1 Kings 1:11–13

On the day this great danger threatened Israel, nothing had been done to guard against it (vv. 11-31). The king, weakened by age and confined to his palace, "knew not" what was happening. Thankfully, God was keeping watch for him. God, who has the glory of His Son and His kingdom in view, does not allow the plans of the usurper to succeed. To this end He sends the prophet to Bathsheba with a word of wisdom. You may be sure of this: in the Word of God we will always find the means to glorify Christ and to be kept safe from the enemy's traps.

Everyone in the house of David and in the land of Israel knew this. God chose David from among his brothers, and He was also pleased to appoint Solomon to the throne of Israel... Adonijah's sin was not just ambition. It was not even simply rebellion against the king, against David. It was rebellion against Jehovah. It was a direct act of setting himself against the declared and revealed purpose of God.

When Adonijah made the bold move of proclaiming himself king, Nathan the prophet took a wise course. He advised Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, to tell David at once what Adonijah had done. Adonijah had proclaimed himself king, even though David had sworn to Bathsheba that Solomon would reign (vs.11-13). Then Nathan would come in with the same message to confirm it (v.14), so that David would see how urgent things were.

What a contrast between Nathan's mediation and that of Joab through the woman of Tekoah (2 Sam. 14)! There everything was trickery and lying, meant to sway the king's spirit and flatter his hidden leanings... Here prudence points to what must be done, without straying from the truth at all.

She went to Nathan, the one man above all who could give the mind of God. He had rebuked the king at the height of his power. He had the courage to speak for God whatever it cost him... We always show where our heart is by whom we trust. Suppose a man is set on his own will and going wrong. He is sure to ask advice from exactly the people he should avoid. If he cannot count on outright approval, he looks for someone weak, who will give the feeblest protest, if not some encouragement. Weakness leans on weakness.

He invites all his brothers, with one exception: the only one having the right to the throne according to the will of God and of his father — Solomon, the one who is to become the king of glory. Clearly he had to shut out of his feast the one whose presence would judge it, would condemn it, would bring all his plans and all his ambitions to nothing. Christ is the last to be invited by the world; more than that, the world is unwilling to invite Him.

The only effect of Adonijah's conspiracy was not to hinder Solomon, but to move him forward to the throne of Israel. Without the conspiracy, Solomon would surely have waited for the king to die. Instead the plot secured the throne for him, and secured it at once. So it is that if we are only calm, God always accomplishes His purpose.

On the day this great danger threatened Israel, no one had taken a step to ward it off (vv. 11-31). The king, weakened by age and confined to his palace, "knew not" what was happening. Thankfully, God was keeping watch for him. God, who has the glory of His Son and His kingdom in view, does not let the schemes of the usurper succeed. To that end He sends the prophet to Bathsheba with a word of wisdom. You can be sure of this: in the Word of God we will always find the means that glorify Christ and keep us safe from the enemy's traps.

She also told David that the eyes of all Israel were on him, waiting to see what he would do in view of this turn of events. For if he let Adonijah's crowning stand, then Bathsheba and Solomon would count as offenders, and they would be killed for it (v.21).

We have seen in this chapter that Nathan's counsel was according to God and according to the respect due to the king. This is not human counsel, as when the same Nathan said to David, "Go, do all that is in your heart" (2 Sam. 7:3). It is divine wisdom, meant to keep the prophet-king from a fall, and to defend the honour of Solomon, the anointed of the Lord, after his father's passing. Above all, it is a matter of establishing the king of glory on his throne.

When Adonijah made the bold move of proclaiming himself king, Nathan the prophet took a wise course. He told Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, to inform David at once that Adonijah had proclaimed himself king. Adonijah had done this even though David had sworn to her that Solomon would be king (vs.11-13). Then Nathan would come in with the same message to confirm it (v.14), so David would see how urgent the situation was.

Whatever her weakness, her heart was right. She went to the one who, above all, could give the mind of God — to Nathan. He was the one who had rebuked the king at the height of his power. He was the one with the courage to speak for God whatever the cost. She goes to Nathan. And allow me to say, dear friends, as a matter of practical profit, we always show where our heart is by our confidence. Suppose a man is going wrong in his own will. He is sure to ask for advice in exactly the place where he should not. He looks for advice where he will find weakness, if he cannot count on outright approval — somewhere the protest will at least be faint, if not a little encouraging. Weakness leans on weakness.

The king, weakened by age, confined to his palace, "knew not" what was happening. Thankfully, God was keeping watch for him. God, who has the glory of His Son and His kingdom in view, does not allow the plans of the usurper to succeed. To this end He sends the prophet to Bathsheba with a word of wisdom. You can be sure of this: in the Word of God we will always find the means to glorify Christ and to keep ourselves safe from the enemy's traps.

Everyone in the house of David and in the land of Israel knew this: just as God chose David from among his brothers, so He had also been pleased to appoint Solomon for the throne of Israel... So Adonijah's sin was not just ambition. It was not even simply rebellion against the king, against David. It was rebellion against the Lord. He set himself directly against the purpose God had declared and revealed.

What a contrast between Nathan's mediation and Joab's through the woman of Tekoa (2 Sam. 14)! There everything was trickery and lying. The aim was to work on the king's mind and flatter his hidden leanings. In the end it was to put a deceitful and violent man on the throne over Israel. Here prudence suggests what should be done, but without straying in the least from the truth. The king must be made aware of the imminent danger. He must be persuaded to act decisively for God.

She went to the one who, above all, could give the mind of God — to Nathan. He was the one who had rebuked the king at the height of his power. He had the courage to speak for God whatever the cost... we always show where our heart is by who we confide in. Suppose a man is going wrong in his own will. He is sure to look for advice in exactly the place where he should not.

Bathsheba speaks with respect and boldness. She shows David that he does not know the danger (v. 18). She reminds him what he had settled on: a successor who was a king after God's own heart (v. 17). She also points out his responsibility towards herself, her son, and the people. The eyes of all Israel were on David, waiting for him to say who should sit on his throne after him. Truth is in this woman's heart, as it is in the prophet's heart. It is a lovely example of the spirit we should show one another.

Adonijah's conspiracy did not hinder Solomon. Its only effect was to move him forward to the throne of Israel. If there had been no conspiracy, Solomon would surely have waited for the king to die. Instead the result was to secure the throne, and to secure it at once. So it is that if we are only calm, God always accomplishes His purpose.

The mind of the Lord about Solomon had already been revealed to David. He knew it very well. There was a reason why the Lord had given David's son the name Jedidiah, Beloved of the Lord (2 Sam. 12:25)... It was enough to remind this man of faith of his oath for him to see the path to take.