Adonijah: The King who Exalted Himself (1 Kings 1:1-53, 2:13-25)
1 Kings 1:5-8
This morning we begin a new study,
And it is one that is extremely intriguing to me.
We are going to study 1 & 2 Kings.
Since I have been here, we have not yet studied a book like Kings.
Kings is written as a narrative. (story)
And so as you read the story as a whole,
You must then determine what the main point is.
AND I WILL GO AHEAD AND TELL YOU,
It is NOT about the men who were the actual kings of Israel and Judah.
In fact, they aren’t even the main characters.
The book doesn’t divide based on certain Kings,
It divides based on the prophets of God.
In 1 Kings the prophet Elijah emerges as the hero…
In 2 Kings his protégé Elisha emerges as the hero…
What these books are really about is the importance of God’s word.
With some notable exceptions 1 & 2 Kings focuses
Primarily on wicked Kings who led God’s people astray,
And the prophets of God that called the people back.
And so the themes of this book are simple:
SEEK THE PRESENCE OF GOD
OBEY THE PRECEPTS OF GOD
TRUST THE POWER OF GOD
And as we study these two books,
These themes will continually rise to the top.
This morning we begin our study at the end of the life of David.
He is very old, and the end of his life near.
READ: 1 Kings 1:1-4
You can see that not only is the King old,
But it blatantly obvious that he is about to die.
And so the entire country knows that Israel is about to have a new King.
Now the decision should have been a slam dunk decision.
God had already named the next King.
1 Chronicles 28:1-8 “Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the commanders of the divisions that served the king, and the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds, and the overseers of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, with the officials and the mighty men, even all the valiant men. Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brethren and my people; I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it. “But God said to me, ‘ You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ “Yet, the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. “Of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons), He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. “He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him. ‘I will establish his kingdom forever if he resolutely performs My commandments and My ordinances, as is done now.’ “So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek after all the commandments of the LORD your God so that you may possess the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you forever.”
And so, there is no reason why the nation should have had any confusion
It had already been announced that Solomon would become king.
BUT SOMETHING HAPPENS
In steps a Usurper
No doubt, in order to thwart God’s eternal plan,
Satan rises to the occasion with the intent of
Usurping God’s throne with his own chosen King.
Now Satan is never mentioned anywhere in our passage,
But upon studying this text, you will find his fingerprints everywhere.
He is at work to mess up God’s plan.
And his puppet of choice is one of David’s sons known as Adonijah.
AND THE MAIN SATANIC ATTRIBUTE WE FIND IN OUR TEXT
IS THAT OF ARROGANCE.
So this morning let’s talk about “The Kind who Exalted Himself”
#1 THE EVIDENCE OF ARROGANCE
1 Kings 1:5-8
And as we look at these 4 verses,
You will see his arrogance in 3 ways.
1) HIS ASCENSION (5)
Notice what it says immediately about Adonijah.
The Scripture says he “exalted himself”
How did he exalt himself?
He said, “I will be king.”
He even took the next step and “prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him.”
And so you see the rise of Adonijah.
No one told him he was king.
No one asked him to be king.
He granted himself the position.
“exalted himself”.
AND THIS IS EXTREMELY FOOLISH FOR ANY MAN.
For no one has the right to be his own judge.
Paul wrote this about himself.
1 Corinthians 4:3-4 “But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.”
HAVE YOU EVER FILLED OUT AN APPLICATION WHERE THEY WANT YOU TO EVALUATE YOURSELF?
But I always find that strange, and difficult to answer.
Because while we do examine ourselves regularly to push ourselves to improve, it really doesn’t matter if we declare ourselves acceptable.
You see, some day when you stand before God,
He is not going to hand you his evaluation sheet and say,
“Here, you fill this out.”
You are not your own judge.
It is God who rewards, and it is God who punishes.
But Adonijah wasn’t concerned about that.
• He wasn’t concerned what God thought.
• He wasn’t concerned about who God wanted.
