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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
<CENTER>
<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>F I R S T &nbsp; K I N G S</B></FONT>
<BR>
<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. I.</FONT>
<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
</CENTER>
<FONT SIZE=-1>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
In this chapter we have,
I. David declining in his health,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:1-4">ver. 1-4</A>.
II. Adonijah aspiring to the kingdom, and treating his party, in order
to it,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:5-10">ver. 5-10</A>.
III. Nathan and Bathsheba contriving to secure the succession to
Solomon, and prevailing for an order from David for the purpose,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:11-31">ver. 11-31</A>.
IV. The anointing of Solomon accordingly, and the people's joy therein,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:32-40">ver. 32-40</A>.
V. The effectual stop this put to Adonijah's usurpation, and the
dispersion of his party thereupon,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:41-49">ver. 41-49</A>.
VI. Solomon's dismission of Adonijah upon his good behaviour,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:50-53">ver. 50-53</A>.</P>
</FONT>
<A NAME="1Ki1_1"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_2"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_3"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_4"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Introduction.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1015.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Now king David was old <I>and</I> stricken in years; and they
covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
&nbsp; 2 Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for
my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the
king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that
my lord the king may get heat.
&nbsp; 3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of
Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the
king.
&nbsp; 4 And the damsel <I>was</I> very fair, and cherished the king, and
ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
David, as recorded in the foregoing chapter, had, by the great mercy of
God, escaped the sword of the destroying angel. But our deliverances
from or through diseases and dangers are but reprieves; if the candle
be not blown out, it will burn out of itself. We have David here
sinking under the infirmities of old age, and brought by them to the
gates of the grave. He that <I>cometh up out of the pit shall fall into
the snare;</I> and, one way or other, <I>we must needs die.</I>
1. It would have troubled one to see David so infirm. He as old, and
his natural heat so wasted that no clothes could keep him warm,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>.
David had been a valiant active man and a man of business, and very
vehement had the flame always been in his breast; and yet now his blood
is chilled and stagnated, he is confined to his bed, and there can get
no heat. He was now seventy years old. Many, at that age, are as lively
and fit for business as ever; but David was now chastised for his
former sins, especially that in the matter of Uriah, and felt from his
former toils and the hardships he had gone through in his youth, which
then he made nothing of, but was now the worse for. <I>Let not the
strong man glory in his strength,</I> which may soon be weakened by
sickness, or at last will be weakened by old age. Let young people
<I>remember their Creator in the days of their youth,</I> before these
evil days come. What our hand finds to do for God, and our souls, and
our generation, let us do with all our might, because the night comes,
the night of old age, in which no man can work; and, when our strength
has gone, it will be a comfort to remember that we used it well.
2. It would have troubled one to see his physicians so weak and
unskilful that they knew no other way of relieving him than by outward
applications. No cordials, no spirits, but,
(1.) <I>They covered him with clothes,</I> which, where there is any
inward heat, will keep it in, and so increase it; but, where it is not,
they have none to communicate, no, not royal clothing. Elihu makes it a
difficulty to understand <I>how our garments are warm upon us</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+37:17">Job xxxvii. 17</A>);
but, if God deny his blessing, men <I>clothe themselves, and there is
none warm</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Hag+1:6">Hag. i. 6</A>),
David here was not.
(2.) They foolishly prescribed nuptials to one that should rather have
been preparing for his funeral
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:2-4"><I>v.</I> 2-4</A>);
but they knew what would gratify their own corruptions, and perhaps
were too willing to gratify his, under colour of consulting his health.
His prophets should have been consulted as well as his physicians in an
affair of this nature. However, this might be excused then, when even
good men ignorantly allowed themselves to have many wives. We now have
not so learned of Christ, but are taught that one man must have but one
wife
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+19:5">Matt. xix. 5</A>),
and further that <I>it is good for a man not to touch a woman,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Co+7:1">1 Cor. vii. 1</A>.
That Abishag was married to David before she lay with him, and was his
secondary wife, appears from its being imputed as a great crime to
Adonijah that he desired to marry her
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+2:22"><I>ch.</I> ii. 22</A>)
after his father's death.</P>
<A NAME="1Ki1_5"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_6"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_7"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_8"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_9"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_10"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Adonijah's Ambition.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1015.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>5 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.
&nbsp; 6 And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying,
Why hast thou done so? and he also <I>was a</I> very goodly <I>man;</I> and
<I>his mother</I> bare him after Absalom.
&nbsp; 7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with
Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped <I>him.</I>
&nbsp; 8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and
Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which
<I>belonged</I> to David, were not with Adonijah.
