1 Kings 1

The Right Plan

 “Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, ‘Do you not know that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it?’” ~ 1 Kings 1:11

Have you ever watched something happening and thought, “How in the world did this happen without anyone noticing?” Sometimes life can change direction while we’re busy doing something else. One minute everything seems normal, and the next minute you discover that someone has been making plans, doors have been opening, and decisions have been made without you even knowing about them.

That’s what happened in today’s scripture reading. David was old and near the end of his life. While he was physically weak, his son Adonijah decided he would make himself king. He gathered chariots, horsemen, influential people, and even prepared a celebration. The problem was that God had already established Solomon as the one who would succeed David.

Adonijah had a plan, but his plan wasn’t God’s plan. That distinction matters for us today because we can sometimes mistake activity for assignment. Just because something is gaining momentum doesn’t mean God is behind it. Just because people are gathering around it doesn’t mean it’s His direction. Sometimes something can look very successful while being completely outside God’s purpose. Remember this, God doesn’t need us to manipulate circumstances to accomplish what He has planned. He does ask us to listen, obey, and participate when He gives us a part to play.

Below are three truths for this passage that we implement in our everyday lives:

1. Don’t confuse opportunity with God’s assignment

Adonijah saw an opportunity and decided to take it. He didn’t wait for David to appoint him nor did he seek God’s direction, he simply announced himself as king. He had the appearance of success because people were following him, there was a celebration and influential people were supporting him. But none of that meant he was in God’s will.

We can fall into the same trap. A door opens, someone compliments us, an opportunity comes along, and suddenly we’re thinking, “This must be God!” It may be the truth in some cases, but an open door isn’t automatically a God door. Sometimes we need to slow down long enough to ask, “Lord, is this something You are asking me to walk through?”

Here are some guidelines to keep you from that trap:

• Before saying yes to a major opportunity, pray about it and seek God’s direction.
• Don’t let other people’s excitement become your confirmation.
• Ask whether the opportunity agrees with God’s Word and His direction for your life.
• Give yourself permission to wait when you’re unsure.

Maybe someone offers you a promotion that would bring more money but would require you to sacrifice the things God has clearly told you to prioritize. Maybe you’re invited into a ministry opportunity that sounds impressive but doesn’t fit what God has asked you to do in this season. Not every good opportunity is your opportunity. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can say is, “Let me pray about that first.”

2. God can use the right people to help protect His purpose

One of my favorite parts of this chapter is the way God used Nathan and Bathsheba to bring the situation to David’s attention. Nathan recognized what was happening and acted. Bathsheba went before David and reminded him of his promise concerning Solomon. Then Nathan came and confirmed what she had said. God moved through people working together to make sure His purpose wasn’t overlooked.

This is an important reminder that we aren’t supposed to walk through life completely on our own. God brings others to bring clarity when we’re too close to a situation to see it clearly. He may use a friend to ask a question we don’t want to answer. He may send a pastor, coach, spouse, or trusted believer to say, “Have you prayed about this?” Sometimes God’s direction comes through a quiet prompting in your spirit. Sometimes it comes through a conversation with someone who loves you enough to tell you the truth. And let’s be honest, sometimes we don’t want the truth. We want someone to agree with us.

Here are some ways to apply thing in your everyday life:

• Keep trusted, godly people close to you.
• Give people permission to speak honestly into your life.
• Don’t dismiss wise counsel simply because it challenges your plans.
• Ask yourself, “Who has God placed around me who can help me hear clearly?”

If you’re considering a major decision, don’t just ask someone who will tell you what you want to hear. Find someone who loves God, knows you well, and isn’t afraid to tell you when you’re getting off track.

3. God can establish His plan even when things look chaotic

By the end of the chapter, everything changed quickly. David acted and Solomon was anointed king. The people celebrated and Adonijah’s followers heard what had happened and scattered. What looked like a crisis suddenly turned into confirmation.

That’s encouraging because sometimes we see circumstances moving in a direction that seems completely opposite from what God has told us. You may have prayed about something for years, and suddenly it looks like someone else is getting the opportunity you thought was yours. You may have watched someone else get the position, the recognition, the relationship, or the opportunity. You may even think, “Lord, did I misunderstand You?” Don’t panic because something is moving before you can see how God is going to work it out. Adonijah’s celebration didn’t cancel God’s plan for Solomon. And someone else’s activity doesn’t cancel what God has spoken to you.

You can apply this today by following the steps below:

• Don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances.
• When something unexpected happens, take it to God before reacting.
• Remind yourself of what God has already spoken through His Word.
• Keep doing the things God has clearly asked you to do while you wait for the next step.
• Celebrate what God is doing in someone else’s life without assuming their blessing means you’ve been forgotten.

Sometimes we’re so busy watching someone else’s parade that we miss what God is preparing for us. This passage in 1 Kings reminds us that God’s plan doesn’t depend on everything looking peaceful and orderly. There were competing agendas, political maneuvering, confusion, and people trying to make things happen for themselves, but God was still working.

That’s good news for us. Your circumstances don’t have to look perfect for God to be working. You don’t have to control every outcome and you don’t have to force every door open. You don’t have to convince everyone that you’re called and you don’t have to compete with someone else’s assignment. Your job is to stay close enough to God to hear His direction and humble enough to follow it.

Today I want to encourage you to stop and ask God what His plan is for this season of your life. Don’t let an exciting opportunity, someone else’s success, or a sudden change in circumstances cause you to run ahead of Him. Take time to listen, seek wise counsel, trust the people God has placed around you and when things don’t make sense, remember that God isn’t confused just because you are.

If God has called you to something, you don’t have to manipulate it into existence. He knows how to establish His purpose at the right time and in the right way. Your part isn’t to make yourself king. Your part is to hear the King and follow Him.

Today’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 1

1 Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. 

2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.” 

3 So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 

4 The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.

5 Then 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. 

6 (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.) 

7 Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. 

8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.

9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 

10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.

11 So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 

12 Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 

13 Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne“? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 

14 Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 

16 And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?”

17 Then she said to him, “My lord, you swore by the Lord your God to your maidservant, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 

18 So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know about it. 

19 He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. 

20 And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 

21 Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders.”

22 And just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. 

23 So they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 

24 And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 

25 For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 

26 But he has not invited me—me your servant—nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 

27 Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 

29 And the king took an oath and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 

30 just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I certainly will do this day.”

31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, “Let my lord King David live forever!”

32 And King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 

33 The king also said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 

34 There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 

35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! May the Lord God of my lord the king say so too. 

37 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. 

39 Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 

40 And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.

41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said, “Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?” 

42 While he was still speaking, there came Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him, “Come in, for you are a prominent man, and bring good news.”

43 Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 

44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. 

45 So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 

46 Also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 

47 And moreover the king’s servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ Then the king bowed himself on the bed. 

48 Also the king said thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!’ ”

49 So all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one went his way.

50 Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 

51 And it was told Solomon, saying, “Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ”

52 Then Solomon said, “If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 

53 So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

Journal:

• Is there an opportunity in my life right now that I need to pray about before moving forward?
• Have I ever mistaken an open door for God’s direction?
• Who are the trusted people God has placed in my life to help me hear clearly?
• Am I currently comparing my journey with someone else’s?
• Is there something I’m trying to force that I need to surrender to God?
• What has God already spoken to me that I need to continue trusting while I wait?