Adonijah’s Conspiracy
The King’s Chronic Illness (1-4)
As David grew old, his blood circulation weakened, and he was unable, even under blankets and clothes, to keep warm (1). A young, beautiful virgin was sought to be his nurse, a woman who would serve him and lie with him through the night to keep his temperature elevated. Eventually, in the territory of Issachar, a young woman was found, Abishag the Shunammite, who committed to being the infirm king’s nurse and non-sexual bed partner (2-4).
The point being made—David “did not know her” (NKJV)—paints a further picture of how frail he was and removes any hint of scandal from another later legend that Solomon married this woman, and she was the woman of the Song of Solomon.
To sum up David’s situation, the kingdom was hanging in the hands of a king who could not care for himself. One false step and the kingdom could land in the hands of the wrong person, such as Saul, Eliab, Absalom, and, in the current situation, Adonijah. All these men were striking in appearance, hormone-propelled, and driven by lust for power. This was just enough faulty character to send Israel off into a kingdom of idolatry.
Adonijah’s Conspiracy (5-10)
This section is built around three speeches:
Nathan to Bathsheba
Bathsheba to David
Nathan to David
The future of the kingdom hinged on these speeches being made to a man reigning only over his survival and no longer joined to the goings-on in the kingdom. The future was about to be entrusted to the prophetic voice of Nathan.
Adonijah (2 Samuel 3:4) was David’s fourth-born and now eldest son. He would naturally consider himself to be entitled to David’s throne. To insert his natural ambition into the situation, he prepared for himself chariots and runners to exalt his honor before the people in Jerusalem (5). While David watched his son’s actions, he never confronted him, never once crossed him. David was also fully aware his son Solomon had been named and chosen by Yahweh to take his place (2 Samuel 12:25). Adonijah was a handsome guy, born after Absalom, fully blossoming into Absalom’s foul character (6). Adonijah furthered his Absalom-like ambition by enrolling David’s general, Joab, and David’s high priest, Abiathar, in his conspiracy (7). Adonijah’s ambition for power and disrespect for his father were built on four basic pillars:
He was never disciplined.
He was attractive and gifted.
He was entitled as the eldest living son.
He was affirmed by some of David’s most influential leaders.
It was well known in the court of David whom Yahweh and David considered to be next in line for the throne. Because it was so clear and certain who was to succeed David, some honorable men of David’s court would have nothing to do with the conspiracy (Zadok the priest, Benaiah the general, and Nathan the prophet) (8).
Adonijah eventually went to a valley southeast of Jerusalem by a few hundred yards, invited his brothers and every royal official imaginable (all except the three loyal to David and Solomon, his brother), and there he held a feast proclaiming himself to be king.
The fact that he did not invite Solomon was evidence enough that he knew whom Yahweh had chosen through his father and had zero problem circumventing the divine choice (9-10).
Nathan Withstands the Coup (11-27)
Speech One
When Nathan heard about the feast and Adonijah’s grasp for power, he had Bathsheba go to the king and remind him of his promise concerning Solomon’s reign as his successor. Nathan assured her that, while with the king, he would enter the room to affirm she was not exaggerating (11-14).
Speech Two
With her very life and her son’s life on the line, Bathsheba entered David’s chamber, and while Abishag was attending to the king, she bowed and paid David homage. David asked her what she needed, and Bathsheba rehearsed for David what he had promised concerning her son being his successor. She reminded him of his commitment against the events transpiring at that very moment at a feast Adonijah was hosting to proclaim himself king (15-18). She gave David some details concerning the feast and those who were conspiring against David and Yahweh’s chosen successor, Solomon (19-20). She then reminded him of the real pending disaster: Solomon and Bathsheba would be killed as criminals if Adonijah became king, their lack of invitation to the feast serving as conspicuous evidence (21).
Speech Three
On cue, Nathan entered, was announced, and bowed before the king as Bathsheba quietly departed (22-23). He, in like fashion to Bathsheba, recounted the feast with this added detail—those feasting with Adonijah had begun the chant, “Long live King Adonijah!” He then listed those uninvited to the feast so the king could know Adonijah was fully aware of who should be the king (24-26). Nathan then turned his visit into a question, “Did you, oh King, change your mind and in essence your promise about who should succeed you?” (27)
The Returning Wanderer
Psalm 85 was written by the “sons of Korah,” and some think it was written when Cyrus decreed the return to Jerusalem with great offerings to rebuild the temple. This is a Psalm of the wandering people of God finally being sent back to rebuild the House of God (Ezra 1).
This Psalm flows through three units of thought:
The restoration of relationship (1-7)
The restoration of reverence (8-9)
The restoration of righteousness (10-13)
Purpose: To show us how to pray when our hearts have been distant from God, but now we are returning to placing the presence of Yahweh at the center of everything.