The Book of 1 Kings

Word Study

"old and stricken in years," Hebrew zaqen ba bayyamim (זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים), "old, advanced in days." The book of Kings opens on the frailty of the great king David, once the giant-killer and man of war, now "old and stricken in years," so feeble he cannot keep warm. It is a sober reminder that the strongest of men come at last to weakness, "the days of our years are threescore years and ten... yet is their strength labour and sorrow" (Psalm 90:10). David's declining days set the stage for the crucial question the chapter will settle: who shall reign after him? The care shown him, seeking the young Shunammite Abishag to cherish and warm him (a service noted as chaste, "the king knew her not"), shows an old king honored but visibly fading. The mightiest earthly kingdom hangs on the breath of a dying man. Only one King never grows old or feeble, "thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail" (Hebrews 1:12); the Son of David reigns in undying strength. Earthly power passes; His does not.

Explanation

The First Book of Kings begins with David at the very end of his life, aged, bedridden, and unable to keep warm despite piles of clothing. His servants, seeking to comfort and care for him, find a beautiful young woman, Abishag the Shunammite, to attend him and lie by him for warmth, and the text is careful to note the relationship was chaste. The scene paints the once-vigorous king in his frailty, and quietly raises the great tension of the chapter: with the king failing and no clear successor yet enthroned, the kingdom stands at a moment of danger. A power vacuum is opening, and into it an ambitious son will step.

Gospel Focus

The opening picture of David, once so mighty, now old and cold, preaches the passing of all earthly strength and glory. "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass" (1 Peter 1:24). Even the greatest king of Israel comes to his weak and fading days, and with him the uncertainty of who will reign. How different is the everlasting King. The Son of David does not grow old, does not weaken, does not die again, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore" (Revelation 1:18). Earthly thrones tremble at a dying man's bedside; the throne of Christ is forever secure. Let the frailty of David turn our hope from all that fades to the King whose "years shall not fail," and let us number our own days, that we may "apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12) while strength remains.

Word Study

"exalted himself," Hebrew mitnasse (מִתְנַשֵּׂא), "lifted himself up, made himself great." "Adonijah... exalted himself (mitnasse), saying, I will be king." The whole tragedy of Adonijah is in those words. He did not wait for God's appointing or his father's word; he seized the throne by self-assertion, gathering chariots, runners, and powerful allies, and crowning himself in effect. He is the very picture of self-exaltation, echoing his dead brother Absalom (whose chariots and runners he copies) and, behind him, the pride that "I will" of the fallen one, "I will ascend... I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:13-14). The text quietly names the root of his ruin: "his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so?", an undisciplined son, never crossed, grew into a self-willed pretender. Against Adonijah stands the sober principle of the kingdom of God: "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (Luke 14:11). The throne is God's to give, not ours to grasp; every "I will be king" that bypasses God's appointment comes at last to nothing.

Explanation

Adonijah, David's eldest surviving son, decides to make himself king without his father's blessing or God's sanction. Like Absalom before him, he surrounds himself with the trappings of royalty, chariots, horsemen, and fifty runners. The narrator notes two enabling factors: he was handsome, and his father had never disciplined him. He wins over two heavyweight figures, Joab the general and Abiathar the priest, but the loyal core of David's court, Zadok, Benaiah, Nathan, and the mighty men, stands aloof. Adonijah throws a great coronation feast at En-rogel, inviting his brothers and Judah's officials, but pointedly excludes Nathan, Benaiah, the mighty men, and, tellingly, "Solomon his brother." His conspiracy is a bid to present the kingdom with a fait accompli before the dying David can name the true heir.