&nbsp; 9 And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone
of Zoheleth, which <I>is</I> by En-rogel, and called all his brethren
the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants:
&nbsp; 10 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and
Solomon his brother, he called not.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
David had much affliction in his children. Amnon and Absalom had both
been his grief; the one his first-born, the other his third,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+3:2,3">2 Sam. iii. 2, 3</A>.
His second, whom he had by Abigail, we will suppose he had comfort in;
his fourth was Adonijah
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+3:4">2 Sam. iii. 4</A>);
he was one of those that were born in Hebron; we have heard nothing of
him till now, and here we are told that he was a comely person, and
that he was next in age, and (as it proved) next in temper to Absalom,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
And, further, that in his father's eyes he had been a jewel, but was
now a thorn.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. His father had made a fondling of him,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
He had not displeased him at any time. It is not said that he never
displeased his father; it is probably that he had done so frequently,
and his father was secretly troubled at his misconduct and lamented it
before God. But his father had not displeased him, by crossing him in
his humours, denying him any thing he had a mind to, or by calling him
to an account as to what he had done and where he had been, or by
keeping him to his book or his business, or reproving him for what he
saw or heard of that he did amiss; he never said to him, <I>Why hast
thou done so?</I> because he saw it was uneasy to him, and he could not
bear it without fretting. It was the son's fault that he was displeased
at reproof and took it for affront, whereby he lost the benefit of it;
and it was the father's fault that, because he saw it displeased him,
he did not reprove him; and now he justly smarted for indulging him.
Those who honour their sons more than God, as those do who keep them
not under good discipline, thereby forfeit the honour they might expect
from their sons.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. He, in return, made a fool of his father. Because he was old, and
confined to his bed, he thought no notice was to be taken of him, and
therefore <I>exalted himself,</I> and said, <I>I will be king,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
Children that are indulged learn to be proud and ambitious, which is
the ruin of a great many young people. The way to keep them humble is
to keep them under. Observe Adonijah's insolence.
1. He looked upon the days of mourning for his father to be at hand,
and therefore he prepared to succeed him, though he knew that by the
designation both of God and David Solomon was to be the man; for public
notice had been given of it by David himself, and the succession
settled, as it were by act of parliament, in pursuance of God's
appointment,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+22:9,23:1">1 Chron. xxii. 9; xxiii. 1</A>.
This entail Adonijah attempted by force to cut off, in contempt both of
God and his father. Thus is the kingdom of Christ opposed, and there
are those that say, "We will not have him to reign over us."
2. He looked upon his father as superannuated and good for nothing, and
therefore he entered immediately upon the possession of the throne. He
cannot wait till his father's head be laid low, but it must now be
said, <I>Adonijah reigns</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>),
and, <I>God save king Adonijah,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:25"><I>v.</I> 25</A>.
His father is not fit to govern, for he is old and past ruling, nor
Solomon, for he is young, and not yet able to rule; and therefore
Adonijah will take the government upon him. It argues a very base and
wicked mind for children to insult over their parents because of the
infirmities of their age.
3. In pursuance of this ambitious project,
(1.) He got a great retinue
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>),
<I>chariots and horsemen,</I> both for state and strength, to wait on
him, and to fight for him.
(2.) He made great interest with no less than Joab, the general of the
army, and Abiathar the high priest,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
That he should make his court to those who by their influence in church
and camp were capable of doing him great service is not strange; but we
may well wonder by what arts they could be drawn to follow him and help
him. They were old men, who had been faithful to David in the most
difficult and troublesome of his times, men of sense and experience,
who, one would think, would not easily be wheedled. They could not
propose any advantage to themselves by supporting Adonijah, for they
were both at the top of their preferment and stood fast in it. They
could not be ignorant of the entail of the crown upon Solomon, which it
was not in their power to cut off, and therefore it was their interest
to oblige him. But God, in this matter, left them to themselves,
perhaps to correct them for some former misconduct with a scourge of
their own making. We are told
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>)
who those were that were of such approved fidelity to David that
Adonijah had not the confidence so much as to propose his project to
them--Zadok, Benaiah, and Nathan. A man that has given proofs of his
resolute adherence to that which is good shall not be asked to do a bad
thing.
(3.) He prepared a great entertainment
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>)
at En-rogel, not far from Jerusalem; his guests were the king's sons,
and the king's servants, whom he feasted and caressed to bring them
over to his party; but Solomon was not invited, either because he
despised him or because he despaired of him,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>.