• In his eyes, he thought he would make a good king, and so he assumed the position for himself.
That is a major fingerprint of Satan.
Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.”
And it is the same attitude of Adonijah.
We see his arrogance in his ascension.
2) HIS ASSUMPTION (6)
Some would ask, why in the world would Adonijah
Assume that he had the right to become king?
There were three things that caused him to think that way.
HIS BEAUTY
“And he was also a very handsome man”
Apparently when Adonijah looked at himself in the mirror,
He just assumed he looked like a king.
It was not hard for him to picture himself wearing a crown
Being led through the streets with fifty men to run before him.
In his mind he looked kingly.
That was one of Satan’s dowfalls.
Ezekiel 28:11-13 “Again the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. “You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared.”
Just like Satan, apparently Adonijah’s beauty went to his head.
And we do this all the time.
We think we are someone important because of outward success.
Beauty or Wealth or Wittiness or Ability
But we would do good to remember that the true Judge
Is not impressed with any of those things.
1 Samuel 16:6-7 “When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is before Him.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Dizzy Dean once coined the phrase, “If you can do it, it ain’t bragging.”
Well, that might be true,
But just because you can do it, doesn’t mean God is impressed.
Do you think God is impressed because you have long golden hair?
Do you think God is impressed because you have 10 million dollars?
Do you think God is impressed because you can throw a baseball 100mph?
Do you think God is impressed because you kick a football?
Your outward attributes are not what impresses God,
But they certainly can lend to arrogance.
Adonijah’s beauty caused him to assume he deserved to be king.
There is more that led to his assumption
HIS STATUS
Notice what verse 6 says about him, “and he was born after Absalom.”
WHAT DOES THAT MATTER?
2 Samuel 3:2-4 “Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;”
David’s oldest son was Amnon.
But remember, he raped Absalom’s sister Tamar, and Absalom killed him.
David’s second son was Chileab (called Daniel sometimes),
And most scholars believe Chileab died in his youth.
David’s third son was Absalom, who also tried to usurp the throne,
But he was killed by Joab while hanging in a tree by his hair.
And the fourth son was Adonijah.
“he was born after Absalom”
That means that Adonijah was the oldest.
And by his calculations his status
Gave him the right to the throne of Israel.
This is also one of Satan’s fingerprints.
Ezekiel 28:14-17 “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. “By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.”
Satan had that same high position, and thought that entitled him to more.
No doubt Adonijah had the same thoughts.
Because of his status as the only son, he thought it entitled him to more.
We would do good to remember
That we are entitled to nothing on this earth but judgment.
It is only by God’s mercy that we ever receive anything good.
But Adonijah looked at his status and assumed he should be king.
And there was one more thing that attributed to this arrogant assumption
HIS FREEDOM
Notice how verse 6 begins, “His father had never crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?”
I suppose you could pin the blame on David here for not taking charge,
But let us not forget that David is barely alive,
And probably didn’t know a whole lot about the situation.
But either way, Adonijah took his father’s silence as approval.
Notice how Satan operated.
Ezekiel 28:18-19 “By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you. “All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever.”‘”
Satan just continued to take liberty,
And because he was not immediately destroyed he assumed it must be ok.
And people do this today.
They take the fact that God doesn’t immediately stop them
As though God were giving them permission.
“It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission”
“God hasn’t convicted me of that yet.”
That is an arrogant assumption.
It is not God’s job to give permission or deny permission
For every thing you think you want to do in life.
He gave us His word, and He expects that you will have enough fear and reverence that you will make sure you don’t cross Him.
David had already announced that Solomon would be king,
That should have been enough.
But because David didn’t immediately stop him, he assumed it was ok.
So we see evidence of his arrogance
Through his ASCENSION and through his ASSUMPTION
There is a third area that we see evidence of his arrogance
3) HIS ALLIANCE (7-8)
Notice what it says.
“He had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest”
If Adonijah really wanted to know if he should be king, why not seek God?
At least, why not talk to David.
