CROWNED | 1 Kings Chapter 1

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Week 1 / Day 1

Written by Rae Johnson

Over the next few months, we are going to be diving into the books of 1 & 2 Kings, but before we do, let’s take a moment to understand what happened before the events in these two books ever took place, as well as to introduce a few of the “key players” we will be reading about.  

The books of 1 & 2 Kings follow immediately after 1 & 2 Samuel chronologically and come on the heels of Israel’s transition from being a collection of Tribes into what you might call a “golden-age empire” under King David.  

If you were to go back and read 1 & 2 Samuel, which I definitely encourage you to do at some point, you would find the Israelites frustrated by their current leadership model.  You see, where the nations around them were led by kings, the Israelites were led by various Judges.  These Judges weren’t just courtroom magistrates, as we know them today.  The Judges of the Old Testament were religious and prophetic mediators, appointed by God to help lead His people.  And though this judge-led leadership model was perfectly designed and appointed by the Lord, the Israelites just wanted to be like everyone else, and so began asking vehemently for a human, earthly king.  You can read all about this back-and-forth between God and His people in 1 Samuel chapter 8. But for now, here’s a quick recap.

• The elders of the Israelites approach Samuel, demanding that he appoint a king to rule them and fight their battles. (1 Samuel 8:4-5)

• God uses Samuel to warn the people about what a human king will actually cost them, but the Israelites are relentless, refuse the warning, and persist in their demand. (1 Samuel 8:10-18)

• God tells Samuel to give them what they want. (1 Samuel 8:22)  Sealing the deal, if you will, on God’s people rejecting Him as their ultimate King.

The first King to reign over the Israelites was Saul, followed by David.  And is it at the end of David’s reign that we pick up the story today in 1 Kings 1.  

Now, I just threw out a lot of names in passing, and you are going to be reading about each of these individuals.  So let’s take a quick moment to introduce each of them.

• King David:  This is the same David, known as “the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), who was a shepherd boy serving in his father's fields when he was anointed, at God’s direction, by the Prophet Samuel to (one day) become King (1 Samuel 16).  This is also the same David who killed the giant Goliath with nothing more than a slingshot and a stone (1 Samuel 17).  David is also widely known for his poetic writings in the book of Psalms as well as his shameful affair with a woman in his Kingdom, Bathsheba, whose husband was away fighting in David’s Army (2 Samuel 11).

• King Solomon:  This is one of David’s many sons and one of five sons born to Bathsheba, the woman with whom David had an affair.  Solomon is best known for his God-given wisdom and for building the first temple in Jerusalem.  You will learn much more about Solomon in the coming days and weeks of study!

• Adonijah (uh-daa-nuh-juh):  David’s fourth son and arguably his oldest living son at this point in history.  He is most famously known for attempting to usurp the throne from his half-brother Solomon.

• Bathsheba:  The woman with whom David had an affair and later became his wife.  Sh is the mother of Solomon, as well as 4 other sons, one of whom died shortly after birth.

• Nathan:  A trusted prophet of God who advises David and is a leading man in the story leading to Solomon securing his Kingship.

There are many others we will meet along the way on our journey through 1 & 2 Kings, but we will wait and introduce them as they enter our daily text.  But for now, let’s go ahead and dive into today's text and study!

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READ

If you haven’t done so already, pause here and go ahead and read 1 Kings 1.  Don’t rush through it!  Take time to really think over what you are reading, underlining what stands out, and making note of any questions you have for further study or discussion later.  After you’re done reading, come back here for a time of reflection over God’s word together.

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REFLECT

I wish time allowed for us to be able to split chapter 1 into segments to be studied over 2-3 days because there is a LOT to unpack in those 53 verses, but, for the sake of time, we are going to focus our reflection time on the battle for the throne that is taking place between two of David’s sons, Adonijah and Solomon. To sum up this passage in a simple phrase - Solomon had been promised the throne, but Adonijah felt entitled to it.  

Why the sense of entitlement?  And what is causing the rift between these two brothers?  To answer that question, let’s first recap quickly who these two guys are.  If you remember, Adonijah is David’s fourth son, and many argue that he is David’s oldest living son, making him the natural heir to the throne.  Solomon, on the other hand, was not only NOT the next in line as far as natural lineage goes, he is also a son born from scandal as his mother is Bethsheba, the woman that David not only had an affair with but also had her husband, Uriah, killed in an attempt to cover up what he had done, which you can read all about in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12.

With all of that in mind, and knowing who these two guys are and the customs of the time in which they lived, Adonijah’s actions in setting himself up to take the throne after his father's death start to make some logical sense!   After all, he is the most likely candidate as far as custom and tradition go - he’s the oldest living son AND the son not born out of controversy and sin.  So why was his attempt to “take what (seemingly) belonged to him” such a big deal?  

Because the throne had already been promised to Solomon.  Let’s read an excerpt of that account found in 1 Chronicles 28:5-7.