Such as serve their own belly, and will be in the interest of those
that will feast them what side soever they are of, are an easy prey to
seducers,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+16:18">Rom. xvi. 18</A>.
Some think that Adonijah slew these sheep and oxen, even fat ones, for
sacrifice, and that it was a religious feast he made, beginning his
usurpation with a show of devotion, as Absalom under the colour of a
vow
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+15:7">2 Sam. xv. 7</A>),
which he might do the more plausibly when he had the high priest
himself on his side. It is a pity that any occasion should ever be
given to say, <I>In nomine Domini incipit omne malam--In the name of
the Lord begins all evil,</I> and that all religious exercises should
be made to patronise all religious practices.</P>
<A NAME="1Ki1_11"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_12"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_13"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_14"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_15"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_16"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_17"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_18"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_19"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_20"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_21"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_22"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_23"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_24"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_25"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_26"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_27"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_28"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_29"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_30"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_31"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>David Makes Solomon King.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1015.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>11 Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon,
saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth
reign, and David our lord knoweth <I>it</I> not?
&nbsp; 12 Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel,
that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son
Solomon.
&nbsp; 13 Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst
not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying,
Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit
upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?
&nbsp; 14 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also
will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
&nbsp; 15 And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and
the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto
the king.
&nbsp; 16 And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And
the king said, What wouldest thou?
&nbsp; 17 And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> thy
God unto thine handmaid, <I>saying,</I> Assuredly Solomon thy son
shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
&nbsp; 18 And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the
king, thou knowest <I>it</I> not:
&nbsp; 19 And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in
abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar
the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy
servant hath he not called.
&nbsp; 20 And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel <I>are</I> upon
thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne
of my lord the king after him.
&nbsp; 21 Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall
sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be
counted offenders.
&nbsp; 22 And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the
prophet also came in.
&nbsp; 23 And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet.
And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before
the king with his face to the ground.
&nbsp; 24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah
shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
&nbsp; 25 For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat
cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king's
sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and,
behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king
Adonijah.
&nbsp; 26 But me, <I>even</I> me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not
called.
&nbsp; 27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not
showed <I>it</I> unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my
lord the king after him?
&nbsp; 28 Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And
she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.
&nbsp; 29 And the king sware, and said, <I>As</I> the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> liveth, that
hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
&nbsp; 30 Even as I sware unto thee by the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> God of Israel, saying,
Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit
upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.
&nbsp; 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with <I>her</I> face to the earth, and did
reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for
ever.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
We have here the effectual endeavours that were used by Nathan and
Bathsheba to obtain from David a ratification of Solomon's succession,
for the crushing of Adonijah's usurpation.
1. David himself knew not what was doing. Disobedient children think
that they are well enough off if they can but keep their good old
parents ignorant of their bad courses; but a <I>bird of the air will
carry the voice.</I>
2. Bathsheba lived retired, and knew nothing of it either, till Nathan
informed her. Many get very comfortably through this world that know
little how the world goes.
3. Solomon, it is likely, knew of it, but was as a deaf man that heard
not. Though he had years, and wisdom above his years, yet we do not
find that he stirred to oppose Adonijah, but quietly composed himself
and left it to God and his friends to order the matter. Hence David, in
his Psalm for Solomon, observes that while men, in pursuit of the
world, in vain <I>rise early and sit up late, God giveth his
beloved</I> (his <I>Jedidiahs</I>) <I>sleep,</I> in giving them to be
easy, and to gain their point without agitation,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+127:1,2">Ps. cxxvii. 1, 2</A>.
How then is the design brought about?</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. Nathan the prophet alarms Bathsheba by acquainting her with the
case, and puts her in a way to get an order from the king for the
confirming of Solomon's title. He was concerned, because he knew God's
mind, and David's and Israel's interest; it was by him that God had
named Solomon <I>Jedidiah</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+12:25">2 Sam. xii. 25</A>),
and therefore he could not sit still and see the throne usurped, which
he knew was Solomon's right by the will of him from whom promotion
cometh. When crowns were disposed of by immediate direction from
heaven, no marvel that prophets were so much interested and employed in
that matter; but now that common providence rules the affairs of the
kingdom of men
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Da+4:32">Dan. iv. 32</A>)
the subordinate agency must be left to common persons, and let not
prophets intermeddle in them, but keep to the affairs of the kingdom of
God among men. Nathan applied to Bathsheba, as one that had the
greatest concern for Solomon, and could have the freest access to
David. He informed her of Adonijah's attempt
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>),
and that it was not with David's consent or knowledge. He suggested to
her that not only Solomon was in danger of losing the crown, but that
he and she too were in danger of losing their lives if Adonijah
prevailed. A humble spirit may be indifferent to a crown, and may be
content, notwithstanding the prospect of it, to sit down short of the
possession of it. But the law of self-preservation, and the sixth
commandment, obliges us to use all possible endeavours to secure our
own life and the life of others. Now, says Nathan, let me <I>give thee
counsel how to save thy own life and the life of thy son,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>.
