1 Kings 2:13-18 – Don’t seek what’s not intended for us

Adonijah was an ambitious man. His design was to be the next king of Israel and would have succeeded if not for the alertness of Nathan the prophet. Yet despite David having Solomon enthroned as his successor, Adonijah’s selfish aspiration did not diminish. If he were sensible, he should have understood the message that he was never destined for the throne. Apparently, he was not. So in 1 Kings 2:13-18, we see him subtly scheming for the throne.

The first indication was the insinuation he made to Bathsheba. Coming peacefully to her he sought for a request in carefully crafted words. He first asked if Bathsheba could do him a favor. When she asked what he wanted, he began by insinuating that he should be the one on the throne instead of Solomon. He self-deludedly told the Queen mother that the kingdom was his and that all Israel fully expected him to reign. Had he forgotten the people’s proclamation of “long live King Solomon” following the latter’s coronation? However, he did concede that the Lord had given the throne to Solomon. He conceded only to give Bathsheba the impression that he had also accepted the new king. But, he had not.  

So the second indication betrayed his secret ambition. He requested for Bathsheba to ask Solomon to let him have Abishag as his wife. This was the Shunammite maid who had kept David warm in the ailing king’s old age. This was a calculated move for Adonijah knew that Abishag was a part of David’s harem. The culture then was that a new king would also inherit the harem of the previous king. Requesting for her to be his wife was as good as seeking the title to the throne. If he had succeeded it would have undermined Solomon’s reign and markedly strengthened his claim to the throne. Without any suspicion, Bathsheba acceded to his request to ask Solomon on his behalf.   

Obviously, Adonijah was not God’s choice for the throne. If He had designed for him to succeed David, nothing nor anyone could have prevented it. So his continuing attempts to the throne was an exercise in futility. We are here reminded that it is pointless to seek what is not in God’s will for us. There is a need to die to self and truly seek God’s will. We will only end in frustration if we seek a position that God has not planned for us. If God so desires, it is better for us to serve Him diligently in a humble position than to try and sit on the throne of our own making.