Adonijah did neither.
Instead he had already “conferred” with two other men.
This is not seeking God, this is scheming.
He was working stealthily.
Even though God and David had already revealed the next King,
Adonijah was so certain that he deserved the position
That he was willing to lie and scheme to get it.
It is an arrogant man that thinks he knows more than God,
And is willing to scheme get his way over God’s way.
Yet this is precisely how Satan works.
Psalms 10:8-11 “He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate. He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net. He crouches, he bows down, And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones. He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”
That is precisely what Adonijah is doing.
And you will notice that there were some who recognized his evil plot.
(8) “But Zadok the priest, Behaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.”
There were those who saw through his little plan, and would not help,
But it did not stop Adonijah.
HE WAS FILLED WITH ARROGANCE.
• Because he was beautiful…
• Because he was the oldest…
• Because he thought he could get away with it…
He willingly sought to usurp the plan of God and the throne of David.
And it appears as though it is working.
The Evidence of Arrogance
#2 THE EFFECT OF ARROGANCE
At this point in the story, Nathan realizes what is going on.
READ: 1 Kings 1:11-12
Nathan goes to Bathsheba and gives her some counsel.
In short, she is to go in to King David and ask him if he really intended to make Solomon King, and then to inform him of all that Adonijah is doing.
And while she is giving this report,
Nathan will come in an confirm her words to the king.
And this is precisely what they did.
Now David vows to Bathsheba that Solomon will be king,
And notice what he does.
READ: 1 Kings 1:33-35
Now that is the way to become King.
Later that day, as all the commotion of Solomon’s coronation would break out, Adonijah and his guests were in the middle of their celebration.
READ: 1 Kings 1:41-43
He is so arrogant, he can’t imagine anyone else undoing what he has done.
Well, once the news spreads what David has done,
All of Adonijah’s followers flee
And Adonijah runs to the temple and takes hold of the horns of the altar.
Solomon then offers mercy.
READ: 1 Kings 1:52-53
NOW IT SHOULD HAVE ENDED THERE.
Adonijah should have learned his lesson.
But arrogance has a way
Of not letting a person accept disappointment.
So, after David dies, Adonijah tries it again.
READ: 1 Kings 2:13-25
And now you see the effects of arrogance.
All because Adonijah was unwilling to accept God’s will,
And thought he deserved better.
It is no wonder that when Solomon penned the book of Proverbs,
He made so much reference to arrogance.
He had seen firsthand the effects or pride and arrogance on a life.
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.”
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”
Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.”
Proverbs 25:6-7 “Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men; For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,” Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, Whom your eyes have seen.”
Jesus taught this very same truth.
Luke 14:7-11 “And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. “But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
In fact, the New Testament also teaches:
1 Peter 5:5 “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
In our lives we must understand something.
God is God, and He is the sovereign ruler over this world.
• When creating this world, He did not ask for your input.
• While sustaining this world, He does not ask for your help.
• He does not need your advice, nor does He require your counsel.
In fact in Romans we just learned:
Romans 11:34 “For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?”
The Lord said through Isaiah:
Isaiah 55:8-11 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
God does not need your help, nor does He ask for it.
All God asks is that you humble yourself
Under His mighty hand and trust His word.
This is the one thing that Adonijah would not do.
He could not help but think that God had made a mistake
And so he took matters into his own hands.
This morning, as we begin our study,
I want to ask you to do what Adonijah would not,
Humble yourself under the mighty had of God.
Seek His will for your life.
And follow His will whatever that might be.
And that begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Do you realize that there is no more arrogant decision you can make than the decision to reject Jesus?
Not only are you rejecting God’s ordained plan of salvation,
But you are also saying you can do it on your own without any help.
And that is arrogance which will end in destruction.
• Only Jesus lived a sinless life…
• Only Jesus shed His blood for you…
• Jesus is the ONLY way for salvation…
This morning humble yourself under God’s mighty plan,
And let God exalt you at the proper time.
James 4:6-10 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