Such as this is the counsel that Christ's ministers give us in his
name, to give all diligence, not only <I>that no man take our crown</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+3:11">Rev. iii. 11</A>),
but that we <I>save our lives,</I> even the lives of our souls. He
directs her
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>)
to go to the king, to remind him of his word and oath, that Solomon
should be his successor; and to ask him in the most humble manner,
<I>Why doth Adonijah reign?</I> He thought David was not so cold but
this would warm him. Conscience, as well as a sense of honour, would
put life into him upon such an occasion as this; and he promised
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>)
that, while she was reasoning with the king in this matter, he would
come in and second her, as if he came accidentally, which perhaps the
king might look upon as a special providence (and he was one that took
notice of such evidences,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Sa+25:32,33">1 Sam. xxv. 32, 33</A>),
or, at least, it would help to awaken him so much the more.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. Bathsheba, according to Nathan's advice and direction, loses no
time, but immediately makes her application to the king, on the same
errand on which Esther came to king Ahasuerus, to intercede for her
life. She needed not wait for a call as Esther did, she knew she should
be welcome at any time; but it is remarked that when she visited the
king Abishag was ministering to him
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>),
and Bathsheba took no displeasure either at him or her for it, also
that she <I>bowed and did obeisance to the king</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>),
in token of her respect to him both as her prince and as her husband;
such a genuine daughter was she of Sarah, who obeyed Abraham, calling
him <I>lord.</I> Those that would find favour with superiors mush show
them reverence, and be dutiful to those whom they expect to be kind to
them. Her address to the king, on this occasion, is very discreet.
1. She reminded him of his promise made to her and confirmed with a
solemn oath, that Solomon should succeed him,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>.
She knew how fast this would hold such a conscientious man as David
was.
2. She informed him of Adonijah's attempt, which he was ignorant of
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>):
"Adonijah reigns, in competition with thee for the present and in
contradiction to thy promise for the future. The fault is not thine,
for thou knewest it not; but now that thou knowest it thou wilt, in
pursuance of thy promise, take care to suppress this usurpation." She
told him who were Adonijah's guests, and who were in his interest, and
added, but "<I>Solomon thy servant has he not called,</I> which plainly
shows he looks upon him as his rival, and aims to undermine him,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:19"><I>v.</I> 19</A>.
It is not an oversight, but a contempt of the act of settlement, that
Solomon is neglected."
3. She pleads that it is very much in his power to obviate this
mischief
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>):
<I>The eyes of all Israel are upon thee,</I> not only as a <I>king,</I>
for we cannot suppose it the prerogative of any prince to bequeath his
subjects by will (as if they were his goods and chattels) to whom he
pleases, but as a <I>prophet.</I> All Israel knew that David was not
only himself <I>the anointed of the God of Jacob,</I> but that the
<I>Spirit of the Lord spoke by him</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+23:1,2">2 Sam. xxiii. 1, 2</A>),
and therefore waiting for and depending upon a divine designation, in a
matter of such importance, David's word would be an oracle and a law to
them; this therefore (says Bathsheba) they expect, and it will end the
controversy and effectually quash all Adonijah's pretensions. <I>A
divine sentence is in the lips of the king.</I> Note, Whatever power,
interest or influence, men have, they ought to improve it to the utmost
for the preserving and advancing of the kingdom of the Messiah, of
which Solomon's kingdom was a type.
4. She suggested the imminent peril which she and her son would be in
if this matter was not settled in David's life-time,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>.
"If Adonijah prevail, as he is likely to do (having Joab the general
and Abiathar the priest on his side) unless speedily suppressed,
Solomon and all his friends will be looked upon as traitors and dealt
with accordingly." Usurpers are most cruel. If Adonijah had got into
the throne, he would not have dealt so fairly with Solomon as Solomon
did with him. Those hazard everything who stand in the way of such as
against right force their entrance.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
III. Nathan the prophet, according to his promise, seasonably stepped
in, and seconded her, while she was speaking, before the king had given
his answer, lest, if he had heard Bathsheba's representation only, his
answer should be dilatory and only that he would consider of it: but
out of the mouth of two witnesses, two such witnesses, the word would
be established, and he would immediately give positive orders. The king
is told that Nathan the prophet has come, and he is sure to be always
welcome to the king, especially when either he is not well or has any
great affair upon his thoughts; for, in either case, a prophet will be,
in a particular manner, serviceable to him. Nathan knows he must render
honour to whom honour is due, and therefore pays the king the same
respect now that he finds him sick in bed as he would have done if he
had found him in his throne: He <I>bowed himself with his face to the
ground,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>.
