Reading: I Kings 1-2:25
Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him(I Kings 1:5-7).
The Books of I and II Samuel covered a relatively brief period of time, taking us from the birth of Samuel through the reigns of both Saul and David, a time span of approximately 130 years. The Books of I and II Kings cover over four centuries. I Kings opens with David’s death and Solomon’s briefly contested ascension to the throne, and II Kings closes with the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, just as Moses had foretold prior to the original settlement of the Promised Land (Deut. 28:52). In between these two events, they outline the overall spiritual decline of God’s chosen people and the kings that led them. This decline came about gradually, so gradually, in fact, that most people were unaware that it was happening. There were many different reasons for this, and over the course of our studies, we will examine them all. One of the more overlooked reasons is presented here in the opening chapter of I Kings. And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so?
Time after time throughout the Scripture, the Lord has reminded us of the importance of hands-on, practical, godly parenting (Deut. 6:6-9; Eph. 6:4; Prov. 19:18-19; 22:6; 29:15; Heb. 12:7-11), but as with many of His most important lessons, this one has been regularly disregarded. David offers us a prime example of this. The busy king left the day-to-day raising of his sons to others, offering neither discipline nor guidance and allowing his children to grow up undertrained and overindulged.
Adonijah, the fourth-born son of David, provides us with a perfect illustration of the amount of spiritual decay that can happen within a single generation when God is ignored. Although David was a man after God’s own heart (I Sam. 13:14), he did nothing to ensure that his children were raised in the ways of the Lord. Adonijah treated God’s name as little more than a ‘buzzword.’ He considered the worship of God as a necessary public display in his quest for power (I Kings 1:25). He largely dismissed God’s chosen successor for David’s throne (Solomon) because he didn’t believe in the power of the Lord. He viewed his father as a self-made man who had now reached the end of his days, and he had every intention of following in (what he perceived as) David’s footsteps. Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king.
From that point to this, little has changed. Many otherwise Godly parents still allow themselves to get so wrapped up in their service to the Lord that they forget their responsibility to guide their children onto their own righteous paths. Consequently, the children are left to form their own attitudes and opinions about the lives that they watch their parents lead. Without the discernment provided by a personal relationship with God, the children frequently confuse God’s blessings with worldly entitlement, thus setting themselves up for a lifetime of vain pursuits, personal strife, and ultimate failure, which they, in turn, will pass on to the next generation.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it(Prov. 22:6).
Thought For TodayGod’s guidance is needed to lead us to salvation, just as our guidance is needed to lead our children to Him.
Word Studies1:2 cherish = be of service as his nurse; 1:6 not displeased = never rebuked or corrected; 2:6 hoar head . . . peace = die of old age in peace; 2:17 say thee nay = refuse your request.
Christ Revealed:By the oil used to anoint Solomon (I Kings 1:39). Oil, symbolic of the Holy Spirit, was poured out upon those chosen for special service. Jesus is the Anointed One of God: God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good (Acts 10:38).
Pray For Country:Lesotho (1,936,181) within the East-central part of the Republic of South Africa • Major Languages: Sesotho, English, Zulu, Xhosa • Limited religious freedom • 80% Christian; 20% Indigenous Beliefs • Prayer Suggestion: Remember that prayer changes things (James 5:16-18).
Optional Reading:Acts 22