1 Kings 1:1-53

Decisiveness and clear communication are very important qualities for leaders to develop.  A potential civil war breaks out because David has not clearly communicated who will be his successor.  David is old and his health is failing so everyone knows that there will soon be a transition in leadership, but neither the family nor the public in general knows who that king will be.  Apparently David has communicated this to a small group of people that are closest to him, but for some reason, he has not made a public announcement.  Whether this is due to negligence, a reluctance to recognize the importance of doing this or a fear of causing disappointment; David’s lack of clear and decisive communication causes a serious problem.  All leaders must have a clear plan of succession in place so that transitions will go smoothly and the new leader will have a greater chance of succeeding. 

ADONIJAH PRESUMES HE WILL BE KING:  Adonijah is the next oldest son after Absalom and so he presumes that he will be the next king.  David has not told him this and the priest has not anointed him, but he takes matters into his own hands and sets himself up as the next king.  He gets a group of people together that includes much of the family and Joab, David’s general and his plan is to announce his kingship.  However, he must know that this is not David’s desire for he neglects to invite the priest whose job it was anoint the king and he also neglects to invite Solomon and Bathsheba.  David’s promise that Solomon would reign must have been known but was not official.  Adonijah tries to make a play for the throne before it is too late.  This confusion could have been avoided by clear communication.

NATHAN PROMOTES SOLOMON AS KING: When Nathan hears what is going on he sends Bathsheba to confront David and then he comes in to confirm what is going on.  Nathan demonstrates great wisdom in taking decisive action in a way that will move David to do what he should have done long ago and that was to announce his plan of succession.  Nathan works behind the scenes without being disrespectful to David but works to make sure that Solomon would be the next king and not Adonijah.  The fact that God would set this plan into place is a wonderful demonstration of His grace and forgiveness.  David’s sin with Bathsheba brought about much heartache and pain in David’s reign, but God chose to make her son the next king of Israel and eventually to bring Messiah into the world through her descent.

SOLOMON PRESIDES AS THE NEW KING: Finally David makes a clear commandment to anoint Solomon as king and does so in a very public manner.  The phrase “better late than never” seems to apply here; but David’s actions are both decisive and clear.  This declaration causes great joy in the hearts of all the people as well as David’s inner circle and David himself.  When Adonijah and his party hears what is going on they are struck with fear and Adonijah grabs the horns of the altar which was sign of submission as well as a plea for mercy.  Solomon has the option of forgiving him or ordering his execution.  Solomon sends a message for him to go home and his life is spared for the moment.  This could have been a smoother transition but David’s quickness to act in the face of this challenge was of huge importance.