He deals a little more plainly with the king than Bathsheba had done.
In this his character would support him, and the present languor of the
king's spirits made it necessary that they should be roused.
1. He makes the same representation of Adonijah's attempt as Bathsheba
had made
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:25,26"><I>v.</I> 25, 26</A>),
adding that his party had already got to such a height of assurance as
to shout, <I>God save king Adonijah,</I> as if king David were already
dead, taking notice also that they had not invited him to their feast
(<I>Me thy servant has he not called</I>), thereby intimating that they
resolved not to consult either God or David in the matter, for Nathan
was <I>secretioribus consiliis--intimately acquainted with the mind of
both.</I>
2. He makes David sensible how much he was concerned to clear himself
from having a hand in it: <I>Hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after
me?</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>),
and again
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:27"><I>v.</I> 27</A>),
"<I>Is this thing done by my lord the king?</I> If it be, he is not so
faithful either to God's word or to his own as we all took him to be;
if it be not, it is high time that we witness against the usurpation,
and declare Solomon his successor. If it be, why is not Nathan made
acquainted with it, who is not only in general, the king's confidant,
but is particularly concerned in this matter, having been employed to
notify to David the mind of God concerning the succession; but, if my
lord the king knows nothing of the matter (as certainly he does not),
what daring insolence are Adonijah and his party guilty of!" Thus he
endeavoured to incense David against them, that he might act the more
vigorously for the support of Solomon's interest. Note, Good men would
do their duty if they were reminded of it, and put upon it, and told
what occasion there is for them to appear; and those who thus are their
remembrancers do them a real kindness, as Nathan here did to David.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
IV. David, hereupon, made a solemn declaration of his firm adherence to
his former resolution, that Solomon should be his successor. Bathsheba
is called in
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:28"><I>v.</I> 28</A>),
and to her, as acting for and on behalf of her son, the king gives
these fresh assurances.
1. He repeats his former promise and oath, owns that he had <I>sworn
unto her by the Lord God of Israel that Solomon would reign after
him,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:30"><I>v.</I> 30</A>.
Though he is old, and his memory begins to fail him, yet he remembers
this. Note, An oath is so sacred a thing that the obligations of it
cannot be broken, and so solemn a thing that the impressions of it, one
would think, cannot be forgotten.
2. He ratifies it with another, because the occasion called for it:
<I>As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
even so will I certainly do this day,</I> without dispute, without
delay. His form of swearing seems to be what he commonly used on solemn
occasions, for we find it,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+4:9">2 Sam. iv. 9</A>.
And it carries in it a grateful acknowledgment of the goodness of God
to him, in bringing him safely through the many difficulties and
hardships which had lain in his way, and which he now makes mention of
to the glory of God (as Jacob, when he lay a dying,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+48:16">Gen. xlviii. 16</A>),
thus setting to his seal, from his own experience, that that was true
which the Spirit of the Lord spoke by him.
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+34:22">Ps. xxxiv. 22</A>,
<I>The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants.</I> Dying saints ought
to be witnesses for God, and speak of him as they have found. Perhaps
he speaks thus, on this occasion, for the encouragement of his son and
successor to trust in God in the distresses he also might meet
with.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
V. Bathsheba receives these assurances
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>),
1. With great complaisance to the king's person; she did reverence to
him; while Adonijah and his party affronted him.
2. With hearty good wishes for the king's health; <I>Let him live.</I>
So far was she from thinking that he lived too long that she prayed he
might live for ever, if it were possible, to adorn the crown he wore
and to be a blessing to his people. We should earnestly desire the
prolonging of useful lives, however it may be the postponing of any
advantages of our own.</P>
<A NAME="1Ki1_32"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_33"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_34"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_35"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_36"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_37"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_38"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_39"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_40"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec4"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Solomon Declared Successor.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1015.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>32 And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan
the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came
before the king.
&nbsp; 33 The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of
your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule,
and bring him down to Gihon:
&nbsp; 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him
there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say,
God save king Solomon.
&nbsp; 35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit
upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have
appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
&nbsp; 36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said,
Amen: the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> God of my lord the king say so <I>too.</I>
&nbsp; 37 As the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> hath been with my lord the king, even so be he
with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my
lord king David.
