Adonijah Tries to be King

When King David was in his old age, he had trouble keeping himself warm. His servants tried to cover him with plenty of sheets but it didn’t make him feel warmer.

Later, they decided to find a woman to keep King David warm. They searched around and found a beautiful woman named Abishag.

Abishag took care of King David and slept beside him.

At this time, Adonijah was trying to take over the kingdom and become king. Adonijah was a very handsome man just like his brother Absalom. He was the second eldest son after Absalom.

Joab and Abiathar supported Adonijah to become king. However, Benaiah, the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei,and David’s special bodyguards were left out from Adonijah’s plot.

But David had already promised that his other son, Solomon, would become king after him. When Solomon’s mother, who name was Bathsheba, heard that Adonijah was trying to take the thrown she ran to King David and told him the news.

She said, “Have you declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’”

Then King David took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

While Adonijah and all the guests who were with him were finishing their feast, they heard the news that King David had crowned Solomon had that he had taken his seat on the royal throne.

After hearing this, all of Adonijah’s guests became sacred and ran. But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar and wouldn’t leave. He feared that King Solomon would kill him.

Solomon sent a message to Adonijah saying, “If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.”

Finally Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon.