Defeating Your Greatest Rival
While David, who was advanced in years, was confined to his bedchamber, Adonijah, one of his sons, made a power move for the throne of his Father. “Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” (1 Kings 1:5-6a).
Adonijah was not only opposing his earthly father, he was also opposing God. The Lord had already declared to David that Solomon would be the heir to the throne. According to God’s promises, David’s kingdom would be established forever. This is true because Jesus will one day sit upon his throne to rule and reign forever (Luke 1:31-33).
“The story of king David and the promise that was made to king David, is the answer to your life. It’s the answer to your ten-year-old life, twenty-year-old life, your fifty, sixty and ninety-five-year-old life. The promise that was made to king David is the hope of the world—the entire world. Not just because the story of the kingdom is the truth of the gospel. It is the fact that this king who is promised through the line of David is the one who will embody all that makes it possible for the world to be the way that God originally intended it.” Alistair Begg
So, there’s a bigger picture here besides the fact that Adonijah was a rival to the throne of David. He was also a rival to The Throne, which by divine decree belongs to Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords. There is an already and not yet reality to Christ’s kingdom. Jesus will one day sit on the throne of David to rule and reign on the earth. But until then, King Jesus already reigns in the hearts of those who have received Him by faith as Savior and Lord. Jesus is the rightful King to the throne of our hearts. But like Adonijah, there is a rival to the throne of our hearts. The bible calls this rival "the flesh," which speaks of our carnal sinful nature (Romans 7:22-24).
The Apostle Paul described a war raging in his body (Romans 7:23). He explained that when he wanted to do right, evil was present within him. Do you know the struggle that Paul is talking about? Is there a war going on inside of you? Are you aware of the rival and rebel in you that wants to control your life? In a sense, to know this struggle is evidence that you’ve been made alive unto God through the regenerating work of the Spirit (Titus 3:4-5). As a result, the Spirit is producing in you holy desires and affections that are contrary to the desires and affections of your old sinful nature.
After explaining that Adonijah had exalted himself to be king, the word of God adds this significant commentary: “His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” (1 Kings 1:6a). What does this significant insight into David’s family life mean? David allowed his son to do whatever he desired. He never wanted to displease him—he never wanted him to be unhappy.
Why was David so passive about dealing with the inherent selfishness that was dominating Adonijah’s life? I want to suggest to you that his passivity may have something to do with his past moral failures. Perhaps he felt that he lacked the moral authority to correct his children—to say when they made unwise decisions, “Why have you done thus and so?”
If, like David, you have moral failures in your past or in the present, seek God’s forgiveness, and the forgiveness of those in your area of influence, who may have been adversely affected by your failures. The people in our circle of influence will not learn anything good from our hypocrisy, but they can learn from our humility.
David’s passivity appears to have contributed to Adonijah’s inability to delay gratification or to understand that you can’t always have what you want when you want it. More than that, Adonijah didn’t have the faith to wait for the Lord and trust that His will is best. Likewise, if we put the happiness of our children above their holiness, their comfort above their character, we may pacify them for the moment, but in the end, we’re only fueling their selfishness. Christian apologist Josh McDowell said it well, “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” It appears that David not only failed to correct and discipline Adonijah, he never even had meaningful conversations with him. He didn’t seek to cultivate a relationship of trust with his son. He didn’t take the time to know what was going on in the heart of his son.
Let me emphasize that the ultimate goal of Christian parenting is not developing disciplined children, but to make disciples of Jesus. More than rules, children need a relationship with Christ—they need to know Him as the rightful King so that they might give Him the preeminent place in their hearts and lives. And the same is true in our own personal lives. As the Apostle Paul exhorted believers in Romans 13:14: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” To keep the rival for the throne of our hearts in check, we must not coddle it. Rather, we must crucify it through our identification with Christ.
After learning of Adonijah’s rebellion, the prophet Nathan advised Bathsheba to inform David about the conspiracy (1 King 1:11-14). Nathan didn’t confront Adonijah himself. More than likely, Nathan would not have been able to approach Adonijah who had already gained support from key leaders, including Joab the commander of the army. Nathan understood that the only measure that could be taken at this point was for king David to install the rightful heir to his throne. The rightful king would have the power and authority to deal with the rival to the throne.
Similarly, there is a selfish nature present within each of us—a rival to the throne of our hearts, which must be dealt with strategically and decisively. When the flesh goes unchecked—when we yield to our selfish desires instead of yielding to the Spirit, we will not only be controlled by the flesh; our unrestrained desires will bring corruption to our lives and hurt to those around us. David took the advice of Nathan and his wife Bathsheba and had Solomon installed as king. When Solomon, the rightful heir to the throne of David began to reign, his first order of business was to take care of the rival king and put him in his place (1 Kings 1:49-53).
