SOLOMON ENTHRONED A KING A choice of a successor to king David needed a divine intervention, on account of that, up to that time, there was no well-established royal system. The royal system was new in Israel, not practiced except by two kings: Saul of the tribe of Benjamin, and David of the tribe of Judah. Saul was not succeeded by a son, a relative, nor by one of his tribe, but by David, the man appointed directly by God. Before that time there was the system of judges, all along a period of three centuries, which did not involve inheritance, but every one of them enjoyed authority through a direct call and a blessing from God (except for one). That call was an un-inheritable gift from God. … King David promised his wife Bathsheba that her son Solomon would be the king after him; but Adonijah the son of Haggith planned to be the king. 1- King David grows very old 1 -- 4 2- Adonijah plans to become king 5 -- 10 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 3- Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba 11 -- 14. 4- Bathshebah goes to David 15 -- 21 5- Nathan the prophet comes in to David 22 -- 31 6- Solomon enthroned a king 32 -- 48 7- Adonijah does homage to Solomon 49 – 53 1- KING DAVID GROWS VERY OLD: While Saul, the first king over Israel died in battle in disgrace and reproach, and his royal dynasty came to an end; David, the righteous king, grew old, lost his physical vigor, yet died with an exultant soul, and a heart filled with peace, having set his son Solomon to consummate what he could not himself do. “Now King David was old, advanced in years, and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. Therefore his servants said to him, ‘let a young woman, a virgin be sought for our Lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him, and let her lie in your bosom, that our Lord the King be warm. . So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the young woman was very lovely, and she cared for the king, and served him, but the king did not know her” (1 – 4) Some may wonder why does the Holy Book mention such a story that may seem unimportant? 1- To show that, because king David has become so weak with old age, and not able to run the affairs of his kingdom, there was a need for anointing a successor to take over his royal responsibilities during his life https://coptic-treasures.com/ 2- To tell after that how his son Adonijah planned to sit on the throne, in an indirect way, through his desire to marry Abishag the girl who lied in the king’s bosom. 3- The tough life of David, and the troubles that dwelt upon him, gave him an early old age. He suffered long from the persecution of king Saul who dedicated his energies and those of his men to get rid of David. Then the limitless troubles he faced after being enthroned, those of his household in particular, like his son’s Amnon raping his own sister, and the treason of his other son Absalom (2 Samuel 15 – 19). Although that condition described in (1-4) does not suit someone in the seventies of his age, yet God did not allow those unnatural early symptoms of old age to destroy David’s spirit, but He exulted his heart until his last breath. 4- According to some, that early old age has dwelt upon David, as a divine chastisement because of his disgraceful rape of Bathsheba and having her husband Uriah the Hettite killed. For when man deprives himself of the warmth of the divine righteousness, no covers in the world could warm his heart up.. In Elihu’s talk to ‘Job’ he said to him: “Why are your garments hot?” (Job 37: 17); And God, rebuking His people, too preoccupied with their own affairs, to care for God’s house, said to them: “You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm” (Haggai 1: 6). 5- God probably intends to show us how David, with his fiery heart, and consistent positive work to the account of the kingdom of God, since his young days, had such an early old age, yet stayed exultant. … It is befitting of us, who do not know what the future may bring forth upon us, to care for our life and fellowship with God, before old age or death dwell upon us.. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 6- Saying, “But the king did not know her” (4), is not to declare his inability to practice his marital relationship, nor that she was not one of his concubines, but to explain why Adonijah sought her a wife after his father’s death (2: 17). David was 30 years old when he began his reign in Hebron (2 Samuel 5: 4); where he reigned 7 years and 6 months (2 Samuel 11; 1 Chronicles 3: 4); Then reigned 33 years in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5: 5). That means that just one year before he dies, he was 69 years old. Jews, at that time, did not live long; No king after David lived longer than 60 years, except for Solomon and Manasseh. The word “servants” (2) was not meant in its literal sense; It came in the first and second book of the kings to mean one of four categories: * Slaves. * Those who are given land for the sake of their services as household servants. * Members of the royal court. * Royal