Gospel Focus

Adonijah's "I will be king" is the anthem of every self-exalting heart that seizes what God has not given. It is the same pride that ruined Absalom, and, at the root, the pride of the fallen one who said, "I will be like the most High." Against it the gospel sets the way of humility: the throne belongs to the one God appoints, not the one who grasps it. The Lord Jesus, by contrast, "thought it not robbery to be equal with God," yet "made himself of no reputation," humbling Himself even to the cross; "wherefore God also hath highly exalted him" (Philippians 2:6-9). He did not exalt Himself; the Father exalted Him. And "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased." Beware the Adonijah spirit that says "I will," seizing position, honor, or control that God has not granted. The way up in God's kingdom is down. Wait on the Lord to exalt in His time; do not crown yourself, for every throne seized by self-will is destined to fall before the King God has chosen.

Word Study

"swear," Hebrew shaba (שָׁבַע), "to swear, take an oath." The appeal of Nathan and Bathsheba rests entirely on the king's own oath: "Didst not thou... swear (shaba) unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me?" They do not scheme to seize the throne for Solomon by force, as Adonijah did; they simply hold David to his sworn word. This is the way of faith: it does not grasp, but appeals to the promise. Nathan's wisdom is shown in acting decisively yet lawfully, rousing the aged king to keep his own oath before the pretender's coup could stand. The chapter turns not on who has the strongest army (Adonijah had Joab), but on the word the king had sworn "by the LORD thy God." God's declared purpose, not human ambition, decides the throne. So the believer's confidence rests not on grasping but on God's sworn promise, "the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath" (Hebrews 6:17); we plead the promise, and God keeps His word.

Explanation

Nathan the prophet moves quickly and shrewdly. Knowing Adonijah's coup threatens both Solomon's God-appointed throne and the very lives of Solomon and Bathsheba, he coaches Bathsheba to go to David and remind him of his sworn oath that Solomon would reign, while Nathan himself will come in to confirm her words. Bathsheba enters the king's chamber, does obeisance, and lays out the crisis: David swore Solomon would be king, yet Adonijah has crowned himself with a great feast and the backing of Joab and Abiathar, excluding Solomon, and now all Israel waits for David to declare the true heir, or she and Solomon will be treated as traitors. As she speaks, Nathan enters and confirms every word, asking pointedly whether the king has secretly sanctioned Adonijah. The two faithful servants, by wisdom rather than force, bring the whole matter before the king for decision.

Gospel Focus

The faithful in this chapter do not fight ambition with ambition; they rest their whole case on the king's sworn word. This is the posture of faith. Where Adonijah grasped, Nathan and Bathsheba appealed to the promise, and the promise prevailed. So the believer, surrounded by the loud self-assertions of the world, does not need to seize or scheme; we plead the sworn word of God, who "cannot lie" (Titus 1:2) and has confirmed His promise "by an oath." The throne belongs to the one God appointed, and no coup of the proud can overturn His purpose. When the pretenders of this age seem to reign and God's people seem overlooked, we appeal, as Bathsheba did, to the King's own word: "hast thou not said?" And He is faithful who promised. Rest your hope not on the strength of the opposition or the odds against you, but on the immutable, sworn promise of God; the King will keep His word, and the rightful throne will be secured.

Word Study

"anoint," Hebrew mashach (מָשַׁח). Zadok "anointed (mashach) Solomon" king with oil from the tabernacle, and the people cried, "God save king Solomon." Notice the contrast with Adonijah: Adonijah exalted himself with self-supplied chariots and runners; Solomon was set on the king's mule by the king's command, anointed by the priest and prophet, and acclaimed by all the people. One seized the throne; the other received it. The rightful king is the one the king appoints and God confirms, not the one who grasps.

"Messiah, anointed one," Hebrew mashiach, from that same root. This is the great royal-messianic word: the anointed king. Solomon, David's chosen son, riding the king's own mule to Gihon and anointed to reign, is a bright picture of the true Anointed, the Messiah, the Son of David. And centuries later another Son of David would ride into Jerusalem, humble and lowly, hailed by the people, "Hosanna to the son of David... blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 21:9). Solomon's joyful coronation, the trumpet, the anointing, the shouting people, foreshadows the enthroning of the true King, at whose name every knee shall bow.