When the rightful king began to reign, he put the rival king in check and brought him under control. What David, his father, never did, Solomon did in his very first authoritative action as the reigning king. Solomon assumed responsibility and took decisive action. But sadly, Adonijah didn’t stay quiet for long. Remember, what Adonijah needed most—what our children need most, what we all need most is not behavior modification, but a changed heart. In 1 Kings 2, we learn that although King Solomon appears to have confined Adonijah to his house, his heart remained unchanged. He was still conspiring to fulfill his evil and selfish desires. As a result, Solomon had Adonijah put to death along with the other co-conspirators.
Likewise, when Christ takes up residence in us, which is true of every believer, we are enabled to wage war against the flesh. The Apostle Paul wrote: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13). The problem with us sometimes is that, like David with Adonijah, we are often too passive when it comes to dealing with our sinful flesh. We spend more time on social media like Facebook than we do seeking God’s face in His book.
The flesh cannot be rehabilitated. It must be assassinated. Paul explained in Romans 13:14b, that we must not make any provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. We must cut off sources of temptation out of our lives and avoid compromising people, places and positions, even if it costs us. Let me be clear, victory over the rival to the throne of our hearts is not achieved through self-effort. Rather, it’s received through our identification and dependence upon Christ who lives in every believer. We cannot put to death our sinful desires ourselves—we cannot crucify ourselves. But we must be willing to be crucified or be willing to be made willing (Galatians 2:20).
After effecting eternal salvation through the blood of His cross and resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven to impart His life through the Holy Spirit to all who believe. The Christian life is nothing less than the outliving of the indwelling Christ on the principle of dependent faith. We are not only saved by faith in Christ alone, we also live the Christian life by faith in Christ alone who lives in the heart of every believer. Christ lives His life through us as we trust Him to reign in every area of our lives—as we yield and depend upon the Spirit (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:16-17).
Remember, part of what contributed to Adonijah’s self-rule was that he did not have an intimate relationship with his father David. Although you may or might not have an intimate relationship with your earthly father, you can have intimacy with our Heavenly Father who gave His beloved Son to make it possible. If you’re saved, He already resides in you. The question now is, are you trusting Him to reign in every room of your life and making time to grow your faith and intimacy with God?
There’s a rival to the throne of your heart. Apart from the Spirit, we cannot put to death the self-life ourselves. But we must be willing to be crucified or be willing to be made willing. May we daily seek to be renewed in the Father’s love so that we would trust Christ to reign in us and live His life through us to the glory of His name.
In your service,
Pastor Marco
Adonijah was not only opposing his earthly father, he was also opposing God. The Lord had already declared to David that Solomon would be the heir to the throne. According to God’s promises, David’s kingdom would be established forever. This is true because Jesus will one day sit upon his throne to rule and reign forever (Luke 1:31-33).
“The story of king David and the promise that was made to king David, is the answer to your life. It’s the answer to your ten-year-old life, twenty-year-old life, your fifty, sixty and ninety-five-year-old life. The promise that was made to king David is the hope of the world—the entire world. Not just because the story of the kingdom is the truth of the gospel. It is the fact that this king who is promised through the line of David is the one who will embody all that makes it possible for the world to be the way that God originally intended it.” Alistair Begg
So, there’s a bigger picture here besides the fact that Adonijah was a rival to the throne of David. He was also a rival to The Throne, which by divine decree belongs to Jesus the King of kings and Lord of lords. There is an already and not yet reality to Christ’s kingdom. Jesus will one day sit on the throne of David to rule and reign on the earth. But until then, King Jesus already reigns in the hearts of those who have received Him by faith as Savior and Lord. Jesus is the rightful King to the throne of our hearts. But like Adonijah, there is a rival to the throne of our hearts. The bible calls this rival "the flesh," which speaks of our carnal sinful nature (Romans 7:22-24).
The Apostle Paul described a war raging in his body (Romans 7:23). He explained that when he wanted to do right, evil was present within him. Do you know the struggle that Paul is talking about? Is there a war going on inside of you? Are you aware of the rival and rebel in you that wants to control your life? In a sense, to know this struggle is evidence that you’ve been made alive unto God through the regenerating work of the Spirit (Titus 3:4-5). As a result, the Spirit is producing in you holy desires and affections that are contrary to the desires and affections of your old sinful nature.
After explaining that Adonijah had exalted himself to be king, the word of God adds this significant commentary: “His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” (1 Kings 1:6a). What does this significant insight into David’s family life mean? David allowed his son to do whatever he desired. He never wanted to displease him—he never wanted him to be unhappy.
Why was David so passive about dealing with the inherent selfishness that was dominating Adonijah’s life? I want to suggest to you that his passivity may have something to do with his past moral failures. Perhaps he felt that he lacked the moral authority to correct his children—to say when they made unwise decisions, “Why have you done thus and so?”