personal counselors. Naaman the Syrian, the commander of the army, was said to be “the king’s servant” (2 Kings 5: 6); So were called Asaiah (22: 12), Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who destroyed Jerusalem (1 Kings 25: 8), Here, the term before us (2) applies to the third of these categories, namely members of the royal court, who take care of the king’s private quarters.. As to their care for seeking a young virgin to stand before the king and to lie in his bosom; that, according to Josephus the Jewish historian, has been followed as a medical treatment for the elders, also recommended by the Greek ‘Galen’, as a kind of a nurse, and not a wife. “Abishag”, the name of that virgin, is a Hebrew name derived from ‘saga’, meaning (to err) or (to go astray), a probable hint to that she was so called https://coptic-treasures.com/ because her father might have deserted the household and went astray. While, according to others it was a name of a local unknown god, worshiped by the inhabitants of ‘Shunam’. The word ‘Shulamite’ as itcame in the book of Songs (6: 13), a symbolic name of the church, the queen of peace, analogous to Solomon her groom (the king of Peace); on account of that it is the feminine name of Solomon in Hebrew. Whereas, according to H.H. Rowley, it is an Arabic village by the name of ‘Sulem’, south-west of Mount ‘Dahy’, 7 miles south-east of Nazareth, mentioned in 2 kings 4: 21, as home of the woman whom the prophet Elisha raised her son from death; about 3 ½ miles north of Jezreel, 5 miles north-west of Mount ‘Galboh’, and 16 miles of Mount Carmel. This village was surrounded by gardens, and had a spring of water. Some others still, believe it to be derived from the Hebrew word ‘sakan’, referring to someone (at the service) of others. St. Jerome, in his letter to ‘Nepotian’, priest of Altinum, nephew of bishop ‘Heliodorus’, presents a symbolic interpretation of the episode of ‘Abishag the Shunammite’, from which we shall quote the following phrases: + When an elder feels cold, he would be covered with blankets, but he will only find his warmth in the bosom of a young girl. Bathsheba, Abogail, and the rest of David’s wives and concubines, mentioned in the Holy Book, were still living; Yet none of them was chosen, on account of that they were old and cold, and the old man David was in need of a young girl to find his warmth in her bosom. Although Abraham was older than David, yet he did not feel cold with his old wife Sarai; … And Moses lived 120 years, and did not seek an alternative of Sephorah. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Who was that Shunammite then, the girl, who provided warmth; and who, at the same time, was holy, and did not stir up carnal lust in whom she gives warmth? … Let us let Solomon, the wisest of men, tell us about his beloved father; … Let us let the man of peace tell us about the bosom of David, the man of war! … He wrote: “Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom; and in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you. She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you” (Proverb 4: 5-9). All virtues practiced by man will change and corrupt with time, like fasting, watching, and almsgiving; when they become difficult to practice; So will be lying on the ground, moving from one place to another, giving hospitality to strangers, persistent praying, visiting the sick.. In short all works practiced by the body will deteriorate;; …. But wisdom alone will grow with time. The name ‘Abishag’ itself, meaning (high above), may symbolically refer to the exalted wisdom of the elders, that flows over because of its multitude. It may also mean (roar) referring to the vague sound of waves of the sea, or to the divine thunder that endures in the ears of the elder. The word ‘Abishag’ again could mean (purple); referring to that the love of wisdom grants warmth, and radiates splendor. If the color purple refers to the secret of the blood of Christ, it would emit a splendid radiation of wisdom. (St. Jerome) https://coptic-treasures.com/ In other words, every believer needs to be taken into the bosom of the high wisdom that comes down from heaven, to take away from him the spiritual coolness, and to grant him a heart enflamed with the divine fire of love, enjoyed through the blood of Christ. In the book of wisdom it came: “Wisdom is better than strength; and a wise man is better than the mighty” “Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her” (Wisdom 6: 12). “The desire for wisdom leads for a kingdom” (Wisdom 6: 20) “Give me the wisdom that sits by Your throne; and do not reject me from among Your servants” (Wisdom 9: 4) St. Jerome makes it clear that the high wisdom grants warmth instead of coolness; the warmth of the fire sent by the Lord Christ on the earth (Luke 12: 49), sent to His two disciples on their way to Emmaus, who said: “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24: 32). This warmth has been also enjoyed by the xxxxxx. Whoever gets attached to wisdom, the fiery Holy Spirit, Grantor of wisdom, would turn his life into spiritual warmth, that the world could not take away from his depths. 