Day 149

Today’s story is long, but David died in today’s reading. 😢

Almost at the end of his life, a beautiful lady (Abishag) was brought to look after David. But we are told he had no sexual relations with her. I wonder why this detail was provided.

Then we see Adonijah, Absalom’s brother, trying to take the throne. We are also told that David had never disciplined him. Adonijah was able to garner supporters. Joab, David’s army commander, and Abiathar, the priest, agreed to support him.

On the other hand, we see Zadok, the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan, the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s personal bodyguard supporting Solomon.

In 1 Chronicle 24, David had divided Aaron’s descendants; hence, there were two priests during his reign, Zadok and Abiathar. Thus, we have two priests in today’s reading.

Adonijah decided to throw a feast and invited all his brothers and royal official of Judah, except for Solomon and his supporters. Nathan then took this information to Bathsheba and advised her on what to do.

Long story short, when David heard of this, he officially announced and made Solomon the king. On hearing this, Adonijah and his guests panicked. Adonijah then asked Solomon to forgive him, which the latter did. But Adonijah, like his brother Absalom, asked to marry Abishag. He said the throne was rightfully his, and Israel wanted him, not Solomon. This happened after David’s death. Solomon was upset, and rightly so. Recall Absalom had slept with David’s concubines in the open when David was king? No, Adonijah wanted to marry David’s wife. That would have given the kingdom to Adonijah. Solomon ordered Adonijah to be killed.

Solomon expelled Abiathar from being a priest. 2:27 says, ‘So Solomon deposed Abiathar from his position as priest of the Lord, thereby fulfilling the prophecy the Lord had given at Shiloh concerning the descendants of Eli’. In 1 Samuel, God had mentioned a faithful priest when he was displeased with Eli. That faithful priest is Zadok. So this is why genealogies are great. Both Zadok and Abiathar are Aarons’s descendants. Zadok is the son of Aaron’s oldest surviving son (Eleazar). Eleazar took over from Aaron and Zadok from Eleazar. Abiathar is a descendant of Eli, and Eli is a descendant of Ithamar (Aaron’s youngest son).

Before David’s death, he warned Solomon about Joab and asked Solomon not to spare his life. So unlike Adonijah, who got a second chance, Joab didn’t. He also told Solomon about the people who helped him.

The one that shocked me was Shimei. David had sworn not to kill him when Shimei had cursed him, but before dying, he told Solomon to be careful of him and believed Solomon could arrange Shimei’s death.