“Adoniyah the son of Haggit was beginning to claim that he would be king; to this end he organized chariots and horsemen, with fifty men to run ahead of him.”-1 Kings 1:5
Verse 5 kicks things off fast and furious with Adoniyah proclaiming…
ANI EMALEK!
That’s Hebrew for “I will be king!”
The key nuance to capture here is that Adoniyah is making a proclamation based on expectation, not identity.
This was NOT an announcement that he was currently the king.
He was simply acting on the assumption that when his father passed, he would take the throne.
However, not all was well in the neighborhood.
Notice what verse 8 says:
“But Tzadok the cohen,
B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada,
Natan the prophet,
Shim‘i, Re‘i and David’s elite guard
were not on Adoniyah’s side.”
So we see there was a serious split in David’s inner circle.
Joab (David’s chief commander) and Evyatar (one of the two High Priests) stood for Adoniyah.
However, the other High Priest Tzadok and David’s chief of the bodyguards B’nayah, including the bodyguards he led, the prophet Nathan, and two other men called Shim’i and Re’i from David’s elite guard, stood for Solomon.
Adonoiyah then hosted a huge celebration nearby Ein-Rogel.
He invited his brothers and all of David’s servants from the tribe of Judah (remember, this was David’s tribe).
This was a major family reunion, but what was more telling was who Adoniyah did NOT invite.
Nathan, B’nayah, and the King’s bodyguards were conspicuously absent.
And Solomon wasn’t invited either.
This tells us everything.
Adoniyah was fully aware of the expectation among many that Solomon, and not he, would be the next king.
This banquet was nothing more or less than a political rally to gather support.
But here’s the thing.
Those who decided to accept Adoniyah’s invitation and attend the banquet were taking a great risk.
We’re talking about a life-and-death matter here, folks.
Why?
Because if David chose Solomon and not Adoniyah, there was no doubt that Solomon would execute those who chose to support Adoniyah and not him.
This leads us to today’s takeaway.
In the world today, a line has been drawn in the sand between those who support the next Davidic king and folks who support the Adoniyahs of the world who proclaim themselves to be the next king, but who haven’t been properly ordained by the Lord.
Are you going to accept the invitation to join the Adoniyahs of the world…such as the Islamists who have chosen to follow after a false prophet?
Or are you going to choose the next Davidic ruler ordained to be King by our Father in Heaven from the foundation of the world?
The choice is yours to freely make.
But choose wisely.
Because it will determine your future for all eternity.
You either stand for Israel and her future Messiah…
Or you stand for the evil that sides against Israel.
Ya feel me?
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David
He will reign over Jacob forever
His kingdom will never end”
— Luke 1:32–33
“Yeshua of Nazareth,
King of the Jews
Pilate wrote the inscription”
— John 19:19
“Blessed is the coming kingdom
of our father David.”
— Mark 11:10
“You will see the Son of Man
sitting at God’s right hand
coming with clouds of heaven.”
— Matthew 26:64
“The Lord said to my Lord
Sit at my right hand
until I make enemies footstool.“
— Acts 2:34–35
“He must reign until enemies fall
under his feet.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:25
“The kingdom of the world
became our Lord’s kingdom
and his Messiah’s kingdom
He will reign forever and ever.”
— Revelation 11:15
“On his robe a name written
King of kings,
Lord of lords.”
— Revelation 19:16
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