If, like David, you have moral failures in your past or in the present, seek God’s forgiveness, and the forgiveness of those in your area of influence, who may have been adversely affected by your failures. The people in our circle of influence will not learn anything good from our hypocrisy, but they can learn from our humility.
David’s passivity appears to have contributed to Adonijah’s inability to delay gratification or to understand that you can’t always have what you want when you want it. More than that, Adonijah didn’t have the faith to wait for the Lord and trust that His will is best. Likewise, if we put the happiness of our children above their holiness, their comfort above their character, we may pacify them for the moment, but in the end, we’re only fueling their selfishness. Christian apologist Josh McDowell said it well, “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” It appears that David not only failed to correct and discipline Adonijah, he never even had meaningful conversations with him. He didn’t seek to cultivate a relationship of trust with his son. He didn’t take the time to know what was going on in the heart of his son.
Let me emphasize that the ultimate goal of Christian parenting is not developing disciplined children, but to make disciples of Jesus. More than rules, children need a relationship with Christ—they need to know Him as the rightful King so that they might give Him the preeminent place in their hearts and lives. And the same is true in our own personal lives. As the Apostle Paul exhorted believers in Romans 13:14: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” To keep the rival for the throne of our hearts in check, we must not coddle it. Rather, we must crucify it through our identification with Christ.
After learning of Adonijah’s rebellion, the prophet Nathan advised Bathsheba to inform David about the conspiracy (1 King 1:11-14). Nathan didn’t confront Adonijah himself. More than likely, Nathan would not have been able to approach Adonijah who had already gained support from key leaders, including Joab the commander of the army. Nathan understood that the only measure that could be taken at this point was for king David to install the rightful heir to his throne. The rightful king would have the power and authority to deal with the rival to the throne.
Similarly, there is a selfish nature present within each of us—a rival to the throne of our hearts, which must be dealt with strategically and decisively. When the flesh goes unchecked—when we yield to our selfish desires instead of yielding to the Spirit, we will not only be controlled by the flesh; our unrestrained desires will bring corruption to our lives and hurt to those around us. David took the advice of Nathan and his wife Bathsheba and had Solomon installed as king. When Solomon, the rightful heir to the throne of David began to reign, his first order of business was to take care of the rival king and put him in his place (1 Kings 1:49-53).
When the rightful king began to reign, he put the rival king in check and brought him under control. What David, his father, never did, Solomon did in his very first authoritative action as the reigning king. Solomon assumed responsibility and took decisive action. But sadly, Adonijah didn’t stay quiet for long. Remember, what Adonijah needed most—what our children need most, what we all need most is not behavior modification, but a changed heart. In 1 Kings 2, we learn that although King Solomon appears to have confined Adonijah to his house, his heart remained unchanged. He was still conspiring to fulfill his evil and selfish desires. As a result, Solomon had Adonijah put to death along with the other co-conspirators.
Likewise, when Christ takes up residence in us, which is true of every believer, we are enabled to wage war against the flesh. The Apostle Paul wrote: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13). The problem with us sometimes is that, like David with Adonijah, we are often too passive when it comes to dealing with our sinful flesh. We spend more time on social media like Facebook than we do seeking God’s face in His book.
The flesh cannot be rehabilitated. It must be assassinated. Paul explained in Romans 13:14b, that we must not make any provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. We must cut off sources of temptation out of our lives and avoid compromising people, places and positions, even if it costs us. Let me be clear, victory over the rival to the throne of our hearts is not achieved through self-effort. Rather, it’s received through our identification and dependence upon Christ who lives in every believer. We cannot put to death our sinful desires ourselves—we cannot crucify ourselves. But we must be willing to be crucified or be willing to be made willing (Galatians 2:20).
After effecting eternal salvation through the blood of His cross and resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven to impart His life through the Holy Spirit to all who believe. The Christian life is nothing less than the outliving of the indwelling Christ on the principle of dependent faith. We are not only saved by faith in Christ alone, we also live the Christian life by faith in Christ alone who lives in the heart of every believer. Christ lives His life through us as we trust Him to reign in every area of our lives—as we yield and depend upon the Spirit (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:16-17).
Remember, part of what contributed to Adonijah’s self-rule was that he did not have an intimate relationship with his father David. Although you may or might not have an intimate relationship with your earthly father, you can have intimacy with our Heavenly Father who gave His beloved Son to make it possible. If you’re saved, He already resides in you. The question now is, are you trusting Him to reign in every room of your life and making time to grow your faith and intimacy with God?
There’s a rival to the throne of your heart. Apart from the Spirit, we cannot put to death the self-life ourselves. But we must be willing to be crucified or be willing to be made willing. May we daily seek to be renewed in the Father’s love so that we would trust Christ to reign in us and live His life through us to the glory of His name.
In your service,
Pastor Marco