&nbsp; 38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went
down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and
brought him to Gihon.
&nbsp; 39 And Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the
tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and
all the people said, God save king Solomon.
&nbsp; 40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped
with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent
with the sound of them.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
We have here the effectual care David took both to secure Solomon's
right and to preserve the public peace, by crushing Adonijah's project
in the bud. Observe,</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. The express orders he gave for the proclaiming of Solomon. The
persons he entrusted with this great affair were Zadok, Nathan, and
Benaiah, men of power and interest whom David had always reposed a
confidence in and found faithful to him, and whom Adonijah had passed
by in his invitation,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>.
David orders them forthwith, with all possible solemnity, to proclaim
Solomon. They must take with them <I>the servants of their lord,</I>
the lifeguards, and all the servants of the household. They must set
Solomon on the mule the king used to ride, for he kept not such stables
of horses as his son afterwards did. He appoints them whither to go
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:33-35"><I>v.</I> 33 and <I>v.</I> 34, 35</A>),
and what to do.
1. Zadok and Nathan, the two ecclesiastical persons, must, in God's
name, anoint him king; for though he was not the first of his family,
as Saul and David were, yet he was a younger son, was made king by
divine appointment, and his title was contested, which made it
necessary that hereby it should be settled. This unction was typical of
the designation and qualification of the Messiah, or Christ, the
anointed one, on whom the Spirit, that oil of gladness, was poured
without measure,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+1:9,Ps+89:20">Heb. i. 9; Ps. lxxxix. 20</A>.
And all Christians, being <I>heirs of the kingdom</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jam+2:5">Jam. ii. 5</A>),
do from him <I>receive the anointing,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Jo+2:27">1 John ii. 27</A>.
2. The great officers, civil and military, are ordered to give public
notice of this, and to express the public joy upon this occasion by
sound of trumpet, by which the law of Moses directed the gracing of
great solemnities; to this must be added the acclamations of the
people: "<I>Let king Solomon live,</I> let him prosper, let his kingdom
be established and perpetuated, and let him long continue in the
enjoyment of it;" so it had been promised concerning him.
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+72:15">Ps. lxxii. 15</A>,
<I>He shall live.</I>
3. They must then bring him in state to the city of David, and he must
sit upon the throne of his father, as his substitute now, or viceroy,
to despatch public business during his weakness and be his successor
after his death: <I>He shall be king in my stead.</I> It would be a
great satisfaction to David himself, and to all parties concerned, to
have this done immediately, that upon the demise of the king there
might be no dispute, or agitation, in the public affairs. David was far
from grudging his successor the honour of appearing such in his
life-time, and yet perhaps was so taken up with his devotions on his
sick-bed that, if he had not been put in mind of it by others, this
great good work, which was so necessary to the public repose, would
have been left undone.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. The great satisfaction which Benaiah, in the name of the rest,
professed in these orders. The king said, "Solomon shall reign for me,
and reign after me." "Amen" (says Benaiah heartily); "as the king says,
so say we; we are entirely satisfied in the nomination, and concur in
the choice, we give our vote for Solomon, <I>nemine
contradicente--unanimously,</I> and since we can bring nothing to pass,
much less establish it, without the concurrence of a propitious
providence, <I>The Lord God of my lord the king say so too!</I>"
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:36"><I>v.</I> 36</A>.
This is the language of his faith in that promise of God on which
Solomon's government was founded. If we say as God says in his word, we
may hope that he will say as we say by his providence. To this he adds
a prayer for Solomon
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:37"><I>v.</I> 37</A>),
that God would be with him as he had been with David, and make his
throne greater. He knew David was not one of those that envy their
children's greatness, and that therefore he would not be disquieted at
this prayer, nor take it as an affront, but would heartily say
<I>Amen</I> to it. The wisest and best man in the world desires his
children may be wiser and better than he, for he himself desires to be
wiser and better than he is; and wisdom and goodness are true
greatness.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
III. The immediate execution of these orders,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:38-40"><I>v.</I> 38-40</A>.
No time was lost, but Solomon was brought in state to the place
appointed, and there Zadok (who, though he was not as yet high priest,
was, we may suppose, the suffragan, the Jews called him the
<I>sagan,</I> or second priest) anointed him by the direction of Nathan
the prophet and David the king,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:39"><I>v.</I> 39</A>.
