1 Kings 1: The Lesson of Adonijah

"Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself..." (1 Kings 1:5a, emphasis added)

When is the last time you heard of the biblical character of Adonijah? Perhaps its been a while, or perhaps you have never heard of him. Either way, through his failures we can learn an important lesson, that is, that we ought to never self-exalt our selves above where God has called us to be.

Adonijah was one of David's sons, perhaps the oldest son that was still alive at the time of David's old age. According to the custom, the eldest son of the king was the heir of the throne of the king. Thus, Adonijah thought no otherwise, and decided to set up his own reign, even without consulting David the king, who was very old and unalert. The author of 1 Kings tells us that this was an act of Adonijah "exalting himself," which surely does not sound like it is going to go well. Anyway, Adonijah's plan was not God nor David's plan, as David had swore that Solomon would be the next king. Thus, Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba convince David to set up Solomon as king as soon as possible so that things don't get out of hand. David agrees with the plan, and has Solmon anointed and set up as king. In the end, this leaves Adonijah clinging to the altar and literally pleading for Solomon's forgiveness, that he might not kill him because of his treason.

So, great little story, is it not? But what does it teach us? I believe that there are two great applications from this story today, both having to do with how we ought to never self-exalt ourselves above where God has called us to be.

Firstly, we must not self-exalt ourselves because God knows best. In our self-exaltation, we tell ourselves and the world around us that our plans are best. Adonijah thought that he knew better than God when he set himself up as king, but God had a better plan. In the end, his best thought-out plan turned out to be the worst possible scenario. Likewise, we ought to trust that God knows best rather than make our own plans. He is sovereign, we are not, and we ought not to self-exalt ourselves above the sovereign Lord by making our own plans when he has said that his ways is best.

Secondly, we must not self-exault ourselves because it never turns out well. Notice that Adonijah started his day by anointing himself as king, yet by the evening he was clinging to a sacrificial altar and pleading that his life not be taken away from him. Although self-exaltation looks appealing in the moment, it never delivers on what it promises. It will always lead us to destruction, as self-exaltation is rebellion against God's good and gracious plans.

So, how are you doing with your self-exaltation? Are you trusting the God knows best rather than making your own plans? Are you believing that self-exaltation will only lead you to destruction? Fellow Christian, do not fall into the deceiving pit of self-exaltation, for many have fallen and never gotten out. Rather, humble yourself, as the Lord has done (Phil. 2). Amen!