2- ADONIJAH PLANS TO BECOME KING: (5 – 10) Adonijah was the fourth son of David (2 Samuel 3: 4; 1 Chronicles 3: 2). Yet, after the death of Absalom, Amnon, and Celab, Adonijah became the oldest living son of David at the time, and counted himself as the heir to the throne (2: 15). He intended to make sure of that before the death of his father, but God, the https://coptic-treasures.com/ unseen King, kept His right in choosing the earthly king (Deuteronomy 17: 15) who represents Him in Israel. David never desired to be a king, and never hastened to be enthroned when the Lord chose him and the prophet Samuel anointed him, and did not count it a divine permission to fight against Saul to replace him. On the contrary, it was Saul who sought David’s soul, and dedicated his energy to do it. When it so happened that Saul fell in David’s hand more than once, he did not harm him; And when Saul was killed, David wept for him, and lamented him with a true loving heart. …. Now, David’s own children fight over the throne, as Absalom did, he who not only sought the throne, but though his father’s neck as well. And now Adonijah hastens to take the throne by force. He prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, not to fight for the sake of his country, but to confiscate the position by appearance; for which the Holy Book put the blame on his father who was not firm in raising him. With the pride of heart, Adonijah did not desire the kingdom for serving the others, for the edification of his country, nor for the glory of God, but to realize the ‘ego’ in haughtiness, selfishness, and love of authority. “Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying: ‘I will be king’; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him” (5) + Nothing can make the feet trip like pride. Love moves them to walk, progress and ascend; whereas pride makes them fall. (St. Augustine) Being born in Hebron when David was a king over Judah, Adonijah counted himself as the legal heir to the throne of his father David; supported by some https://coptic-treasures.com/ conservative persons like Joab the commander of the army of Israel, a relative of the king (1 Chronicles 2: 16), Abiathar the priest who was spared the massacre committed by king Saul against the priests of Nob; then accompanied David on his escape from the face of Saul in the wilderness of Judah (1 Samuel 22: 20). Adonijah trusted in the popular strength, the way his brother Absalom did; and the two of them failed to fulfill the desire of their hearts; despite the fact that Adonijah was supported by both the military might (Joab, the commander of the army), and the religious authority (Abiathar the priest). On account of the fact that Adonijah was no doubt aware of the oath uttered by his father before Bathsheba that her son Solomon would be his heir on the throne; as he planned to take the throne, he did not invite Solomon, nor the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, and the mighty men who heard the vow, and joined forces with David to set Solomon a king. To make himself a king, Adonijah used human means; “he prepared chariots, horsemen and fifty men to run before him” (5). He did not respond to the praise uttered by the prophet Moses, saying: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider He has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my might, and He has become my salvation” (Exodus 15: 2). “And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, ‘Why have you done so?’. He was also a very good-looking man. His mother had borne him after Absalom” (6) One of the serious faults in which David, the great among the prophets, has fallen, was probably his slothfulness in raising his sons, and his disregard of their faults on which he never rebuked. In him, was realized the saying: “Whoever does not chasten his children, will, himself, be chastened by his children”. … https://coptic-treasures.com/ David was gentle even toward Saul his persecutor; but, it was befitting of him to be firm in raising his sons. “And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, ‘Why have you done so?’” (6). When his son ‘Amnon’ raped his own sister ‘Tamar’, David “was very angry” (2 Samuel 13: 21); yet he was not firm in punishing him; And when his son Absalom, who rebelled against him (2 Samuel 15), seeking, not only his throne, but his head as well, was killed n battle, David “was deeply moved, and went up to his chamber and wept” and was rebuked by Joab, the commander of the army (2 Samuel 18, 19). The children are a precious gift, more precious than the whole world, given by God to the parents, not to possess, to conform according to their wish, to have dominion over them, or to boast in having them; But, as persons for whose sake the Lord died, they are, before anything else, to be raised as living members in the body of Christ; holy temples for the Holy Spirit; sons of, and heirs to God, together with Christ, and the image of God that glorifies Him. In other words, parents