do it. God is in control. There’s no power of sin that can thwart God’s purposes in this world.
God’s sovereign activity may also be picked up in another discrete way; oddly enough, it is in Adonijah, of all people. Adonijah’s name means “Yahweh is My Master.”
That’s a little odd because Adonijah sought to deny the mastery of Yahweh. Adonijah sought to circumvent God’s plan and he sought to take matters into his own hands. But it didn’t work out the way he had hoped, did it?. That’s because God is his master whether he accepts it or not.
All in all, 1 Kings 1 is a reminder that we are to trust in God. Do not doubt that God is in control. He is not dead. He is not powerless, like David. Never think that His hands are tied. If there is ever any question who is on the throne, remember that it is our God.
Our God is in control at all times. He’s even in control of the evil ones who are attempting to defy all that is good. Even those who are attempting to destroy God’s purposes, even they cannot get out from under His mastery.
Therefore may take comfort. We may rest in knowing that no power of hell is able to overthrow him. No scheme of man can thwart his plan. He lives to fulfill his promises. He will rescue his people from all adversity.
The point is discrete, but it is clear: The enemy cannot prevail. He may seem like he gets ahead from time to time, but we may be assured that the Lord is the living God. He will effect His purposes in due time because He alone is the master of all.
The second thing I’d like us to take note of is how weak leadership provides the opportunity for evil to advance.
Weak leadership provides the opportunity for evil to advance.
You will notice that our passage is clear about this. Why is Adonijah able to pull the stunt in the first place? The threat arose because David was weak. And you will notice that there were two ways in which David was weak.
First, he is just physically weak. The passage begins by telling us how old David is. And it goes to great lengths to show just how feeble he had become. He cannot keep himself warm. What do they do? They bring in a pretty young lady named Abishag. And she’s basically a human blanket.
Now, people can get uncomfortable with this. But understand what the text is trying to say. David has had a history of acquiring pretty women. Over the course of his life he had accumulated 8 wives. Now the text is saying, he’s lacking in virility.
Above all, David doesn’t even know what’s going on in his kingdom. He doesn’t even know that this coupe is afoot. He has to be informed.
So there’s one weakness. David has advanced in years and he’s not up to snuff when it comes to being a king. And this allows Adonijah to make his move.
But there’s another kind of weakness that’s found in David. He’s a weak father. Notice what it says in verse 6. It says that David never displeased Adonijah. Adonijah was a spoiled brat. He always got what he wanted. He never got in trouble. His father never disciplined him.
So now Adonijah sets his eyes on the kingdom. And he says, “I’ll have that too.”
All in all, Adonijah’s mutiny was able to happen because of a weak king and a weak father. The lack of leadership created the gap that was needed for evil to encroach.
You may have heard it says that the only thing evil needs to prevail is for good men to do nothing. It’s true. Strong leadership provides an insulation that keeps evil minded people from creeping into our churches, our schools, and other such institutions.
It is often said that, during the Modernist - Fundamentalist controversy of the 1900’s, the liberals were able to take over the churches because of one thing: the moderates. There were people in leadership who were not necessarily liberal; as a matter of fact, a great many of them would have been rather conservative in their convictions. The problem was that they were not active. They didn’t want to take bold stands. They didn’t want to exercise discipline and enforce the rules. Since they took that laissez-faire attitude, the liberals (who were really a minority), won the day.
We see this in the larger culture too. Why are we seeing our liberties being lost? Why are our prisons overflowing with inmates? Why do we have to “make America great again?” Why are we not as great as were were 150 years ago?
It’s because 40% of children are born without a father in the home. We’ve lost some of the most crucial leaders that God has ever created. And the fathers we do have are frequently dads in biology only. They are not the kind of men who you can say are leading their families with love and discipline. They are not setting examples before their children and nurturing them as a father is supposed to. So their children end up either becoming little Adonijah’s or creating an atmosphere where an Adonijah might spring up.
