Workin’ the System

1 Kings 2:13-25

¹³Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.”

¹⁴ Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.”

¹⁵ He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.

¹⁶ And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.”

¹⁷ And he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.”

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.

²⁰ Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”

²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother, and on his side are Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.”

²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!

²⁴ Now therefore as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

²⁵ So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.

In the next few verses of 1 Kings, we see Solomon solidifying his role as Israel’s new king. There are four issues he needs to take care of and one by one, he dispenses judgment and justice upon those who might seek to do his fledgling reign harm or even to unseat him as king. The first of these issues is the recent usurper, his half-brother Adonijah.

Remember that beautiful young woman that was given to David in his old age to help keep him warm? Her name was Abishag and while the text clearly states that David did not have sex with her, she was officially considered a part of his harem. Whenever a king was replaced by coup (or by peaceful means such as occurred with Solomon), the new king took over the harem of the departed king. It was a sign to the people of his role as the new leader. While Adonijah had made an unsuccessful military attempt at receiving the throne, he now makes another try at it through a more subtle avenue. He believed that since he was the older son of David and should he also be given David’s concubine, he would have a much stronger claim to the throne. This whole incident looks a little like a modern day soap opera, involving the “Queen Mother” (Bathsheba) as the go-between. Solomon sees right through this attempt to take the crown and has Adonijah killed. David’s final words to Solomon apparently did not go unheeded (see the last post).

Much to his credit, it appears that Solomon is not willing to allow himself to be “handled” by whoever comes along. Clearly he is up to the task of being king and shows that strength rather decisively in this early incident in his reign. He is within his rights to deal the Adonijah in this manner and Adonijah was probably not surprised (albeit a bit disappointed, I suppose) to see the situation end with his death. He took a risk and lost.

Making tough decisions is a part of every life. Solomon had to make a decision that would serve him and his people by removing a threat to the national peace and security. Obviously, Adonijah could have gathered around him those who would go to battle over his cause to become king. This could have plunged the nation into civil war for years at a tremendous cost of human life. But Solomon ends that possibility by taking what we might consider a harsh course of action. Sometimes the right thing isn’t the easy thing. This was one of those cases.

In all likelihood, you are not going to have to make a life or death decision anytime soon. The nation’s security doesn’t rest on your shoulders. But each of us most certainly will have to make tough decisions that may even impact other people’s lives. In just a few more verses, Solomon will ask God for wisdom. This situation with Adonijah indicates that Solomon was a man who already knew how to seek God’s face and rely on His guidance. We worship that same God who wants to instruct and guide us when it’s time make a tough choice.