“King Shlomo answered his mother, ‘Why are you asking Avishag the Shunamit for Adoniyah? Ask the kingdom for him too! After all, he’s my older brother! Yes, for him, and for Evyatar the cohen and for Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah!’”-1 Kings 2:22
We continue with our story of Adonijah’s secret visit to Bathsheba.
Recall he wanted to get permission from Solomon to take David’s former nursing maid, Avishag to be his wife.
And yeah, man, I call her a nursing maid whether she was a virgin or not.
When Bathsheba enters the king’s palace to bring Adonijah’s request to Solomon, there are a couple of important details we shouldn’t overlook.
First, notice that as soon as she entered Solomon’s space, Solomon stood up and bowed down to his mother.
This perfectly aligns with Torah.
Even a king must obey the Lord’s command to honor one’s parents.
Second, notice that Bathsheba had her own seat set up at the right side of his throne.
The right side indicates authority.
We see this same pattern with Yeshua.
“But from now on the Son of Man
shall be seated at the right hand
of the power of God.”
-Luke 22:69
Or how about this verse from the Book of Psalms?
“A Psalm of David.
The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your
enemies your footstool.'”
-Psalm 110:1
Now, a visit to the palace was never a casual matter.
Solomon knew his mother hadn’t just stopped by for a little chit-chat over tea.
He knew she had some pressing news to deliver.
Bathsheba gets right to the point.
“Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”
Notice the way she presented the matter to Solomon, as if it were no big deal and should be accepted.
Now, Solomon greatly loved his mother.
But he wasn’t about to willy-nilly grant her every wish simply based on that.
He instantly understood the intent behind Adonijah’s request and how dangerous it was.
He knew Adonijah was setting the stage to claim the throne he believed rightfully belonged to him.
But why would marrying Avishag serve that purpose if she was just a nursing maid and was never made a part of David’s harem?
Well, here’s the thing.
The members of David’s court knew and understood that Avishag was only a special servant brought on to care for David in his last days.
But the average citizen had no idea about that.
From their perspective, Avishag had simply become a part of David’s harem.
She was now just another one of his de facto wives!
Ya feeling me here?
See, it was the norm for a new king to inherit his predecessor’s entire harem…lock, stock, and barrel.
So if Adonijah married Avishag, a woman who was in very close proximity to David, that would’ve served as strong evidence that the throne really belonged to him.
It would also have served the purpose of dividing the loyalties of the people.
Why?
Because other folks would’ve viewed the marriage as a political maneuver to gain power.
This would’ve resulted in a civil war…which is exactly what Adonijah was gunning for.
So Solomon knew exactly what was going on.
After marrying Avishag, Adonijah’s next move would be to remind everyone that he was Solomon’s older brother, with the implication being that he was the first in line ahead of Solomon.
Then after that, he would probably reinstate Evyatar as the High Priest (the same one who served under David together with Zadok).
Finally, Adonijah would have reinstalled Joab (David’s former commander) as the head of the military.
That would’ve been the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back.
The result would’ve been a fight to the death that could very well have put an end to Solomon’s reign.
Fortunately, Adonijah’s attempt to reclaim the throne by using Bathsheba would be his last.
Solomon’s response was severe.
He sentenced Adonijah to death.
Since there was no court of appeals, Solomon summoned his top general, Benaiah, to kill Adonijah, which he promptly did.
So what takeaway can we extract from all of this?
Simple.
Take care of a problem before it becomes too big.
Solomon could’ve just handed over Avishag to Adonijah out of political expediency.
But he understood the big picture and the danger of doing that.
When you find a cancer in the body, it has to be surgically removed as fast as possible.
That’s what Solomon did by having Adonijah killed.
In practical terms, what does this mean for us?
If you’re a business owner, it could mean firing a bad employee sooner rather than later, instead of wasting time waiting to see how things turn out when it’s clear the person ain’t gonna work out.
It could also mean breaking up with someone, whether a friend or romantic interest, because the writing is on the wall that this person is toxic, narcissistic, and needs to be cut out of your life.
These are never easy decisions nor actions to take…especially if you’re the type of person who hates confrontation.
But sometimes these are the things you have to do for the benefit of you, your family, the community, and ultimately for the Kingdom of God.
Ya feel me?
Done.
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