Today we begin the book of 1 Kings and we will be calling the study of 1 King and 2 Kings (combined with 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles) "The Kings Of Israel And Judah" because in the day's of King David's grandson Rehoboam the kingdom will split in two. The ten northern tribes will retain the name of Israel. The two southern tribes will be known as Judah. Each kingdom will have its own king from the time of the split onwards.
As we open the book of 1 Kings we find David nearing the end of his life. His health has declined to the point that he is always cold. We don't know precisely what his medical diagnosis is and can only speculate that it might have been a circulatory problem or a condition like anemia. But his shrewd and ambitious son Adonijah intends to take advantage of his father's poor physical health by making a bid for the throne.
"When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him." (1 Kings 1:1) David will die at the age of seventy, which isn't considered "very old" in our day. But not many men who have been through what David has been through would have survived so long. From the time he was a young man he's fought fierce battles on the field and he's fought fierce battles against his right to rule Israel. He's endured a great deal physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I think by the time David reaches seventy he looks and feels like a "very old" man.
David's attendants come up with a solution that seems bizarre and improper to us but that was actually a common medical treatment used in the ancient world. There are several ancient texts describing this type of "prescription", for lack of a better word. "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.' Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her." (1 Kings 1:2-4)
Most Bible scholars believe David legally married Abishag as his concubine even though he could not consummate the marriage. It would not have been morally proper for a woman to be sharing the king's personal living quarters without being legally married to him. It would not have been right for her to sleep in the same bed with him, even if the two of them were fully clothed at all times, if she were not legally married to him.
David has a son who wants to manipulate the current circumstances for his own benefit. He believes his father is too ill to prevent him from seizing power. "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." (1 King 1:5) Adonijah is David's fourthborn son. Amnon was his firstborn who was murdered by his thirdborn, Absalom, for raping Absalom's sister Tamar. David's secondborn son, Kileab, was never mentioned again after his birth announcement in 2 Samuel 3:3, which has led scholars to conclude that he either died at a young age or had a lifelong ailment severe enough to prevent him from ever being considered for the kingship. Absalom, David's thirdborn, was killed by Joab and his men while Absalom's army was making war with David and his army in an effort to wrest the kingship from David. If it had been the Lord's will for the crown to automatically pass to the eldest son, Adonijah would be the heir-apparent to David's throne. He is the oldest of David's sons who are still living. But it is not the Lord's will for Adonijah to be king. It appears David has made this known to his family, for later in Chapter 1 we will learn that David has already named Solomon as his successor.
But Adonijah feels the throne is rightfully his and he believes he can convince the citizens of Israel that he is the best and logical choice to succeed his father. He begins traveling throughout the country with a large and impressive entourage as he campaigns for the job of king. He does not care whether he is the Lord's choice or his father's choice. All he cares about is that being king is what he wants for himself. The author of 1 Kings tells us why he has no respect for his father or for the Lord. "(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." (1 Kings 1:6) He has evidently been rebellious from a young age and David has never done anything to correct his behavior. This has led to him developing a sense of entitlement. It has led to him believing he can do what he wants and have what he wants because nothing has ever been denied to him. His good looks have added to his belief that he deserves whatever his heart desires; extreme handsomeness and stunning beauty have a way of opening doors for those who possess them. The third thing that solidifies in Adonijah's mind that he has the right to be king is that he he is the oldest surviving son. In other nations the birth order alone would mean he would automatically ascend to the throne upon his father's death. But in Israel the Lord has the final say on who will be king. It is His will for Solomon to succeed David and He has made David aware of His choice. David is in agreement with the Lord's choice and has made this information known to the royal household.
But Adonijah---whose name means "My Lord Is Jehovah"---is not in agreement with the Lord's choice. David named this son with so much hope that he would grow up to be a godly man but instead we find him opposing his father and the Lord Himself. In tomorrow's text we'll find this situation going from bad to worse.
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