should not count their child just as a precious gift, but as a living being who has their same value with God, and who partakes of their same portion. According to St. John Chrysostom: [If some, for the sake of making statutes and drawing portraits of kings, get great honors, How much more would we, who adorn the image of the King of kings, by raising a true image of Him, will get?. For the true image is the virtue of the Spirit, when we raise our children to be good, meek, forgiving, giving, and compassionate; when we raise them to look at the world as nothing]. According to St. John Chrysostom, the parents do not present a statue to God, but a living image of Him in their son; they present him as a bearer of God’s image in the fellowship of His features in the Lord Christ; and an icon of heaven, in his disregard of the worries and seductions of this world. The parents who bear https://coptic-treasures.com/ the image of God, enjoy the fellowship of the divine nature, and exult in the heavenly life in their depths, and in their homes, Present to God a holy generation in the Lord, not less in testifying to God than the past generation, but consummates its work. The issue is not confined to receiving our children from the hand of God as a living talent, to consummate our mission, the way we did, of that of the past generations, so as meld the generations together as one body, to consummate the work of Christ the Head of us all; … But we are committed to perceive that we are sought to present them to the Lord as an offering of love, by exhorting in them the spirit of strife, as good spiritual soldiers who joyfully carry the cross together with us. Adonijah was like his brother Absalom, not only in the beauty of his appearance, but in binding the beauty of the body with the ugliness of the soul, that rebels even against parents. “Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah” (7) He trusted in the human hand and plan, he drew to himself Joab the commander of the army, and Abiathar the priest, to guarantee both the military and the religious support, disregarding the divine will and the heavenly help, Yet they supported him, not with the conviction that he has the right to the throne, being the oldest son, but for the sake of their own benefits. Joab, the firstborn of Zeruiah, sister of David, brother of Abishai and Asahel, a resident of Bethlehem, as the commander of the army of David, proved his military might and courage in battle, although he fell twice in unwarranted violence and bloodshed, having killed Abner (2 Samuel 3: 27) and Amasa (2 Samuel 20: 10) for no cause. Joab probably assumed that, by supporting https://coptic-treasures.com/ Adonijah in his rebellion, he would guarantee keeping his position as the commander of the army. As for Abiathar, having been the only priest who escaped the brutality of king Saul in killing the priests for their alleged support of David (1 Samuel 22: 20-23), he became the spiritual counselor and intimate friend of David, the fugitive warrior. He was loyal to David, but supported the rebellious Adonijah, disregarding the will of God, and the promise of David to have Solomon as his successor on the throne. By having an important role in enthroning the new king, Abiathar probably hoped to guarantee his job as the high priest. Beside his jealousy of Zadok, who, although was the high priest in the Tabernacle of the meeting at Gibeon, yet he seemed to be the senior one, being referred to ahead of Abiathar (2 Samuel 15: 24; 20: 25; 15: 24 etc.). … God let both Joab and Abiathar work together in that evil task, and delivered them to themselves, until their cups got filled, to be worthy of the divine chastisement. According to some, the Hebrew word synonymous to the word “help” (7), also carries the meaning of being (terrified before him); namely, they helped Adonijah for being terrified of him. “But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah” (8) While Adonijah moved with the pride of heart, trusting in his good looks, might, horsemen, human planning; and drawing the commander of the army and one of the priests to his side, God worked to set Solomon a king, as He had promised David. On the other side, were Zadok the priest, Benaiah, Nathan, Shimei, Tei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, who did not feel comfortable with the actions of Adonijah. