1 When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2 So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.” 3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.
Kings 1 begins with the end story to David’s rule. David is old now, so old that he can’t keep himself warm. This sounds like a decrepit man, but if we do the math (David took the throne at age 30, ruled for 40 years), David is 70ish. His condition may be worsened because he has lived a hard and brutal life, but also because he may have carried many burdens with him along the way. One of them could be how 2 Samuel ended. If you recall, David attempts to take a census, but God is not in favor of it. It is a prideful move from David. There are no wars, no reason to take one except that David wants to realize the full capacity of his kingdom. Because of this prideful move, God gives David a choice in his consequence: 3 years of famine, 3 months running from his enemies or 3 days of plague. David, realizing his error, chooses the plague. This is a very humbling move for David, because the first two he can wait out as a king if he wanted to. In other words, he could avoid the consequence. But he chooses the plague, and this choice means that the plague could touch him too. He can’t avoid God. 70,000 people die as a result of the plague. This, along with other items, could contribute to his bad health. But before that story ends, we see David again moving toward God. He buys a patch of land (same land where Jacob saw the ladder to heaven and where Isaac was to be sacrificed). This land will ultimately be where his son, Solomon, will build the temple. But back to Kings. The first item we talked about was that David, unable to keep himself warm, was given a fine young virgin. This sounds strange to us for a number of reasons. In the ancient world this was a common practice. It was believed that the young could help the old with body warmth. In fact, the historian Josephus refers to this as a medicinal practice of the times and even goes so far to call the people tending to David during this last leg of his life as physicians.
5 Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6 (His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.) 7 Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.
In verse 5 we see another one David’s sons popping up. His name is Adonijah and he is the 4th son of David. Amnon was the first in line for the throne, then Absalom, there was another who died young, and then Adonijah. You will notice that Adonijah simple calls himself king. He takes a very similar route as Absalom did, with portraying very kingly (politician) types of posturing (chariots, fifty men). As we see this new threat arise, we also have a very interesting passage regarding David. It says that David never rebuked Adonijah. This is important because once again we see David’s poor fathering coming to light. See Proverbs 29:17. Scripture time and time again calls us to correct our children. There is a two-fold development: We raise a children who grows into a person who respects and is respected and it gives us an easier future as parents. Doesn’t mean the road may not be bumpy at times, but it is always a matter of returning to the foundation you lay...that’s where a child will return to when they are building their own lives. Adonijah is never corrected, so his path is built on the foundation his brother set, not his father.
7 Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah. 9 Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.
Adonijah then recruits some of David’s high command. He gets Joab, the leader of David’s army, and Abiathar, David’s faithful head priest. Joab and Abiathar have always been faithful to David, but an easy answer to why they would go with Adonijah may be because David is simply old and Adonijah is the next in line of succession. So Adonijah begins to sacrifice cattle and creates a party for himself proclaiming himself as king.
11 Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? 12 Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.” 15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. 16 Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king. “What is it you want?” the king asked. 17 She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.” 22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 And the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25 Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. 27 Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
Bathsheba and Nathan realize that Adonijah’s proclamation is both presumptuous and dangerous. First of all, his route to kingship is not proper. He hasn’t gone through the king and hasn’t invited Nathan the prophet. That tells us that Adonijah is subverting David and subverting God. Not a good way to start things out. Furthermore, Nathan and Bathsheba realize their lives, as well as Solomon’s, are in danger. David is the only example of a king so far who hasn’t slaughtered all of his adversaries when taking the throne. Adonijah will most certainly sever any opposition. So they devise a plan: tell the king what is happening. Bathsheba goes in first and Nathan second. Their stories will correlate so that David understands this is a real threat.
28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 30 I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!” 32 King David said, “Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king, 33 he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants with you and have Solomon my son mount my own mule and take him down to Gihon. 34 There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. 37 As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!” 38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon mount King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.
David understands the threat and remembers that he and God have a covenant (1 Chron 22). Solomon has been promised as King. So David gets his royal mule out, gets the priest and trucks Solomon down to Gihon. There he is anointed King in the proper fashion, through the King and in congruence with God, and when he is brought back up to Jerusalem the shofar is sounded and Solomon is proclaimed King.
41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, “What’s the meaning of all the noise in the city?” 42 Even as he was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news.” 43 “Not at all!” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king’s mule, 45 and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds with it. That’s the noise you hear. 46 Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne. 47 Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!’ And the king bowed in worship on his bed 48 and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.’”
The funny thing about all of this is Solomon is made king in such quick fashion that Adonijah’s dinner party isn’t even finished when the trumpet sounds and they are disturbed by the noise in the city. Jonathan comes up the hill and rubs it in, letting Adonijah know that Solomon is king and that he’s in big trouble now.
49 At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. 50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” 52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, “Go to your home.”
So like rats, his party guests get out of there. They are all in big trouble, because a new king means cleaning house is in order, especially for enemies. Adonijah himself runs for it, not for the hills but for a temple. He grabs “the horns of the altar”, which basically means that he is claiming sanctuary from the temple. Solomon tracks him down and issues him mercy, but it is as sharp as a sword: Adonijah is to be spared, but if any evil is found in him he will die. This means that Adonijah, even though he tried to usurp power from the true king, is given a chance to clean up his act. But he can’t step out of line or else it’s curtains. We’ll see the way Adonijah deals with this with this in chapter 2.