Failure to correct wrong motives & greed
When Adonijah decided to exalt himself and claim the throne, he began by preparing chariots and horsemen. In ancient Israel, chariots were rare, expensive status symbols strictly reserved for the king or military. By securing them, Adonijah was actively usurping royal authority. This move shows his determination to seize power before his father’s passing.
This unbridled pride, however, did not develop overnight. Verse 6 reveals the reason that had contributed to Adonijah’s actions: King David had never rebuked him or questioned his behaviour. Even after his son acquired these chariots, which is a public act of rebellion against the crown, David remained silent and failed to discipline him. This exposes David’s weakness as a father. By failing to correct his son's wrongdoing in the early stages, David's silence allowed Adonijah to proceed with his plan of a full-scale coup.
Moving forward, Adonijah took his schemes a step further. By inviting his brothers, the army commander, and the high priest to eat a sacrificial meal, he was forcing them into a public alliance, creating spiritual legitimacy in the eyes of the public. His intentional exclusion of Nathan, Benaiah, and Solomon reveals his defiance against God’s prophecy. Even though Adonijah was fully aware of God's prophecy concerning Solomon, he chose to isolate those who stood by God’s word and manipulate those who could be easily swayed to his side.
We also saw prophet Nathan’s wisdom in this matter as he acted swiftly by recognizing that Bathsheba and Solomon would be in immediate, life-threatening danger the moment Adonijah took power. He bypassed the traditional custom of waiting until after a king's death to appoint a successor and urged Bathsheba to appeal to David. Nathan understood that Solomon needed to be officially anointed immediately to protect them from Adonijah and his allies. Verse 21 shows this urgency: if David did not explicitly name Solomon as the rightful heir before passing away, Solomon’s legitimacy would be stripped away by Adonijah.
Thanks to Nathan's intervention, Solomon was crowned king. Although Solomon had the right to execute his brother for treason, he chose to grant Adonijah a conditional pardon, choosing mercy over retaliation.
Reflection questions
As parents, are we sparing the rod by not speaking up and reprimanding their wrong actions?
Solomon chose to extend mercy and a second chance to Adonijah despite his betrayal. When someone who has wronged us is finally placed in our power, is our first instinct to demand strict justice, or do we look for ways to offer grace?