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Zadok the priest, most probably mentioned concerning the tabernacle of the meeting in the days of Saul (1 Chronicles 16: 39); which refers to that he belonged to the tribe of Levi. Directly after the death of Saul, he accompanied king David in Hebren (1 Chronicles 12: 28); and during his escape from Jerusalem during the rebellion of Absalom, he spied for his sake (2 Samuel 15: 24-29; 17: 15). Once David’s throne was established, he practiced the position of high priest, together with Abiathar (2 Samuel 9: 17; 15: 24; 29: 35) a situation, provoking jealousy between them, that made each of them take a controversial direction. It is difficult to understand the significance of having two high priests at the same time. While Abiathar was probably the true high priest, responsible for the Sanctuary where the Ark of testimony was in Zion; Zadok was the high priest in the tabernacle of the meeting in Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16: 39). Benaiah, appointed by the king over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites (2 Samuel 8: 18), was known for courage (1 Samuel 23: 20); and was seen by Joab as a competitor. Nathan the prophet, accompanied king David (2 Samuel 7: 2). His mission was to reveal the divine will to the king, to keep him from doing according to his own human mind; but to perceive that he is nothing but a steward of the true King -- God Himself. When David sinned with Bathsheba, Nathan rebuked him, and when he proclaimed his repentance, he said to him: “The Lord has also put away your sin, you shall not die” (2 Samuel 12: 13). He had his own favor in the sight of the king, and enjoyed an intimate relationship with the royal household (2 Samuel 12: 25). Shimei: a friend of the king, who included him among his great men (2 Samuel 12: 25). https://coptic-treasures.com/ Rei: A Hebrew name meaning (amiable). He is probably ‘Ira the Jairite’ mentioned in 2 Samuel 20: 26. The mighty men: were those of authority working under king David; were most probably the 600 men who accompanied him during his early movements (1 Samuel 25: 13; 27: 3); and became the nucleus of his army. “And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel. He also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the kings servants” (9) Adonijah started his attempt to take the throne by offering a sacrifice, the way his brother Absalom did before him (2 Samuel 15: 7). Slaying animals and inviting the congregation to participate, has been practiced as a kind of a pact to work together by the spirit of faithfulness. By so doing, he intended to give his work a religious touch, pretending that he was called to receive the throne from God Himself, as testified by Abiathar the high priest who offered sacrifices to God. He practiced his evil under the name of God, using worship for the sake of his own benefit. He set his conspiracy outside Jerusalem by the stone of Zoheleth which is by En Rogel (6). The stone of Zoheleth: meaning, the stone of a reptile, or of a worm, known as ‘Valley of Rabab’, south-west of Jerusalem; was probably a stone sanctified by the Canaanites, on account of being close to a spring of water, which they considered as the sources of life, and worshipped the god dwelling in it. En Rogel, also known as ‘fuller fountain’, and ‘fountain of the spy’, on the boundary between the territories of Benjamin and Judah (Joshua 5: 7; 18: 16); probably refers to ‘the serpent well’ mentioned in Nehemiah 2: 13; thought to be https://coptic-treasures.com/ located at ‘the well of Job’, south of Jerusalem in the valley of Kedron; believed today to be replaced by a rock, as a result of an earthquake. “But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother” (10) Inviting his brothers and all the men of Judah, except for his brother Solomon, Nathan the prophet, Zadok the priest, and Benaiah, reveals that Adonijah was aware of God’s choice of Solomon a king, and of his inner perception of the position of Nathan the prophet as the man of God to realize the divine will. This is also confirmed by his refrain to counsel with his father concerning the issue of having the throne, to have his support in his endeavor; but his disregard of his father proves his perception that he was practicing some work against his father’s will. A great difference between the attitudes of David the king and of his son Adonijah, who did not inherit the spirit of his father, the meek, and the servant of many, who seeks the glory of God, and the edification of the people, not his own glory; … he who never rode a chariot or a horse, but came walking to fight against Goliath in the name of the Lord of hosts; …. and he who did not get his throne by human conspiracy, but by seeking to fulfill the will of God. Not inviting Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon his brother to partake of the banquet, refers to the fact that Adonijah did not mean peace, but intended to enter into violent struggle with them; which also reveal the existence of two adversary groups in Jerusalem, and a serious dissension in Israel. Adonijah presents to us a sorrowful portrait of the soul that disregards God the true King, and His ministers working to His account; whether parents, priests, or guides. Adonijah did not care for the divine command to set Solomon a king, and https://coptic-treasures.com/ did not seek the counsel of his father, who, in his sight, was no more than a helpless old man; and counted his brother Solomon as a young lad not fit to be a king. According to his own human wisdom, talents, and possibilities, he considered himself the only one fit to reign … Crawling into the heart, sin blinds it to recognize the truth, keeps it from receiving the divine will, and from seeking a wise and