Leadership is so key. Weak leaders produce weak followers. And, more importantly, without godly leadership, there ends up being a vacuum that is created. That vacuum will typically be filled with dirt. So it is imperative that we seek to be diligent in the roles that God gives us.
There’s another point that I want you to notice from our text. I want you to notice the tools which are at our disposal. We have a role in advancing the kingdom of God and combating evil.
We must be diligent and use the tools at our disposal
But what do you do when things do start to go bad? What if you see godly power beginning to be usurped? What if evil begins to get the upper hand and godly order is supplanted? Is there any recourse that you have?
Certainly there is. We combat evil by means of the word and prayer. These are the weapons of our warfare.
It should not be missed that the two most influential people in this passage are two of the weakest people in the text. I’m talking about Nathan and Bathsheba.
Nathan & Bathsheba know that they don’t have a chance. They can do nothing to stop Adonijah on their own. They are powerless to stop him from coming to power and taking control of the kingdom. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t do anything. They determine to go to David and rouse him to action.
Now, I want you to think about Nathan and Bathsheba. I want you to think about who they are and what they do.
Nathan, of course, is a prophet. He represents the ministry of God’s word. So the Truth of God is very important in this scene.
Then you have Bathsheba. Bathsheba is one who goes to David and talks with him about what is going on. But what she says is very important. She doesn’t say, “Hey, David, get it in gear!” No, she asks David about the promise he made. “Didn’t you say Solomon was to be king?”
Bathsheba lives us to her name here. Her name means “daughter of the oath.” Her life is defined by a vow, a covenant. And she goes to David and asks him to fulfill the oath that he has sworn. David had made a promise. He had taken a vow and said that Solomon would be king. Now, the daughter of the oath asks him to keep that promise.
All in all, Bathsheba is indicative of what prayer is. Prayer is simply asking God to keep his promises.
For instance, when you pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” what are you doing? You are asking God to do something he has already promised he would do. Jesus made a promise. He said that the gates of Hell would not prevail. So when you pray that God would bring his kingdom, you are asking the Lord to fulfill the vow he made.
And this is how we get things done in this world. This is how we advance God’s agenda: The prayers of of God’s people availeth much because we simply ask God to do what he has already promised to do. We take God’s word to God and we send it back to God and we ask him to fulfill the vows that he has made.
If you want to know how we defeat tyranny, this is it. How do we stop the encroachment of wickedness in our governments? How can we save churches that may be headed down the wrong path. How can we bring new life to families that are broken?
In the book of Acts, the apostles were opposed. The religious leaders sought to shut them down. But the church prayed. They recited Psalm 2, “Why do the nations rage and the people’s plot in vain?” They took the Word of God and lifted it back to God. And it says that the place was shaken. Why? That was God’s way of saying, “I heard you.” The nations will be shaken. Nothing will stop me.
We may be dependent upon His sovereign power, but it does not mean we do not have any responsibility. God works in and through faithful people like Nathan and Bathsheba. God works in and through the prayers of his people.
Lord is, in some sense, activated by means of prayer. God responds to our prayers. God uses our prayers as a way of bringing his plans to pass. So we should be diligent to pray.
Now, there’s one more thing that this passage teaches us.
A keen reminder of the victory we have in Christ
Part of David’s instructions is that Solomon was to go down to Gihon and be anointed king there. And there was to be a crowd taken with them. And they were supposed to blow trumpets and make a loud fuss.
The funny thing about this is that it is only about 100 yards away from the place where Adonijah throws his party. Due to the shape of the territory, you can’t see each other. You are separated by a cliff. But they are only about 100 yards away from where Adonijah is. And I hope you do not miss that Adonijah just happens to be at a place called the “Serpent’s Stone.”
But there’s this loud coronation and you notice what happens. Adonijah and his crew hear all the commotion. Then they are told by Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, “Solomon has just been made king.” And everyone scatters. They don’t want to be caught dead there.
Adonijah knows the gig is up too. So he goes and grabs the horns of the alter, to plead for mercy. He knows he could be put to death. Interestingly, Solomon’s first act as king is one of mercy. Adonijah had threatened death. His first act would have been to kill Solomon and his people. But Solomon’s first act is one of life. It is one of mercy.