In the tabernacle, where the ark was now lodged, was kept among other
sacred things, the holy oil for many religious services thence Zadok
took a <I>horn of oil,</I> which denotes both power and plenty, and
therewith anointed Solomon. We do not find that Abiathar pretended to
anoint Adonijah: he was made king by a feast, not by an unction. Whom
God calls, he will qualify, which was signified by the anointing;
usurpers had it not. <I>Christ</I> signifies <I>anointed,</I> and he is
the king whom God hath <I>set upon his holy hill of Sion,</I> according
to decree,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+2:6,7">Ps. ii. 6, 7</A>.
Christians also are <I>made to our God</I> (and <I>by</I> him)
<I>kings,</I> and they have an <I>unction from the Holy One,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Jo+2:20">1 John ii. 20</A>.
The people, hereupon, express their great joy and satisfaction in the
elevation of Solomon, surround him with their Hosannas--<I>God save
king Solomon,</I> and attend him with their music and shouts of joy,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:40"><I>v.</I> 40</A>.
Hereby they declared their concurrence in the choice, and that he was
not forced upon them, but cheerfully accepted by them. The power of a
prince can be little satisfaction to himself, unless he knows it to be
a satisfaction to his people. Every Israelite indeed rejoices in the
exaltation of the Son of David.</P>
<A NAME="1Ki1_41"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_42"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_43"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_44"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_45"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_46"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_47"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_48"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_49"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_50"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_51"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_52"> </A>
<A NAME="1Ki1_53"> </A>
<A NAME="Sec5"> </A>
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Solomon Proclaimed.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1015.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>41 And Adonijah and all the guests that <I>were</I> with him heard
<I>it</I> as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the
sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore <I>is this</I> noise of the
city being in an uproar?
&nbsp; 42 And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar
the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou
<I>art</I> a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.
&nbsp; 43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord
king David hath made Solomon king.
&nbsp; 44 And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan
the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the
Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride
upon the king's mule:
&nbsp; 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed
him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so
that the city rang again. This <I>is</I> the noise that ye have heard.
&nbsp; 46 And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom.
&nbsp; 47 And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king
David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name,
and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed
himself upon the bed.
&nbsp; 48 And also thus said the king, Blessed <I>be</I> the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> God of
Israel, which hath given <I>one</I> to sit on my throne this day, mine
eyes even seeing <I>it.</I>
&nbsp; 49 And all the guests that <I>were</I> with Adonijah were afraid,
and rose up, and went every man his way.
&nbsp; 50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went,
and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
&nbsp; 51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth
king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the
altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will
not slay his servant with the sword.
&nbsp; 52 And Solomon said, If he will show himself a worthy man,
there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth: but if
wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
&nbsp; 53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the
altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon
said unto him, Go to thine house.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
We have here,</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. The tidings of Solomon's inauguration brought to Adonijah and his
party, in the midst of their jollity: <I>They had made an end of
eating,</I> and, it should seem, it was a great while before they made
an end, for all the affair of Solomon's anointing was ordered and
finished while they were at dinner, glutting themselves. Thus those who
<I>serve not our Lord Christ,</I> but oppose him, are commonly such as
<I>serve their own belly</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+16:18">Rom. xvi. 18</A>)
and made <I>a god of it,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Php+3:19">Phil. iii. 19</A>.
Their long feast intimates likewise that they were very secure and
confident of their interest, else they would not have lost so much
time. The old world and Sodom were <I>eating and drinking,</I> secure
and sensual, when their destruction came,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+17:26-29">Luke xvii. 26</A>,
&c. When <I>they made an end of eating,</I> and were preparing
themselves to proclaim their king, and bring him in triumph into the
city, they <I>heard the sound of the trumpet</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:41"><I>v.</I> 41</A>),
and a <I>dreadful sound it was in their ears,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+15:21">Job xv. 21</A>.
Joab was an old man, and was alarmed at it, apprehending the city to be
in an uproar; but Adonijah was very confident that the messenger, being
a <I>worthy man, brought good tidings,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:42"><I>v.</I> 42</A>.
Usurpers flatter themselves with the hopes of success, and those are
commonly least timorous whose condition is most dangerous. But how can
those who do evil deeds expect to have good tidings? No, the worthiest
man will bring them the worst news, as the priest's son did here to
Adonijah,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:43"><I>v.</I> 43</A>.
"<I>Verily,</I> the best tidings I have to bring you is that <I>Solomon
is made king,</I> so that your pretensions are all quashed." He relates
to them very particularly,
1. With what great solemnity <I>Solomon was made king</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:44,45"><I>v.</I> 44, 45</A>),
and that he was now <I>sitting on the throne of the kingdom,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:46"><I>v.</I> 46</A>.