edifying counsel! NATHAN THE PROPHET AND BATHSHEBA: (11-14) Nathan was the spokesman in the name of God to king David, specially in the issues concerning his salvation and that of his people, like the divine promise to David of the continuation of his royal dynasty (2 Samuel 7); and exhorting him to repent after committing sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12). Here, he intervenes to set Solomon a king. Although David, himself, was a prophet and a king, with experience with God, Yet, with the spirit of humility, he received the words of the Lord on the tongue of Nathan the prophet. Nathan’s intervention was out of feeling commitment to fulfill the will of God. Having proclaimed that Solomon will be the king, he intends to help David to fulfill his vow to Bathsheba. And in commiseration with Bathsheba, who had been put in a painful situation through rape and murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite; he intends to make it up for her; and to save her life and that of her son Solomon from the hand of Adonijah, who, jf he gets his heart desire, would never spare their life, to guarantee staying a king (4: 2). “So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, ‘Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our Lord does not know it?’” (11) https://coptic-treasures.com/ We would expect of Nathan the prophet, who played a serious role in rebuking David on the sin he committed with Bathsheba, and on murdering her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 11: 1-7), to take the side of the conservatives! … What made him do otherwise? a- As a man of God, he knows the divine will to set Solomon the son of David a king on his throne. b- He probably believed that Bathsheba deserves to be compensated for her past affliction by honoring her son c- Being the instructor of the young man Solomon (2 Samuel 12: 25), he felt that he is fit to be the king more than Adonijah or any of his other brothers. Bathsheba: daughter of Eliam (2 Samuel 11: 3), also called Ammiel (1 Chronicles 3: 5); Probably a granddaughter of Ahithophel, a very close counselor of David (2 Samuel 23: 34); and widdow of Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11: 3), whom king David loved, committed adultery, and conspired to have her husband killed (2 Samuel 11). David married her and fathered Shimei, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, from her.. “Come please, let me now give you counsel, that you may save your life and the life of your son Solomon” (12) It is clear from the words of Nathan the prophet that he knows that Adonijah, being aware of his father’s intention to give the kingdom to Solomon, had in his heart to kill Solomon and his mother, once he becomes king (12). The Hebrew verb ‘malleti’ here means (security) (the island of ‘Malta’ was so called on account that it was a secure harbor for the Phoenician maritime fleet). So Nathan presents a counsel of security to Solomon and his mother, to save them from the evil hand of Adonijah. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Go immediately to king David and say to him, ‘Did you not, My Lord, O King, swear to your maidservant, saying, ‘Assuredly, your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’; Why then has Adonijah become king?’. Then while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words’” (13, 14) Here we notice how Nathan the prophet talks very politely to Bathsheba; on account of that he knows that her son will become the king according to the promise of God. 3- BATHSHEBA GOES TO DAVID: (15-21) “So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king)” (15) Bathsheba went into the chamber of the king who, because of his old age and weakness, he could not come out. Bathsheba had a special place in the heart of king David, probably because of an inner feeling of guilt on his part, and a perpetual intention to make it up for her. … Her name, as well has the symbolic meaning of ‘the house of the Sabbath’; as though she represents the house where God and man find rest; for the ‘Sabbath’ means (rest) for God and man; God finds rest in the heart of the believer, who finds rest through his attachment, and the dedication of his heart to God. “And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said :’What is your wish?’ Then she said to https://coptic-treasures.com/ him. ‘My Lord, you swore by the Lord, your God to your maidservant, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’. So now, look, Adonijah has become king; and now, my Lord the king, you do not know about it. He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited. And as for you, my Lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my Lord the king after him. Otherwise it will happen, when my Lord the king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders” (16 – 21) 4- NATHAN THE PROPHET COME IN TO THE KING: (22 – 25) “And just then, while she was talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. So they told the king, saying, ‘Here is Nathan the prophet’. And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground, and