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David in His Old Age
1King David was now an old man, and he always felt cold, even under a lot of blankets. 2His officials said, “Your Majesty, we will look for a young woman to take care of you. She can lie down beside you and keep you warm.” 3-4They looked everywhere in Israel until they found a very beautiful young woman named Abishag, who lived in the town of Shunem. They brought her to David, and she took care of him. But David did not have sex with her.
Adonijah
5-6 Adonijah was the son of David and Haggith. He was Absalom's younger brother and was very handsome. One day, Adonijah started bragging, “I'm going to make myself king!” So he got some chariots and horses, and he hired 50 men as bodyguards. David did not want to hurt his feelings, so he never asked Adonijah why he was doing these things.
7Adonijah met with Joab the son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest and asked them if they would help him become king. Both of them agreed to help. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's bodyguards all refused.
9Adonijah invited his brothers and David's officials from Judah to go with him to Crawling Rock near Rogel Spring, where he sacrificed some sheep, cattle, and fat calves. 10But he did not invite Nathan, Benaiah, David's bodyguards, or his own brother Solomon.
11 When Nathan heard what had happened, he asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother:
Have you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has made himself king? But David doesn't know a thing about it. 12You and your son Solomon will be killed, unless you do what I tell you. 13Go say to David, “You promised me that Solomon would be the next king. So why is Adonijah now king?”
14While you are still talking to David, I'll come in and tell him that everything you said is true.
15Meanwhile, David was in his bedroom where Abishag was taking care of him because he was so old. Bathsheba went in 16and bowed down.
“What can I do for you?” David asked.
17Bathsheba answered:
Your Majesty, you promised me in the name of the Lord your God that my son Solomon would be the next king. 18But Adonijah has already been made king, and you didn't know anything about it. 19He sacrificed a lot of cattle, calves, and sheep. And he invited Abiathar the priest, Joab your army commander, and all your sons to be there, except Solomon, your loyal servant.
20Your Majesty, everyone in Israel is waiting for you to announce who will be the next king. 21If you don't, they will say that Solomon and I have rebelled. They will treat us like criminals and kill us as soon as you die.
22Just then, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23Someone told David that he was there, and Nathan came in. He bowed with his face to the ground 24and said:
Your Majesty, did you say that Adonijah would be king? 25Earlier today, he sacrificed a lot of cattle, calves, and sheep. He invited the army commanders, Abiathar, and all your sons to be there. They are already eating and drinking and shouting, “Long live King Adonijah!” 26But he didn't invite me or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or Solomon. 27Did you say they could do this without telling the rest of us who would be the next king?
Reflect
The first eight chapters of the book of 1 Kings provides a bleak landscape for the devotional reader. It is a book that seems to appeal mainly to historians. As is often the case with relatively arid scenes, one must look a little closer. The Hebrews were living in a very primitive era. At that time there was a belief that the fertility of the king had a direct impact on the fertility of the nation. King David had become impotent, and, his kingship was in jeopardy. So his courtiers found him a beautiful young woman to “nurse” him and “lie in his bosom.” This, they thought. would help him recover his vitality. It didn’t work, and many readers today wonder why such a story is included in scripture.
Perhaps the life lesson here is to reflect on the relative dark we ourselves live in when it comes to our knowledge of God. We may not see a connection between the procreative capabilities of political leaders and the productivity of nations, but how much do we really know about a God we’ve never seen? Maybe we should talk less of our knowing him and more of his knowing us.
And, perhaps we should take stock of our attitude toward other people groups and their cultural practices. That’s not to say we endorse or accept that which is morally offensive, but it is to say we need to try to understand and appreciate where people are coming from and what to them is common behaviour. If there is need for transformation of culture there is only one influence that will effect permanent change, and he is the Holy Spirit. We must remember that “God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17)
Respond
I confess, Father, that sometimes I am a bit self-satisfied in my “knowledge” of you. I have so much to learn. Please help me to humbly remember that I’m on a journey.
Jim Cantelon
Pastor, author, church-planter, Christian television and radio personality, Jim Cantelon is founder and President of WOW – Working for Orphans & Widows, a Federal Charity whose mission is to empower the local church in sub-Saharan Africa and southern India in the care of the sick and the dying. Currently Jim produces and hosts a national television show called “Jim Cantelon Today” which focuses on biblical exposition with a contemporary, ‘user friendly’ approach. In conjunction with JCT, he has written a newly published book entitled “Cantelon’s Casual Commentary – a 21st Century guide to the life of Jesus for the internet generation”.