Adonijah Was Deemed Dangerous
Abishag was a Shunammite woman, probably from the town of Shunem, southwest of the Sea of Galilee who became a nurse to King David. She was chosen for the service with great care on account of her youth and beauty and physical vigor. She ministered to the king; that is, waited on him as personal attendant and nurse. It is interesting to note that she was not called upon to become one of his wives or concubines. Abishag was chosen to take care of David and to see that he was given the proper respect he was due as king up until the final moments of his life. That may have meant that she would have to feed him, wash him, sooth any physical pain he had and keep him warm because he was too weak to do it himself. Since she was not wife, or concubine, She did not have sex with him, but she was tender with him as he was very old and sickly. She gave him the warmth that he could not give himself. She eased his last days and provided comfort for his dying body. She also protected him and gave him physical nourishment. There was nothing wicked or shameful in what she did.
There is a parallel here that we need to see: that is what we as Christians are called to do. We are to be ministers for Christ. Not just in words but also in actions. We are called to minister to our Lord by serving Him and by serving others. There are many ways to serve and here are only a few. Those who are in nursing home ministries are ministering to the elderly. You can visit hospitals and minister to the sick and dying. You can visit prisons and minister to the forgotten. You can help the homeless and minister to the non-existent.
Abishag's ministering to David is an example to us. Abishag did not apply for this position; she was sought out and brought to the king. We are not told of her qualifications for the position other than the fact that she had to be a virgin. It is possible that Abishag is a type of the Church, “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”Perhaps that is why she had to be a virgin. Are we, as Christians, doing our part in ministering to the King of Kings?
Adonijah had a problem. He still thought of himself as the rightful king, and Solomon stood in the way. So he came up with a plan, a plan to remove Solomon from rising to the throne in bloodless coup. The plan revolved around Abishag. Adonijah assumed that Solomon had an Achilles heel, Bathsheba. He assumed that Solomon would never say no to his mother. The story of Adonijah's conversation with Bathsheba and her subsequent conversation with Solomon is full of seemingly contradictory information. Adonijah went to Bathsheba with a very interesting request. So he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to be king; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, for it was his from the Lord.
That he would have come to Bathsheba suggests that Adonijah has a plan that may contain some “evil” that Solomon feared. It also shows his cunning in going to Bathsheba instead of going to Solomon with the request. As queen mother Bathsheba would have been an extremely powerful figure in Israelite culture. She probably would have directed all domestic matters relating to the royal family. In particular she would have had “say-so” over every other woman in the palace. While it is true that she would have had privileged access to Solomon, it would only have been regarding matters of the royal household. The fact that Adonijah came to Bathsheba shows that his intention is to either gain royal favor or intrude into the royal family structure.
Adonijah's opening statement shows that he is still completely convinced that his attempt to exalt himself and gain the kingship was legitimate. You know that the kingdom was mine reveals an unrepentant and prideful spirit in Adonijah. He still believed that the throne should have been his. Further indication of Adonijah's rebellious attitude is his statement that all Israel expected me to be king. I suspect that an expression came over Bathsheba's face that revealed her doubt of that statement. Adonijah immediately back-peddles and tries to placate Bathsheba by saying however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, for it was his from the Lord. To say that all Israel had approved of his kingship is drastic overstatement of the facts. Thus the first two comments of Adonijah clearly imply that he has not accepted Solomon's kingship. He then tried to make himself look spiritual by acknowledging that it was God's will that Solomon be king even though it is obvious that he disagrees with God's will. My assumption is that Bathsheba immediately saw that Adonijah was still dangerous.
There is a parallel here that we need to see: that is what we as Christians are called to do. We are to be ministers for Christ. Not just in words but also in actions. We are called to minister to our Lord by serving Him and by serving others. There are many ways to serve and here are only a few. Those who are in nursing home ministries are ministering to the elderly. You can visit hospitals and minister to the sick and dying. You can visit prisons and minister to the forgotten. You can help the homeless and minister to the non-existent.
Abishag's ministering to David is an example to us. Abishag did not apply for this position; she was sought out and brought to the king. We are not told of her qualifications for the position other than the fact that she had to be a virgin. It is possible that Abishag is a type of the Church, “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”Perhaps that is why she had to be a virgin. Are we, as Christians, doing our part in ministering to the King of Kings?
Adonijah had a problem. He still thought of himself as the rightful king, and Solomon stood in the way. So he came up with a plan, a plan to remove Solomon from rising to the throne in bloodless coup. The plan revolved around Abishag. Adonijah assumed that Solomon had an Achilles heel, Bathsheba. He assumed that Solomon would never say no to his mother. The story of Adonijah's conversation with Bathsheba and her subsequent conversation with Solomon is full of seemingly contradictory information. Adonijah went to Bathsheba with a very interesting request. So he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to be king; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, for it was his from the Lord.
That he would have come to Bathsheba suggests that Adonijah has a plan that may contain some “evil” that Solomon feared. It also shows his cunning in going to Bathsheba instead of going to Solomon with the request. As queen mother Bathsheba would have been an extremely powerful figure in Israelite culture. She probably would have directed all domestic matters relating to the royal family. In particular she would have had “say-so” over every other woman in the palace. While it is true that she would have had privileged access to Solomon, it would only have been regarding matters of the royal household. The fact that Adonijah came to Bathsheba shows that his intention is to either gain royal favor or intrude into the royal family structure.
Adonijah's opening statement shows that he is still completely convinced that his attempt to exalt himself and gain the kingship was legitimate. You know that the kingdom was mine reveals an unrepentant and prideful spirit in Adonijah. He still believed that the throne should have been his. Further indication of Adonijah's rebellious attitude is his statement that all Israel expected me to be king. I suspect that an expression came over Bathsheba's face that revealed her doubt of that statement. Adonijah immediately back-peddles and tries to placate Bathsheba by saying however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, for it was his from the Lord. To say that all Israel had approved of his kingship is drastic overstatement of the facts. Thus the first two comments of Adonijah clearly imply that he has not accepted Solomon's kingship. He then tried to make himself look spiritual by acknowledging that it was God's will that Solomon be king even though it is obvious that he disagrees with God's will. My assumption is that Bathsheba immediately saw that Adonijah was still dangerous.
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