1 Kings 1:1-27 - Who Will Sit on the Throne?

1 Kings 1:1-27

Adonijah Presumes to Be King

1 Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. 2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.” 3 So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.

5 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.) 7 Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.

9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.

11 So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 16 And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?”

17 Then she said to him, “My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your maidservant, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20 And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders.”

22 And just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. 23 So they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 24 And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ’Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he has not invited me—me your servant—nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 27 Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

Who will be king?  Adonijah the son of Haggith lifted himself up with self-importance in his pride and presumed to take over from ailing old king David, saying, “I will be king” as if just personal presumption and haughty hubris were enough to rule.  He took advantage of the fact that the king was so old that he needed to lie in bed with someone to keep him warm to concoct his coup.  This was the fourth son of David and Solomon's rival for the throne, just younger than Absalom and handsome as well, which helped win others over to support his rebellion.  Even his own father did not try to stop him and Joab joined with the priest Abiathar to support this takeover.  Only Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and other mighty men of the king did not support Adonijah.  Nathan therefore went straight to Bathsheba to warn David and remind him of his vow to set her son Solomon on the throne of Israel as his successor while this upstart attempted to overthrow this plan just as his older brother Absalom had after his vengeance for his sister and rebellion after his return from banishment.  These were all consequences and curses (2 Samuel 12:9, 10) for the house of David as Nathan proclaimed when he had killed Uriah and taken his wife Bathsheba after first desiring the married woman bathing and then getting her pregnant.  The sword continued to cut through David’s descendants until it would finally land on his Seed the Messiah Jesus and end the curse (Galatians 3:13, Romans 8:3, 4) once and for all because that righteous descendant was also the Son of God and able to end it forever.  God preserved the king then to usher in the King of kings generations later as promised as planned from the beginning.  Therefore, the LORD frustrated the plans of the rebellious Adonijah as He had with those of Absalom before him, and the events were set in motion to crown Solomon king before him as he was celebrating with sacrifices and feasting before he was actually on the throne, as his presumption overtook him but did not see him to obtain it before the one promised it by David.  Who will sit on the throne?  The one God chose.  Not the one presuming to take it, but the one given it by plan and promise of the LORD.  This is how and why the Son of God, Seed (John 7:42, Acts 13:23, 2 Timothy 2:8) of promise through David in the line of Abraham by faith (Acts 3:25, Romans 9:7, 8), stopped the usurpers and set Him forever on the eternal throne on the right hand of the Father in the power of the Almighty in the heavenly place where He always had the right to be.  These events of sinful David were a foreshadowing of the promise to and through him for this reign.  Jesus is the One who sits on the throne, the promised Seed of David!