Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 1.

Every time I read today’s passage I struggle to understand why Joab and Abiathar gave their support to David’s son Adonijah, when Benaiah, Zadok, Nathan, and several other key people did not.  Joab had repeatedly demonstrated an understanding of the political implications of David’s actions and an understanding of how people think.  Yet here he makes what was clearly a miscalculation: he chose to go against what was clearly going to be the winning side.  And that is not just in hindsight.  For that matter, if Joab was going to back one of David’s son to become king at this point, why didn’t he back Solomon?  While we must be careful not to draw too much from what is said here, since it was written from the perspective of those who favored Solomon, it is still clear that Solomon was the only other contender to be David’s successor.  The fact that Adonijah invited all of David’s sons to his coronation feast except Solomon indicates that he viewed Solomon as a threat to his claim to the throne.  I mentioned struggling with trying to understand why Joab and Abiathar supported Adonijah, but, to a degree, the reverse is also true: why did Benaiah, Zadok, Nathan, and the others oppose Adonijah becoming king?  I will note that this is the first reference we have to a promise from David to Bathsheba that Solomon would succeed him as king, and, to be honest, it seems as likely something Nathan made up for Bathsheba to tell David as something David had previously promised.  On the other hand, as I said, Solomon was clearly the only alternative to Adonijah as David’s successor.

I want to close this out by noting that there is a clear lesson for us in all of this.  Solomon did not become king because he put himself forward to be king.  He became king because others championed his cause.  Adonijah, on the other hand, attempted to secure for himself the honor of becoming king, and failed.  Things ended badly for Adonijah, and for those who supported his cause.  Let us not make the mistake which Adonijah made, nor the mistake which Joab and Abiathar made.  Instead let us humbly follow the example of Solomon.  Or, if we find ourselves in the position of Benaiah, Nathan, or Zadok, let us support the humble claimant to leadership rather than the one who grasps it for themselves.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.