But one of the last things that is said is that Adonijah bowed down before Solomon. Interestingly, the one who had exalted himself, now is face down on the ground, in a very low position. And do not miss the image that is painted. Absalom's head is right at the feet of the exalted king. The usurper’s head is all but crushed.
Now, I hope you see the point. The author is going to great lengths to tell us of God’s original promise; the one he had given in the Garden of Eden. Satan may have sought to usurp the kingdom of God by bringing mankind into the bondage of sin and death. But that kingdom will not prevail.
The promised one would come. And the true king would crush the head of Satan and put and end to death and sin.
And this exactly what we find in the story of Jesus, is it not. Except that there may be one difference. The only difference is that Solomon was threatened with death, but Jesus did actually die.
In the New Testament we are told that the Usurper got his wish. Satan had Jesus to death. But Colossians tells us that it was there on the cross that Satan was disarmed. And he was dealt an even greater blow when Jesus rose again.
Jesus was exalted. Christ was revealed to be the true king who rose from the dead. And he ascended into heaven and took his seat upon the throne at God’s right hand. He is invested with honor and power as he sits upon the throne, granting mercy and life to all who would receive it.
As we read the story of Solomon’s enthronement and all the drama that surrounded it, we hear the story of the gospel. We are told that the Lord is the LIVING GOD and His promise will not fail.
Even though Satan may still live and he still may have some influence here in this world, we can be assured that his kingdom is coming to an end. His reign of terror will die with him. Our Exalted King has brought the victory. And His kingdom, which will be defined by life and salvation, will endure forever.
Structure:
Old King who is impotent
Everyone comes to Adonijah’s party
Nathan & Bathsheba create plans to make Solomon king
As the Lord lives; the promised king will reign
David makes plans to make Solomon king
Everyone leaves Adonijah’s party
New King who acts with power
If you were writing about the kings of your land, you would probably start with a young man, vigorous and strong. That’s not the way 1 Kings starts. It starts with a man who is very old; a man who is on the verge of dying.
That’s a good way to start this book though. 1-2 Kings is about a kingdom that dies. It’s about how the kings of Judah and Israel fail to live according to God’s covenant, and subsequently punished by God (they are sent into exile and disbanded as a nation).
The first few lines of this book really do set the tone. It’s a reminder that we need a Savior. We need the Lord to deliver us from our sins usher in his great kingdom.
All in all, we hear echoes of the Garden of Eden. Death looms large; we are faced with the curse of death. The very first thing we read in 1 Kings is that the curse for sin is very much alive and well. Satan rose up and drew Adam & Eve away from God. And God declared that there would be consequences.
But what about the promise? When God proclaimed his curse he also gave a promise. That wicked serpent would be crushed. A child would arise. A deliverer would come. A son of David was supposed to reign. And the one who supplanted God’s people would be put asunder; and death (and sin) would die with him.
What about God’s promise? That’s the question that the first audience was asking. Obviously 1-2 Kings was written after the time of the kings. It was written after the people of God had gone into exile. And it was written to answer that question. What of God’s promises? Have they died? Is there any hope? Or are we doomed to die under this reign of terror?
Well, this is where the story of 1 Kings 1 is so wonderful. This passage was written to answer that question. God’s promise will not fail. It’s here to declare that the Promised King will be exalted and the Usurper God’s kingdom would be crushed once and for all.
That’s what we see in this passage. The story before us has all the drama of a Shakespearian play. You have this guy Adonijah. He’s one of David’s children. And he decides to take the throne.
David’s old. David is essentially powerless. And Adonijah is an ambitious fellow. He sees this as an opportunity to seize control. In verse 5 we are told that he exalts himself, saying, “I will be king.” So he throws this party and gathers around himself some powerful people who will help solidify his rule.
