1 Kings 2:19-25 – Seek to be discerning

First Kings 2:19-25 reveal how readily Bathsheba brought Adonijah’s request to Solomon and how immediately the new king reacted. Unsuspectingly Bathsheba brought Adonijah’s request to Solomon. Being a tag too naïve, she became an unwitting accomplice of Adonijah. Ignorant of his ruse, she appeared before Solomon and relayed the request as if it was hers. In verse 21, she presented the request to Solomon saying, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.” Being the perceptive person Solomon was, he quickly realized who was behind his mother’s request. So the respectful son, who so courteously received his mother exploded into a tirade. He could smell the treasonous move of his half-brother and see his plot. 

In verse 22, Solomon sarcastically asked his mother a question, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah?” This is a rhetorical question. He was virtually asking the mother if she knew the larger implication of that request. He then followed up sarcastically by saying that she might as well ask for the kingdom to be given to him since he was the older brother. To Solomon, Adonijah’s design on the throne at this point was still strong and subtle. This was not an inconsequential matter, not something that he could mindlessly dismiss because assisting the renegade prince were Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the son of Zeruiah.

He saw through the ploy of Adonijah and swore to the LORD that he would stop at nothing to squelch the plot. He swore vehemently that Adonijah should be put to death. So he sent Benaiah to carry out the execution that very day. In one sense, Adonijah’s end was his own making. His own foolishness led him to it. His action tells us to be careful of our ambition. When a person harbors a wrong ambition, he will stop at nothing to scheme for it. No wonder Galatians 6:4 urged believers to examine themselves.

The way Bathsheba responded to Adonijah shows us how needful it is to have discernment in life. We need discernment in everything that we hear, see, or believe. However, we need to know that discernment is not fault-finding or nit-picking. Discernment is the ability to judge well. And we are constantly urged by the Word of God to be discerning. God does not want us to be gullible. He wants us to ascertain every move we take in life. It is true that an unexamined faith is not worth believing, so also is an unexamined life is not worth living. Don’t be hoodwinked, be discerning!