Adonijah thought to have stepped into the throne before him, but
Solomon was too quick for him.
2. With what general satisfaction Solomon was made king, so that that
which was done was not likely to be undone again.
(1.) The people were pleased, witness their joyful acclamations,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:45"><I>v.</I> 45</A>.
(2.) The courtiers were pleased: <I>The kings servants</I> attended him
with an address of congratulation upon this occasion,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:47"><I>v.</I> 47</A>.
We have here the heads of their address: They <I>blessed king
David,</I> applauded his prudent care for the public welfare,
acknowledged their happiness under his government, and prayed heartily
for his recovery. They also prayed for Solomon, that God would make
his name better than his father's, which it might well be when he had
his father's foundation to build upon. A child, on a giant's shoulders,
is higher than the giant himself.
(3.) The king himself was pleased: He <I>bowed himself upon the
bed,</I> not only to signify his acceptance of his servants' address,
but to offer up his own address to God
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:48"><I>v.</I> 48</A>):
"<I>Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,</I> who, as Israel's God, for
Israel's good, has brought this matter to such a happy issue, <I>my
eyes even seeing it.</I>" Note, It is a great satisfaction to good men,
when they are going out of the world, to see the affairs of their
families in a good posture, their children rising up in their stead to
serve God and their generation, and especially to see peace upon Israel
and the establishment of it.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. The effectual crush which this gave to Adonijah's attempt. It
spoiled the sport of his party, dispersed the company, and obliged
every man to shift for his own safety. <I>The triumphing of the wicked
is short.</I> They were building a castle in the air, which, having no
foundation, would soon fall and crush them. They were afraid of being
taken in the fact, while they were together hatching their treason, and
therefore each one made the best of his way.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
III. The terror Adonijah himself was in, and the course he took to
secure himself. He was now as much depressed as he had been elevated,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:42,50"><I>v.</I> 42, 50</A>.
He had despised Solomon as not worthy to be his guest
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>),
but now he dreads him as his judge: He <I>feared because of
Solomon.</I> Thus those who oppose Christ and his kingdom will shortly
be made to tremble before him, and call in vain to rocks and mountains
to shelter them from his wrath. He <I>took hold on the horns of the
altar,</I> which was always looked upon as a sanctuary, or place of
refuge
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+21:14">Exod. xxi. 14</A>),
intimating hereby that he durst not stand a trial, but threw himself
upon the mercy of his prince, in suing for which he relied upon no
other plea than the mercy of God, which was manifested in the
institution and acceptance of the sacrifices that were offered on that
altar and the remission of sin thereupon. Perhaps Adonijah had formerly
slighted the service of the altar, yet now he courts the protection of
it. Many who in the day of their security neglect the great salvation,
under the arrests of the terrors of the Lord would gladly be beholden
to Christ and his merit, and, when it is too late, will <I>catch hold
of the horns of the altar.</I></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
IV. His humble address to Solomon for mercy. By those who brought
Solomon tidings where he was, he sent a request for his life
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:51"><I>v.</I> 51</A>):
<I>Let king Solomon swear to me that he will not slay his servant.</I>
He owns Solomon for his prince, and himself his servant, dares not
justify himself, but <I>makes supplication to his judge.</I> It was a
great change with him. He that in the morning was grasping at a crown
is before night begging for his life. Then Adonijah reigned, now
Adonijah trembles, and cannot think himself safe unless Solomon
promise, with an oath, not to put him to death.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
V. The orders Solomon gave concerning him. He discharges him upon his
good behaviour,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:52,53"><I>v.</I> 52, 53</A>.
He considered that Adonijah was his brother, and that it was the first
offence. Perhaps, being so soon made sensible of his error and then not
persisting in his rebellion, he might prove not only a peaceable, but a
serviceable subject, and therefore, if he will conduct himself well for
the future, what is past shall be pardoned: but if he be fond
disaffected, turbulent, and aspiring, this offence shall be remembered
against him, he shall be called up upon his former conviction (as our
law speaks), and execution shall be awarded against him. Thus the Son
of David receives those to mercy that have been rebellious: if they
will return to their allegiance, and be faithful to their Sovereign,
their former crimes shall not be mentioned against them; but, if still
they continue in the interests of the world and the flesh, this will be
their ruin. Adonijah is sent for, and told upon what terms he stands,
which he signifies his grateful submission to, and then is told to go
to his house and live retired there. Solomon not only gave him his
life, but his estate, thus <I>establishing his throne by mercy.</I></P>
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