Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
1 Kings 2:12–25, “Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s: for it was his from the LORD. And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king. Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay. And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day. And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.”
Solomon was finally accepted as king and sat upon the throne without having to fight any other contenders. His father had managed to eliminate the main threat to his throne by dealing swiftly with Adonijah’s attempt to take the throne. However, Adonijah wasn’t finished with his bid to take the throne. He approached Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba and asked her is she would do him a favour. He started by telling Bathsheba that it was unjust for Solomon to be king when everyone knew that he was the next in line for the throne, and then he asked her for one special favour. Adonijah asked Bathsheba if she would get permission from Solomon for him to marry Abishag. Most people believed that Abishag was David’s wife even though, in truth, she was his nurse and no more. Both Solomon and Adonijah understood the truth behind the request even though Bathsheba had a good heart and took other people in good faith, expecting them to have a good heart like she had herself. We saw earlier that Absalom, when he tried to take the kingdom from David, raped David’s wives (concubines) who had stayed behind to look after David’s house. This was because it was customary for a new king would take the old king’s wives as his own and show the rest of the world that he was now in charge. Adonijah wanted to make a statement to the rest of the world that he was the rightful king of Israel. As soon as Solomon heard Adonijah’s request he underwood the treason that was being brought about. He ordered that Adonijah be executed for his treasonous activity.
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