Pretenders
This week's study is on 1 Kings 1:5-6:
Adonijah was the next in line for the throne after David. King David was frail and old, and near the end of his reign. The thing Adonijah didn't know, or didn't care about, was that King David had already named a successor and it wasn't him. But in Adonijah's arrogant mind, he was the only possible choice. And since he was going to be king anyway, why wait?
The comment in parentheses is awesome. "His father had never rebuked him by asking, 'why do you behave as you do?'" It parallels the development of spoiled children. Rather than rebuking them when they forget themselves, we try to win their favor and float their self-esteem. And so what we end up with are arrogant, impatient pretenders who are convinced that the next CEO job, or record deal, or starring role will be theirs simply for the asking. After years of getting his way and being told how wonderful he is, mommy's precious child can't imagine that anyone would ever choose someone else over him. And so he's destined for heartbreak and failure, or worse.
When Solomon, the rightful heir, was crowned, Adonijah was automatically on his bad side by being a pretender to the throne. He spent the rest of his days trying to usurp his way back to what he thought he deserved. He wasn't content to live as royalty. He had to be king, because nothing else was good enough for someone that special.
We get upset when people criticize our ideas, or when God thwarts our plans or shows us our weaknesses, but can we really say that discipline is a bad thing after looking at Adonijah's life? They say God disciplines those he loves. How much better might Adonijah's life have turned out if David had taken him aside one day and been like "Look, I love you and you're my beloved son, but what are you doing? You're not going to be king. Why not focus on being a good part of the royal household?" Instead, Adonijah spent his whole life puffing himself up with delusions of grandeur until he was hacked to death as a traitor.
We should be delighted when we can see our faults. We're not perfect like God. We'll never be the king of kings. Most of us won't be famous or rich or powerful at any point in our lives. We don't have to be. God has a plan for all of us, and he loves us enough to make it a good fit for who we are. There's no need to puff ourselves up. When we're weak, and small, and not the greatest, how much more is God glorified when we do something great? Why worry about being insignificant, or poor, or weak? Won't God stand in the gap between what we are and what we need to be? Why be pretenders?
We don't have to puff our chests up and say "I will be king." We already live like kings, thanks to God adopting us as sons. Besides, God will always be king. Why not focus on being the best at whatever it is he created us to be? When our weakness is shown, and we realize we'll never be number one, be thankful. Adonijah, David's precious child, never had so rich a gift.
Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)
Adonijah was the next in line for the throne after David. King David was frail and old, and near the end of his reign. The thing Adonijah didn't know, or didn't care about, was that King David had already named a successor and it wasn't him. But in Adonijah's arrogant mind, he was the only possible choice. And since he was going to be king anyway, why wait?
The comment in parentheses is awesome. "His father had never rebuked him by asking, 'why do you behave as you do?'" It parallels the development of spoiled children. Rather than rebuking them when they forget themselves, we try to win their favor and float their self-esteem. And so what we end up with are arrogant, impatient pretenders who are convinced that the next CEO job, or record deal, or starring role will be theirs simply for the asking. After years of getting his way and being told how wonderful he is, mommy's precious child can't imagine that anyone would ever choose someone else over him. And so he's destined for heartbreak and failure, or worse.
When Solomon, the rightful heir, was crowned, Adonijah was automatically on his bad side by being a pretender to the throne. He spent the rest of his days trying to usurp his way back to what he thought he deserved. He wasn't content to live as royalty. He had to be king, because nothing else was good enough for someone that special.
We get upset when people criticize our ideas, or when God thwarts our plans or shows us our weaknesses, but can we really say that discipline is a bad thing after looking at Adonijah's life? They say God disciplines those he loves. How much better might Adonijah's life have turned out if David had taken him aside one day and been like "Look, I love you and you're my beloved son, but what are you doing? You're not going to be king. Why not focus on being a good part of the royal household?" Instead, Adonijah spent his whole life puffing himself up with delusions of grandeur until he was hacked to death as a traitor.
We should be delighted when we can see our faults. We're not perfect like God. We'll never be the king of kings. Most of us won't be famous or rich or powerful at any point in our lives. We don't have to be. God has a plan for all of us, and he loves us enough to make it a good fit for who we are. There's no need to puff ourselves up. When we're weak, and small, and not the greatest, how much more is God glorified when we do something great? Why worry about being insignificant, or poor, or weak? Won't God stand in the gap between what we are and what we need to be? Why be pretenders?
We don't have to puff our chests up and say "I will be king." We already live like kings, thanks to God adopting us as sons. Besides, God will always be king. Why not focus on being the best at whatever it is he created us to be? When our weakness is shown, and we realize we'll never be number one, be thankful. Adonijah, David's precious child, never had so rich a gift.
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