Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
Adonijah has crowned himself king while David lies old and unaware. Nathan the prophet goes to Bathsheba with advice meant to save two lives. Why were those lives in danger, and whose counsel is safe in a crisis?
A danger no one had answered
The rebellion ran on unchecked. The one man who could stop it did not know it was happening. One commentator points out who was watching while the king knew nothing.
H. L. RossierOn 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.
Why their lives were at stake
Nathan speaks of saving a life, and he means it literally. Bathsheba later put the same danger to David.
Leslie M. GrantShe 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).
Counsel from God, not from cleverness
Nathan had once told David to do whatever was in his heart. What he gives here is of a different kind, and one writer marks the difference.
H. L. RossierWe 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.
The same writer sets Nathan beside an earlier scene. Joab once sent a woman from Tekoa to David with an invented story. That was trickery and lies, used to work on the king's mind and flatter his hidden leanings. Nathan is careful, but he never wavers from the truth. David must be told the danger, and persuaded to act firmly for God.
A plan built for two voices
The counsel was practical. It fixed who would speak first, and who would follow.
Leslie M. GrantWhen 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.
Whom you go to for advice
Bathsheba took the advice, and she took it from Nathan. One commentator makes her choice a test anyone can apply.
William KellyWhatever 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.
Summary
- Danger. Adonijah crowned himself and no one stopped him, because David did not know what was happening.
- Watchfulness. While the king knew nothing, God kept watch. He has the glory of His Son and His kingdom in view, so He does not let the usurper win.
- Word. God's answer to the danger was a message. In His Word we still find the means that glorify Christ and keep us from the enemy's traps.
- Counsel. Nathan's advice was divine wisdom, not human counsel. It was urgent and truthful, it respected the king, and it guarded the honour of Solomon, the anointed of the Lord.
- Confidence. Bathsheba listened to the man who could tell her the mind of God. Where we go for advice always shows where our heart is.