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1 Kings 1 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
The book of Kings picks up with an older David (70) still serving as king but declining in health. The time to pass the torch was near, and this sets the backdrop for a battle between two of David’s sons. Adonijah was most likely David’s oldest son at this point as Amnon an Absalom had died and there is no mention of Chileab.
Two factions began forming as Adonijah was attempting to gather support for his claim to the crown, but Solomon was David’s choice to become the next king. After David’s sin with Bathsheba, his family was in constant turmoil. If David would have shut down these arrogant proclamations from Adonijah from the beginning, this entire scene could have been avoided. Let’s look at who was aligned on each side…
The Rebels
Adonijah king would require influential leaders. During his campaign, Adonijah was able to gain the support of two reputable leaders.
- Joab – David’s nephew and chief commander of the army of Israel. Joab was a crafty, political strategist. He had his fair share of questionable decisions.
- Abiathar – One of two high priests serving during the time of David.
The Republic
- Zadok – The other high priest who served during David’s reign.
- Benaiah – The commander of the Cherethites and Pelethites. These were elite mercenary forces separate from Israel’s main army who functioned as David’s official bodyguards. There was probably not much love lost between him and Joab.
- Nathan – David’s right-hand man and most influential prophet during his reign.
In the end, Solomon would be king. However, Nathan knew that Adonijah had already begun to assemble an army of support, and the stage was set for a bloody battle.
With Nathan’s guidance, Bathsheba, David, and Solomon did not waste their time confronting or arguing with the rebels. They didn’t fight with them or conspire against them. They simply followed through with the will of God and did what they knew was right. They were confident in God’s power and trusted Him to deal with these rebellious leaders.
In the end, these God-fearing men and women decided to crown Solomon instead of fight against Adonijah. I love this thought. Many of us have Adonijah’s in our life right now who are attempting to stir up trouble and they are nothing more than a distraction! How many times do we try and muster up our own strength to fight Adonijah instead of trusting God and following through with the plan He has already determined?