“At this, all Adoniyah’s guests grew frightened; they got up, everyone going his own way. Adoniyah, too, was afraid because of Shlomo; he got up, went, and took hold of the horns of the altar.“-1 Kings 1:50
As soon as Adoniyah’s party guests understood they were backing the wrong horse, they fled in panic.
There was no use waiting around to see if they would be executed as rebels or something.
Adoniyah was now left alone to wallow in quiet desperation.
What does a man do when he realizes he has just become the newly crowned king’s enemy?
Well, he flees to the altar.
That’s what he does.
We’re told Adoniyah rushed to the altar, grabbed its horns, and gripped the protruding metal as if he were hanging on for dear life.
Interestingly, Adoniyah didn’t even go to his father, David, to seek advice or forgiveness.
He viewed the altar as his last hope for survival.
Now again, I gotta make something clear here.
Adoniyah hadn’t necessarily committed a crime.
Ya feel me?
He had never staged a rebellion.
Nor did he ever declare himself to be king.
He had merely acted under the false assumption that he was the next in line to succeed David.
His only crime was that he was a rival to Solomon.
That’s it.
This situation leads to an interesting takeaway.
Notice how Adoniyah’s party guests scattered like a bunch of scared cockroaches once they heard Solomon had been crowned king.
Seriously, don’t you think their actions tell us a lot more about them than it does Adoniyah?
This is a perfect example of how superficial the world is.
They’ll follow someone if he seems promising.
But then drop him in a second, if they get news that says otherwise.
There’s zero loyalty or depth to their sincerity.
How about those who profess faith in Yeshua?
Millions of believers walk down the aisle at an evangelical event one evening…
And then go back to binging on porn the next day.
This hearkens back to what I shared yesterday.
It’s easy to have faith in God when things are going well in your life.
But can you keep that faith when things go south?
Was your decision for Messiah based on popularity and something you did just because your family and friends were churchgoers?
Because if that’s the case, man, I gotta tell ya…
The real test of your loyalty is how you respond when the crowd turns against the one you have proclaimed to be your savior.
Remember, the apostles were severely tested once the Sanhedrin sentenced Yeshua to death.
Many paid for their loyalty with their lives.
Ya feel me?
Let those who have ears to hear, listen.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“From that time many
of his disciples went back,
and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
Will ye also go away?”
John 6:66–67
“Yet hath he not root
in himself, but dureth
for a while: for when
tribulation or persecution ariseth
because of the word,
by and by he is offended.”
Matthew 13:21
“Now the just shall
live by faith: but
if any man draw back,
my soul shall have
no pleasure in him.
But we are not
of them who draw back.”
Hebrews 10:38–39
Leave a Reply