The problem, of course, was that God had said otherwise. God had declared that Solomon was to be king. And the story before us is about how there is this counter plot by Nathan and Bathsheba. They know they are as good as dead, right? What is the first thing that a guy does when he seizes control? He kills off all the competition, right? So they know their lives, and the life of Solomon, is on the line. So Nathan & Bathsheba contrive this plan to get Solomon firmly fixed upon the throne.
Now, as we think about this text there are a few things I want us to take away from it. This passage is not just exciting; it is educational. There are several things that are noteworthy.
And the first thing I want you to notice is that God is in perfect control.
God is in control
The text is somewhat discrete about it, but there’s no doubt that the Lord is exercising his sovereign power the entire time. As the story unfolds, you can’t help but understand that God is at work. He is the one who is bringing about his purposes by means of his unseen providence.
As I said, the text is discrete, but you can definitely see it. The most prominent place it is found is in verse 29. If you look at verse 29, you see that David speaks of the Lord. And David recognizes Him to be the “living God.” David speaks of the Lord and says that he is the living God, the one who had redeemed David out of every adversity.
If you look at the structure of the passage, you’ll see that this statement is the core message. There is a chiastic arrangement of the text. The text begins with an old king who has no power to act. But the passage ends with a new king, Solomon. And, as we’ll see, he’s very much alive. He’s full of youthful vigor and isn’t afraid to exercise his power.
The second section has to do with Adonijah. At the beginning of the text he throws a little party. Towards the end of the passage that party breaks up and everyone leaves. Everyone hears about Solomon and they skedaddle. Nobody wants to be caught hanging out with Adonijah.
The next section is all about the plans to make Solomon king. First you have Nathan and Bathsheba concocting their plan to approach David to get Solomon on the throne. That’s contrasted with the plans that David makes in verses 32f. David gives instructions on how Solomon is to be taken to Gihon and anointed. People are to shout long live king Solomon. And he’s supposed to ride on the king’s donkey.
All in all, there’s to be a lot of pomp and fanfare. There’s to be no mistake that Solomon is the king.
But right in the middle of the text you have David’s confession. He is the living God. He is the God who is Active. He is the God who delivers his people.
What does the text want to emphasize? It wants to emphasize that while all humanity is essentially dead and has no power to bring God’s kingdom, God will do it. God is in control. There’s no power of sin that can thwart God’s purposes in this world.
God’s sovereign activity may also be picked up in another discrete way; oddly enough, it is in Adonijah, of all people. Adonijah’s name means “Yahweh is My Master.”
That’s a little odd because Adonijah sought to deny the mastery of Yahweh. Adonijah sought to circumvent God’s plan and he sought to take matters into his own hands. But it didn’t work out the way he had hoped, did it?. That’s because God is his master whether he accepts it or not.
All in all, 1 Kings 1 is a reminder that we are to trust in God. Do not doubt that God is in control. He is not dead. He is not powerless, like David. Never think that His hands are tied. If there is ever any question who is on the throne, remember that it is our God.
Our God is in control at all times. He’s even in control of the evil ones who are attempting to defy all that is good. Even those who are attempting to destroy God’s purposes, even they cannot get out from under His mastery.
Therefore may take comfort. We may rest in knowing that no power of hell is able to overthrow him. No scheme of man can thwart his plan. He lives to fulfill his promises. He will rescue his people from all adversity.
The point is discrete, but it is clear: The enemy cannot prevail. He may seem like he gets ahead from time to time, but we may be assured that the Lord is the living God. He will effect His purposes in due time because He alone is the master of all.
The second thing I’d like us to take note of is how weak leadership provides the opportunity for evil to advance.
Weak leadership provides the opportunity for evil to advance.
You will notice that our passage is clear about this. Why is Adonijah able to pull the stunt in the first place? The threat arose because David was weak. And you will notice that there were two ways in which David was weak.
First, he is just physically weak. The passage begins by telling us how old David is. And it goes to great lengths to show just how feeble he had become. He cannot keep himself warm. What do they do? They bring in a pretty young lady named Abishag. And she’s basically a human blanket.
Now, people can get uncomfortable with this. But understand what the text is trying to say. David has had a history of acquiring pretty women. Over the course of his life he had accumulated 8 wives. Now the text is saying, he’s lacking in virility.