said, ‘My Lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him, and they say, ‘Long live king Adonijah!’” (22 – 25) By saying, “Long live the king’, they do not mean the days of his life, or the enjoyment of the temporal life; but, looking at the king as the steward of God, https://coptic-treasures.com/ Grantor of the exalted life, they as though say: ‘We wish the divine vitality, in particular, be in the king, and in his seed forever’. But he has not invited me, even me your servant, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoida, nor your servant Solomon. Has this thing been done by my Lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my Lord the king after him?. The king answered and said, ‘Call Bathsheba to me’. So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king” (26 -28) As it was the custom with the kings, if he encounters his wife or one of his counselors, that no third party is allowed to be present except by a permission of the king, that is why, once Nathan came in to the king, Bathsheba left him. “And the king took an oath and said, ‘As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every stress, just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throe in my place’, so I certainly will do this day’. Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did homage to the king, and said, ‘Let my Lord, king David live forever’” (29-31) 5- SOLOMON ENTHRONED A KING: (32 – 48): “And the king said, ‘Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada’, so they came before the king. The king also said to them, ‘Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon’” (32 – 33) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Kings used to be anointed with holy oil kept in the temple; by which the king would always feel that his whole life is dedicated to God through ministry to His people. Such an anointment seems to have its origin in an ancient tradition, taken by different peoples in different ways. … We know how Jacob poured oil on a rock to dedicate the location at Bethel as a house for the Lord…. In Egypt, Pharaoh’s authority was given to his deputies through an anointment; … So it was with the kings of Syria during the fifteenth century B.C. It was a sign that the one anointed carried a special possibility through the anointment. Anointment with oil has been followed in betrothal and marriage by the Egyptians and the Hittites; and by the Amorites in ‘Mari’ in their trade dealings and transactions in the eighteenth century. And was used in the rite of liberating the slaves. It was used as well, in anointing the priest, who forsakes everything and dedicate his whole life to the ministry of God; in such a way that the anointment becomes equal to ‘consecration’ or ‘sanctification’ (Exodus 28: 41; 30: 30; 40: 13); Namely, in transferring man from the worldly to the divine work, concerning the Holy God. … So it was in the anointment of the king: who forsakes everything worldly, to minister to the account of God among His people; Namely, being appointed by God for His ministry. “Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, ‘Amen! May the Lord God of my lord say so too. As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. So https://coptic-treasures.com/ Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on king David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said, ‘Long live king Solomon’” (35 – 39) The tabernacle here is not the tabernacle of the meeting in Gibeon, where Zadok was the high priest, but the tabernacle set by David for the ark of the covenant on Mount Zion (2 Samuel 6: 17), where Abiathar was the high priest; while Zadok was the high priest. As there was no real enmity between the two high priests, Zadok could take the oil of anointment from the ark of the covenant in the absence of Abiathar to anoint Solomon. “And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound” (40) This does not mean that all the people could play the flute, but that all of them rejoiced with great joy; the same way it happened when David brought the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 6: 14). Up to this very day, we find the people in the villages of Egypt express their joy by playing the flute or clapping the hands; which does not imply that all of them actually dance. “So Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said, ‘Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?” (41) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Joab’s ears, being a man of war, were sensitive to the sound of the horn. “While he was still speaking, there came Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him. ‘Come in for you are a prominent man, and bring good tidings’.” (42) Adonijah so said to Jonathan the son of Abiathar, on account of that the later has previously proved his faithfulness to king David when he quickly moved at the time Absalom rebelled against him (2 Samuel 15 – 17). He was seen as a prominent man because of his social status to the king, and of his independent personality and