Explanation

Roused to action, David renews his oath with solemn force: "As the LORD liveth... Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me... even so will I certainly do this day." He summons Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and commands them to enact Solomon's coronation at once: set Solomon on the king's own mule, bring him to the spring of Gihon, anoint him king, blow the trumpet, and proclaim, "God save king Solomon." Benaiah answers with a hearty "Amen," praying God would make Solomon's throne even greater than David's. So it is done: Solomon rides the royal mule to Gihon, Zadok anoints him with oil from the tabernacle, the trumpet sounds, and the people shout and rejoice with such joy "that the earth rent with the sound." The king God appointed is publicly and joyfully enthroned, decisively answering Adonijah's rival feast just up the valley.

Gospel Focus

Solomon's coronation is a joyful picture of the enthroning of the true King. He did not seize the throne; he received it, appointed by the king, anointed by the priest, confirmed by the prophet, and acclaimed by the people. So Jesus, the Son of David, is the true Anointed (the Christ, the Messiah), enthroned by the Father, not by self-assertion; "yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion" (Psalm 2:6). The joy of that day, trumpets, anointing oil, and a people rejoicing until the earth rang, foreshadows the gladness of Christ's kingdom, and the cry "God save king Solomon" anticipates the "Hosanna to the son of David" that greeted Jesus. There are only ever two kings and two feasts in this chapter: Adonijah's self-made kingdom at En-rogel, which will collapse in fear, and Solomon's God-given throne at Gihon, which stands in joy. Every heart must choose its king. Bow to the one God has anointed, and join the people who rejoice with great joy at the coronation of the true King.

Word Study

"the horns of the altar," Hebrew qarnoth ha-mizbeach (קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ), the projecting corners of the altar, a place of refuge. When Adonijah's coup collapses and his guests flee in terror, the pretender himself, "feared because of Solomon," runs and "caught hold on the horns of the altar." The horns of the altar were smeared with the blood of atonement and were regarded as a place of sanctuary, where one might flee for mercy. It is a vivid and unexpectedly gospel-shaped picture: the guilty rebel, his self-made kingdom shattered, flees to the altar and clings to it, casting himself on the mercy of the king he had wronged. And mercy is granted, conditionally: "if he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth." So the sinner, when his rebellion is exposed and his self-built kingdom falls, has one refuge: to flee to the altar, to the place of blood, and cling to the mercy of the King. "We... have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:18). The altar's horns pointed to a greater altar and a greater mercy, where every rebel who lays hold of Christ, our refuge and our sacrifice, finds not merely a reprieve but full and free pardon.

Explanation

As Adonijah's feast at En-rogel ends, the sound of Solomon's coronation reaches them. Jonathan, Abiathar's son, arrives, not with the good news Adonijah expects, but with the crushing report: David has made Solomon king, anointed at Gihon, seated on the throne, blessed by the king and his servants. At once the terror-struck guests scatter, every man for himself, and the coup evaporates. Adonijah, now fearing for his life, flees to the tabernacle and grasps the horns of the altar, begging that Solomon swear not to kill him. Solomon responds with measured mercy and justice: if Adonijah proves worthy, not a hair of his head will fall; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die. Adonijah is brought from the altar, bows before King Solomon, and is sent home. The self-exalted pretender is humbled before the king God chose, and lives only by the new king's clemency.

Gospel Focus

The end of the chapter is a striking gospel picture. Adonijah's self-made kingdom collapses the instant the true king is enthroned; his guests flee, and the pretender is left with nothing but his guilt and his fear. And where does he go? He flees to the altar and lays hold of its horns, casting himself on mercy. So it is with every soul whose rebellion is exposed and whose self-built kingdom crumbles before the true King. There is one refuge: to flee to the altar, to the blood, to the mercy of the King we have defied. "Flee for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us." And here the picture both promises and points beyond itself: Solomon granted Adonijah a conditional reprieve, "if he will shew himself a worthy man"; but the greater Son of David, the true King, offers the rebel who flees to Him not a probation but a pardon, full and free, bought at the altar of the cross. Have you laid hold of the horns of the altar? Flee to Christ, our refuge and our sacrifice, and the King you defied will receive you in mercy.