And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
Adonijah's bid for his father's throne collapsed in one afternoon: Solomon was made king, and the guests at Adonijah's feast ran. Now the man who wanted to be king grabs the horns of the altar — is that faith, or only terror?
The Collapse of the Rebellion
Nobody at Adonijah's table tries to fight. They run. One writer sees here a preview of how the world will meet Christ's reign.
H. L. RossierIn verses 49 to 53, all Adonijah's guests are struck with fear and flee in every direction. They try to resist no more than men will when the reign of Christ is proclaimed. They will be broken at once.
His fear made sense. He had left Solomon off the guest list — the one man with a right to the throne.
H. L. RossierAdonijah is too shrewd to invite those whose faith or testimony keeps them close to David. He invites all his brothers with one exception. He leaves out Solomon, the only one who has the right to the throne by the will of God and of his father, 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 and condemn it. That presence would bring all his plans and ambitions to nothing.
What the Horns Were
The horns were not decoration. They were where the blood of the sin offering went. So they were the natural place for a guilty man to cling.
Samuel RidoutThese horns pointed toward the four quarters of the world. Their message was worldwide. They declared the whole world guilty before God, and they also proclaimed the good news of sins borne by the Substitute, for "whoever" in the whole world. Horns in Scripture symbolise strength... The horns of the altar suggest that here the thoughts set out in the altar were focused and intensified; here they were brought to a point. This would explain why the blood of the sin offering for one of the common people was put on these horns (Lev. 4:30). It also gives meaning to the guilty one coming here for refuge and laying hold of them. Adonijah sought safety there and found it.
Ridout hears an echo of Isaiah's call to "take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me" — in the ESV, "Let him take hold of my protection, let him make peace with me."
Why the Altar Sheltered Some and Not Others
Touching the altar was never a magic act. The altar sheltered a man because of the sacrifice offered on it. That is why it sheltered some and not others.
Edward DennettThe horn is a symbol of strength. So when the blood was sprinkled on the horns, the whole strength of the altar turned. It had been against the sinner. Now it works on his behalf, and it is displayed in all its completeness. So the horns of the altar became a place of refuge, a sanctuary no one could violate. It sheltered everyone who had a right to its protection on the ground of the sprinkled blood.
Dennett draws the line straight to the person who wants the benefit of Christ's death without wanting Christ. That is the man who "in his extremity, would gladly claim the benefits of the death of Christ to escape the judgment, though he is still alienated in heart from Him."
Fear or Surrender
Some read Adonijah's grip on the altar as fear, not faith. Joab later did the same thing, with a very different outcome.
L. M. GrantWe also read of Adonijah, who for fear of judgment went and caught hold of the horns of the altar and was spared at the time. Later Joab tried the same thing. But he had proved himself treacherous, so he was killed. For it was not faith that moved him, but fear.
Others read it as a man offering himself at the altar in place of a sacrifice.
The Brazen AltarAdonijah found refuge at the horns of the altar. The act appears to mean, "instead of a substitute, I present myself." In his case this unconditional surrender was accepted, and he was pardoned. But in the case of Joab, who did the same, it was not accepted, for he had deliberately killed two men by deceit.
Mercy Given on Probation
Solomon spares him, but does not pretend to be fooled. The sparing is real. So is the warning that comes with it.
H. L. RossierSolomon, a figure of the King of the coming thousand-year reign, knows Adonijah. He does not change his judgment when he sees him bowing before him. He knows what is hidden in that proud heart. It is only pretending submission and repentance. "Go to your house," he says. Brief, severe words. Adonijah should have taken warning from them. From now on his role was to keep quiet, as a man found guilty and kept under watch.
Summary
- Exclusion. Adonijah shut the rightful king out of his feast, because that presence would have condemned it. The king you exclude is the king you end up fearing.
- Refuge. The horns concentrated the meaning of the altar. Blood went on them, so a guilty man could lay hold of them for shelter.
- Ground. The altar protected men "on the ground of the sprinkled blood." What saved was never the grip of the hand. It was the value of the sacrifice.
- Motive. Commentators differ on Adonijah's heart. Some see fear of judgment, not faith. Others see a real surrender that was accepted.
- Probation. Solomon spared him but was not fooled. He sent him home under warning, to live as a man found guilty and kept under watch.