And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatted cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel, and invited all his brethren, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants;
Adonijah's push for the throne goes public here, with animals killed at a stone outside Jerusalem and a feast that looks like worship. Commentators ask why he sacrificed at all, why he invited these guests, and why he left one brother off the list.
The animals were part of the plan, not a side detail. A priest on his side made the sacrifices look right.
His plans were well thought out. He wanted God included among his supporters, so he sacrificed sheep, oxen and fattened cattle near Jerusalem, in the Kidron valley. Since Abiathar was his priest, he could treat these sacrifices as fitting for his purpose. He gathered all the support he could find.
Adonijah was not the first son of David to dress rebellion in religious clothing.
Adonijah gives the meeting at En-rogel the false appearance of a peace offering. He follows in the footsteps of his brother Absalom, who had said that he wished to pay a vow to the Lord. He even invites the servants of the king, and they come to his feast. The rebel does not fear that they will fail him.
The ESV calls these guests "the royal officials of Judah"; older translations read "the king's servants." These men ate at a table set against the king's own choice. Their title had outlived their loyalty.
We know what the title "servant of the king" is worth if the heart is not really attached to David. We know what "servant of God" is worth if Christ is not the object of the affections. How many of these "king's servants" do we see today running to people who hide their hatred of Christ behind a show of godliness?
Adonijah had the numbers on the day: the general, the priest and the royal family. Early success proves nothing.
A departure from the mind of God is always apt to be successful at first. Every step of unfaithfulness has a great result in the world where there is ability, and where everything that works on people's minds is drawn up in order. No doubt this was well calculated. Joab would influence a certain set. Abiathar the priest would have his religious name and reputation. Above all there were the king's sons — all of them except Solomon — and "all the men of Judah," that is, "the king's servants." The rebellion was widespread, and it looked carefully planned. But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he did not call. And there is just where faith can rest — on God's word. That was what gave the weight to Solomon… there is no vital blessing except where the call of God is.
The guest list reads "all his brothers," but one son of David is missing — the one God and David chose.
He invites all his brothers, with one exception. Solomon alone has the right to the throne, by the will of God and of his father, and he is the one who is to become the king of glory. Clearly Adonijah must keep out of his feast the one whose presence would judge it and condemn it, and would bring to nothing all his plans and all his ambitions. The world invites Christ last of all. More than that, the world is unwilling to invite Him.
Some writers see a pattern in the whole scene: a self-made king, the men who profit from him, and the crowd that falls under his power.
Adonijah is a picture of the man who tries to lift himself up to the very throne of God. Joab and Abiathar are the men who take advantage of this. The people who follow Adonijah are those brought under his power as he rises.
Commentators differ on how far to press this. Another writer measures Adonijah against "the king," the Antichrist, and finds the likeness real but limited.
Adonijah said, "I will be king." Did he not know that Solomon was the chosen of Jehovah? Here is deliberate rebellion, and, taken as a picture, he is an opponent of Christ. It is said of "the king" that he will do as he pleases. Does Adonijah show us "the king" in any measure? They are alike in that both do their own will, and neither is an enemy from outside: both are in Jerusalem. But there is this difficulty: "the king" as Antichrist is destroyed as soon as Christ appears. We see one or two of the same features in each, yet hardly enough, taken with the other circumstances, to say that Adonijah is a picture of "the king."
- Sacrifice — Adonijah killed the animals so his takeover would look like worship, and a priest on his side gave it the appearance of God's backing.
- Script — the trick was second-hand. Absalom had already hidden rebellion behind a religious vow.
- Servants — men still carrying the king's title sat at a rival's table. A title is worth nothing when the heart is not attached to the king.
- Success — the rebellion looked wide and well planned. Turning from God often looks successful at first. Faith rests on God's word, not on the crowd.
- Solomon — Adonijah invited every brother except the rightful heir. Solomon's presence alone would have condemned the feast, and the world still leaves that name off its list.
but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he did not invite.
Adonijah's feast had a priest, an army commander and a crowd of royal guests. This verse lists the four men he left out, and those four names decide everything.
after
The four omissions were not oversights. One commentator explains why Adonijah left each name off:
However, he did not invite Nathan the prophet, a faithful man of God. He did not invite Benaiah, a fully devoted servant of David, or the other mighty men like Benaiah, or Solomon his brother (v.10). Why did he leave these men out? Because he knew he could not count on their support. Everyone knew that David had decided Solomon was to be king. But Adonijah seemed to think David was now too old to enforce that choice, and that popular opinion would favor him. Sad blunder!
The gathering was not irreligious on its surface. Sacrifices were offered, and a priest was on hand to make them look proper:
His plans were well thought out, for wanting to include God as one supporting him, he sacrificed sheep, oxen and fatted cattle near to Jerusalem, in the Kidron valley (v.7). Having Abiathar as priest, he could consider these sacrifices appropriate for his purpose. Also, he invited all his brothers, the kings' sons and many servants of David. He marshaled all the support he could possibly find.
Each missing man already had a master. One writer asks what these four could want from Adonijah:
Zadok, Benaiah, Nathan, and the mighty men of David are not present with Adonijah. The true priest; the prophet, the messenger of God; Benaiah, the true servant who follows in his master's footsteps — what do they have to do with him? The priest looks to God, the prophet looks to the Spirit of God, the servant looks to David, to Christ. Do they need anything else? These mighty men found their strength in David. Will they now follow Adonijah, who has no strength to give them?
Adonijah invited every brother except one. One writer sees in that exception a picture of how the world treats Christ:
He invites all his brothers, with one exception. He leaves out the only one who has a right to the throne by 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 one the world invites; more than that, the world is unwilling to invite Him.
Some men did follow Adonijah. One writer points out what those followers had in common:
Notice that the men who were willing to live at a distance from David were the ones drawn to follow Adonijah. They were not close to David, as Bathsheba and Nathan were. What a lesson for every believer! Only by staying near to the Lord will we be kept from the danger of dishonoring Him by following what looks appealing but is really disobedience.
At first the rebellion looked unstoppable. One writer weighs that early success against the one thing it could not reach:
Turning away from the mind of God is always likely to succeed at first. Every step of unfaithfulness has a great effect in the world where there is ability, and where everything that sways people's minds is gathered up. This plot was no doubt well calculated. Joab would influence a certain set. Abiathar the priest would have his religious name and reputation. And above all there were the king's sons — all of them except Solomon... It was a widespread rebellion, and it seemed a carefully planned one. "But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother." And that is exactly where faith can rest — on God's word.
One writer looks at how schemes like this end:
But in the end, human shrewdness fails before the judgment of God. God arranges events so that sooner or later the shrewdest people are shown as they really are.
- Uninvited. Adonijah left out Nathan, Benaiah, the mighty men and Solomon. He knew he could not count on their support.
- Unimpressed. The four missing men looked to God, to His Spirit, to David. Adonijah had nothing to offer men whose strength came from the true king.
- Unwelcome. Adonijah had to shut Solomon out. His presence alone would have condemned the feast — and the world still keeps Christ off its guest list.
- Undone by distance. The men who joined Adonijah were already living far from David. Staying near the true king kept the faithful safe.
- Unshaken. Unfaithfulness often succeeds at first. But clever plans fail before God's judgment, and faith rests where the rebellion could not reach — on God's word.