Above all, David doesn’t even know what’s going on in his kingdom. He doesn’t even know that this coupe is afoot. He has to be informed.
So there’s one weakness. David has advanced in years and he’s not up to snuff when it comes to being a king. And this allows Adonijah to make his move.
But there’s another kind of weakness that’s found in David. He’s a weak father. Notice what it says in verse 6. It says that David never displeased Adonijah. Adonijah was a spoiled brat. He always got what he wanted. He never got in trouble. His father never disciplined him.
So now Adonijah sets his eyes on the kingdom. And he says, “I’ll have that too.”
All in all, Adonijah’s mutiny was able to happen because of a weak king and a weak father. The lack of leadership created the gap that was needed for evil to encroach.
You may have heard it says that the only thing evil needs to prevail is for good men to do nothing. It’s true. Strong leadership provides an insulation that keeps evil minded people from creeping into our churches, our schools, and other such institutions.
It is often said that, during the Modernist - Fundamentalist controversy of the 1900’s, the liberals were able to take over the churches because of one thing: the moderates. There were people in leadership who were not necessarily liberal; as a matter of fact, a great many of them would have been rather conservative in their convictions. The problem was that they were not active. They didn’t want to take bold stands. They didn’t want to exercise discipline and enforce the rules. Since they took that laissez-faire attitude, the liberals (who were really a minority), won the day.
We see this in the larger culture too. Why are we seeing our liberties being lost? Why are our prisons overflowing with inmates? Why do we have to “make America great again?” Why are we not as great as were were 150 years ago?
It’s because 40% of children are born without a father in the home. We’ve lost some of the most crucial leaders that God has ever created. And the fathers we do have are frequently dads in biology only. They are not the kind of men who you can say are leading their families with love and discipline. They are not setting examples before their children and nurturing them as a father is supposed to. So their children end up either becoming little Adonijah’s or creating an atmosphere where an Adonijah might spring up.
Leadership is so key. Weak leaders produce weak followers. And, more importantly, without godly leadership, there ends up being a vacuum that is created. That vacuum will typically be filled with dirt. So it is imperative that we seek to be diligent in the roles that God gives us.
There’s another point that I want you to notice from our text. I want you to notice the tools which are at our disposal. We have a role in advancing the kingdom of God and combating evil.
We must be diligent and use the tools at our disposal
But what do you do when things do start to go bad? What if you see godly power beginning to be usurped? What if evil begins to get the upper hand and godly order is supplanted? Is there any recourse that you have?
Certainly there is. We combat evil by means of the word and prayer. These are the weapons of our warfare.
It should not be missed that the two most influential people in this passage are two of the weakest people in the text. I’m talking about Nathan and Bathsheba.
Nathan & Bathsheba know that they don’t have a chance. They can do nothing to stop Adonijah on their own. They are powerless to stop him from coming to power and taking control of the kingdom. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t do anything. They determine to go to David and rouse him to action.
Now, I want you to think about Nathan and Bathsheba. I want you to think about who they are and what they do.
Nathan, of course, is a prophet. He represents the ministry of God’s word. So the Truth of God is very important in this scene.
Then you have Bathsheba. Bathsheba is one who goes to David and talks with him about what is going on. But what she says is very important. She doesn’t say, “Hey, David, get it in gear!” No, she asks David about the promise he made. “Didn’t you say Solomon was to be king?”
Bathsheba lives us to her name here. Her name means “daughter of the oath.” Her life is defined by a vow, a covenant. And she goes to David and asks him to fulfill the oath that he has sworn. David had made a promise. He had taken a vow and said that Solomon would be king. Now, the daughter of the oath asks him to keep that promise.
All in all, Bathsheba is indicative of what prayer is. Prayer is simply asking God to keep his promises.
For instance, when you pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” what are you doing? You are asking God to do something he has already promised he would do. Jesus made a promise. He said that the gates of Hell would not prevail. So when you pray that God would bring his kingdom, you are asking the Lord to fulfill the vow he made.