“And from among my sons - for the Lord has given me many - he chose Solomon to succeed me on the throne of Israel and to rule over the Lord’s kingdom.” (NLT)

The proclamation we just read was not a note written in a secret file and was not knowledge only held by a select few.  David's call, at the Lord's direction, that Solomon would serve as heir apparent, was widely and publicly known to all, including Adonijah.  So this bid for the throne wasn’t just a misunderstanding.  It was an outright and aggressive act of defiance.  It’s the kingship version of a toddler tantrum.  It’s mine.  I want it.  And I want it now!

However, the throne was not his.  It never was.  If you remember, the Kingship of the Israelites never belonged to the people.  And no matter who sat on the nation's earthly throne, the true King of God’s people has never been and never will be a position held by man.  Rather, it is a high honor that has always belonged (and ultimately can only belong) to the Lord.  And so, even though Adonijah appointed himself as king in the moment, Solomon had been anointed King by the Lord.  A truth even Adonijah settles with, as seen in 1 Kings 2:15:

“He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected

me to reign.  However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s,

for it was his from the Lord.” (ESV / Emphasis Added)

Reading this story immediately brings to mind the words of wisdom Solomon wrote in Proverbs 16:9:

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” (ESV)

Those weren’t just poetic words Solomon penned; they were words of truth that he lived, and his life reflected!  Adonijah can easily be seen as the villain in today’s passage, but if you pause for a moment, you will likely see more of yourself in him than you want to admit.  

You see, man (in this case, Solomon’s brother Adonijah) works hard to create a life perfectly suited to his personal wants and desires, but God has always been and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  And no matter how many times we appoint ourselves to a plan and a purpose, there’s always something greater that the Lord has already established, appointed, and anointed for each and every one of us.  

Believe it or not, knowing this truth is the easy part - living it out and trusting Him in it is the hard part!  We quote verses that declare “you were created for such a time as this” from Esther 4:14 and “He has good plans for you - plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” from Jeremiah 29:11 at major milestone events and in seasons of transition, speaking with our mouths that He has great plans but when we go to step fully into those plans we hesitate.  Why?  The answer to that question is different for all of us, and has likely been different for each of us in different seasons throughout our lives, but for most, that hesitation rests in 3 key areas.

First, though we KNOW He has anointed us “for such a time as this”, we want our plan over His.  

The fact that Adonijah knew the throne was never his in the first place tells us he knew who God is.  He knew He is the King of Kings and that what He declares overrules any man-made hierarchical structure or plan.  He made that clear himself when he said: “...the Kingdom…was [Solomon's] from the Lord!” And if he knew who God is, then, somewhere, in the back recesses of his heart and mind, he HAD to have known that if God had an anointed plan for Solomon, then the Lord had one for him as well.  But Adonijah was so focused on the plan HE had for his own life that he allowed himself to be blinded to the anointed plan the Lord had for him.  

And oftentimes we are guilty of the same.  We are so busy looking to our right and left, watching others live the lives WE desire to live, and we become so focused on trying to create that for ourselves that we miss out on the anointed life He has perfectly designed and placed right in front of us.  

Second, though we KNOW the Lord has created us with intention and purpose, declaring “I knew you before you were born”, and we KNOW He always has our best in mind (hello Jeremiah 29:11), we doubt we are the ones to fulfill what he has set before us.  This wasn’t a struggle of Solomon (we will chat more about his personal struggles next), but it was definitely a struggle we see sprinkled all throughout the Biblical narrative.  

• Moses, anointed by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, protested his worthiness and even pleaded with God to send someone else. (Exodus 4:10-13)

• Gideon, anointed by God to save Israel from the Midianites, felt so disqualified and responded to the Lord's call by declaring, “My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (Judges 6:15)

• Even the Apostle Paul, despite his profound ministry, constantly wrestled with his past as a persecutor of the early church, feeling unworthy to walk in the anointing the Lord had given him. (1 Corinthians 15:9)

I’m sure we have all been on the receiving end of these crippling thoughts of self-doubt and fear at some point in our lives!

And third, even while walking IN the Lord’s anointed call on our lives, we can easily lose sight of the fact that He’s in control and we are not.  As you read through the book of 1 Kings you will see clearly this wrestling that takes place regularly in Solomon's heart and life, a strong and driven leader wrestling with the Lord to a place of humble surrender - reminding us that we ALL, even the most confident among us, have to be intentional to wrestle through to a place of full surrender to the Lord’s plan, the Lord’s call, and the Lord’s anointing for OUR lives personally and individually.  

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RESPOND

1. In what areas of your life have you been tempted to pursue your own plans instead of trusting the plan God has established for you?

2. Which of the three struggles mentioned in today’s devotion do you relate to most right now: wanting your plan over God’s, doubting your ability to fulfill His calling, or struggling to trust His control while walking in it?

3. What would full surrender to God’s anointed plan for your life look like in this current season?

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WORKS CITED

enduringword.com