mind. “Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, ‘No, our lord king David has made Solomon king. The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they made him ride on the king’s mule. So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard” (43-45) Anointing Solomon a king, and letting him sit on his father’s throne, while still living, has been inevitable, in order to avoid any source of confusion or doubt, after Adonijah’s attempt to take the throne by force. “And Solomon sat on the throne of the kingdom; and moreover the king’s servants have gone to bless our lord king David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne https://coptic-treasures.com/ greater than your throne’. Then the king bowed himself on the bed” (46-47) They came to seek the blessing of God, proclaimed in David, to dwell upon his son Solomon. “Also the king said thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it” (47) With his old age, with his feeling that his day is ultimately approaching, and with forsaking his throne to his son Solomon while still living, David’s mind was only preoccupied with praising and giving thanks to the Lord, who has fulfilled His divine promise to set his seed a king over Israel (2 Samuel 23: 5; Psalm 89: 3; 123: 11 etc; Isaiah 55: 3). St. Augustine often say, [Sing, and consummate your journey; … Sing and walk along; … Sing, and strive as a warrior]. + Let us now, brethren, rejoice, not in our rest but in our labor; the way the travelers sing and praise while on their journey…. If you progress in goodness, in the true faith, in the upright life, … Sing, and consummate your journey! (St. Augustine) 6- ADONIJAH DOES HOMAGE TO SOLOMON: (49-53) “Then all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one went his way. Now Adonijah https://coptic-treasures.com/ was afraid of Solomon, so he arose, and went, and took hold of the horns of the altar” (49-50) The altar, for all nations, has been a place of refuge for the criminals worthy of death; But in Israel, according to the law, it provides protection to those who kills someone without intention (Exodus 21: 14); and the cities of refuge bore the same idea (Numbers 35). It is not clear whether Adonijah resorted to the altar in the tabernacle of the meeting in Zion, or in that in Gibeon, or in the one built by David in ‘Araunah (2 Samuel 24: 18-25). But most probably it was the first one; for it is not mentioned that he went as far as to Gibeon; and the third altar was without horns. The place of worship was looked upon as one for the fulfillment of justice. Hence, holding the horns of the altar, (or resorting to one of the cities of refuge) (Numbers 35) does not imply, not putting someone on trial, but not condemning him to death before giving him a just one, in which he would defend himself, and try to prove his innocence. What Adonijah has done by holding the horns of the altar, reveals his great fear of Solomon, and is a reaction of the intention that actually lies in his depths to do to Solomon and his mother, in case his plan happens to succeeded and he took the throne. “And it was told Solomon, saying, ‘Indeed is Adonjah afraid of king Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, let king Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword’. Then Solomon said, ‘If he proves himself is a worthy man. Not one hair of him will fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die’” (51 – 52) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Not intending to start his reign with a verdict of death, Solomon granted the traitor a conditional amnesty. “So king Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before king Solomon, and Solomon said to him, ‘Go to your house’” (53). ----------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 KINGS 1 LET ME INHERIT MY FATHER DAVID TOGETHER WITH SOLOMON AND LET THE PLAN OF ADONIJAH IN ME FAIL + Why should I see the elder David in the bosom of the beautiful Abishag? Grant me, O Lord, Your wisdom, to take me in her bosom, to provide me with spiritual warmth; Grant it to me as a girl who never gets old, to accompany me until the end.. + Behold, Adonijah assumes that he has the right to reign; He opposes me by his human wisdom, military might, and human support; He deceives many, to take by force my right to inherit David, my father; He intends to deny me the throne, and plots to have me even killed. + Work in the hearts of Your men, as You did in the heart of Nathan; Grant me grace, to scatter the plot of my adversaries; Destroy the enforcer, and fulfill Your promise to me; To inherit, together with Solomon the throne of my father David; https://coptic-treasures.com/ By You I become a king, O King of kings; By You, I enjoy the throne, the throne of love, of giving, and of ministry. + Let David’s heart rejoice in paradise; Let him say what he said when Solomon sat on the throne: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it” (48; Glory be to You, O who set me up from trash; To sit together with the elites of Your people.
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