And this is how we get things done in this world. This is how we advance God’s agenda: The prayers of of God’s people availeth much because we simply ask God to do what he has already promised to do. We take God’s word to God and we send it back to God and we ask him to fulfill the vows that he has made.
If you want to know how we defeat tyranny, this is it. How do we stop the encroachment of wickedness in our governments? How can we save churches that may be headed down the wrong path. How can we bring new life to families that are broken?
In the book of Acts, the apostles were opposed. The religious leaders sought to shut them down. But the church prayed. They recited Psalm 2, “Why do the nations rage and the people’s plot in vain?” They took the Word of God and lifted it back to God. And it says that the place was shaken. Why? That was God’s way of saying, “I heard you.” The nations will be shaken. Nothing will stop me.
We may be dependent upon His sovereign power, but it does not mean we do not have any responsibility. God works in and through faithful people like Nathan and Bathsheba. God works in and through the prayers of his people.
Lord is, in some sense, activated by means of prayer. God responds to our prayers. God uses our prayers as a way of bringing his plans to pass. So we should be diligent to pray.
Now, there’s one more thing that this passage teaches us.
A keen reminder of the victory we have in Christ
Part of David’s instructions is that Solomon was to go down to Gihon and be anointed king there. And there was to be a crowd taken with them. And they were supposed to blow trumpets and make a loud fuss.
The funny thing about this is that it is only about 100 yards away from the place where Adonijah throws his party. Due to the shape of the territory, you can’t see each other. You are separated by a cliff. But they are only about 100 yards away from where Adonijah is. And I hope you do not miss that Adonijah just happens to be at a place called the “Serpent’s Stone.”
But there’s this loud coronation and you notice what happens. Adonijah and his crew hear all the commotion. Then they are told by Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, “Solomon has just been made king.” And everyone scatters. They don’t want to be caught dead there.
Adonijah knows the gig is up too. So he goes and grabs the horns of the alter, to plead for mercy. He knows he could be put to death. Interestingly, Solomon’s first act as king is one of mercy. Adonijah had threatened death. His first act would have been to kill Solomon and his people. But Solomon’s first act is one of life. It is one of mercy.
But one of the last things that is said is that Adonijah bowed down before Solomon. Interestingly, the one who had exalted himself, now is face down on the ground, in a very low position. And do not miss the image that is painted. Absalom's head is right at the feet of the exalted king. The usurper’s head is all but crushed.
Now, I hope you see the point. The author is going to great lengths to tell us of God’s original promise; the one he had given in the Garden of Eden. Satan may have sought to usurp the kingdom of God by bringing mankind into the bondage of sin and death. But that kingdom will not prevail.
The promised one would come. And the true king would crush the head of Satan and put and end to death and sin.
And this exactly what we find in the story of Jesus, is it not. Except that there may be one difference. The only difference is that Solomon was threatened with death, but Jesus did actually die.
In the New Testament we are told that the Usurper got his wish. Satan had Jesus to death. But Colossians tells us that it was there on the cross that Satan was disarmed. And he was dealt an even greater blow when Jesus rose again.
Jesus was exalted. Christ was revealed to be the true king who rose from the dead. And he ascended into heaven and took his seat upon the throne at God’s right hand. He is invested with honor and power as he sits upon the throne, granting mercy and life to all who would receive it.
As we read the story of Solomon’s enthronement and all the drama that surrounded it, we hear the story of the gospel. We are told that the Lord is the LIVING GOD and His promise will not fail.
Even though Satan may still live and he still may have some influence here in this world, we can be assured that his kingdom is coming to an end. His reign of terror will die with him. Our Exalted King has brought the victory. And His kingdom, which will be defined by life and salvation, will endure forever.
Structure:
Old King who is impotent
Everyone comes to Adonijah’s party
Nathan & Bathsheba create plans to make Solomon king
As the Lord lives; the promised king will reign
David makes plans to make Solomon king
Everyone leaves Adonijah’s party
New King who acts with power