Joel M Bradshaw

5Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6(His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

7Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.

9Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.–1 Kings 1

1. King David was near death and the princely pecking order was restless.
2. Solomon had been proclaimed by God to be the next king, but Adonijah was the oldest, and he therefore was promoting himself.
3. He was even a good looking prince. Didn’t it make sense for him to become king? His mother sure thought so!
4. So he started acting like a king and gathered political, military, and even religious support.
5. He left out key figures that supported his brother Solomon’s rule, including the prophet who proclaimed God’s choice of Solomon.
6. This all goes to verse 6. David never put a stop to this nonsense. For all his greatness, David was a passive father and let his kids do whatever they wanted.
7. David’s priorities slipped as a father. Where do you compromise or grow lackadaisical regarding your life and faith? Are you keeping the main thing the main thing? The one who once stood up to Goliath never stood up to his own sons.–JMB