David's Son Solomon Anointed As King Series

Every person faces the same choice today. Who will be our king? Will it be Jesus? Or will it be some rival to Jesus? Such as another religion? Mohammed? Buddha? Myself?

Friends, there are only two spiritual kingdoms in this world. There is the kingdom of God and there is the kingdom of Satan. Jesus sits on the throne of the kingdom of God. Satan sits on the throne of his kingdom. Satan allows all kinds of false religions and false idols to rule over his subjects, but in the end they are all subservient to Satan.

IV. The Submission to the King (1:41-53)

Finally, the coronation of God’s king shows us submission to the king.

Adonijah and all those with him were at En-rogel, which was less than half a mile from Gihon, where Solomon was anointed as king. The cheering after Solomon’s anointing was so loud that it could be heard by Adonijah and all his guests. Then Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, and so he asked, “What does this uproar in the city mean?” (1:41b). Perhaps he thought that they were cheering for him. Abiathar’s son Jonathan brought Adonijah the bad news, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king….And 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. Solomon sits on the royal throne” (1:43, 45-46).

Oops! This was awkward. Adonijah’s guests suddenly knew that they had backed the wrong horse. They couldn’t get out of En-rogel fast enough.

Adonijah also realized that his goose was cooked. His attempt to take the thrown was lost. Verse 50 says, “And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.” Adonijah was sure that Solomon would put him to death for trying to steal their father’s throne – just as Adonijah would have put Solomon to death if the situation were reversed. Adonijah hoped to put himself under God’s protection and Solomon’s mercy by grabbing the horns of the altar. The horns were upright projections on the four corners of the altar (Exodus 27:2). The altar was kept in the same tent that David had made for the ark (verse 39). It had long been the custom in Israel that a wrongdoer could hold on to the horns of the altar – symbols of strength – and thus place himself under God’s protection.

Solomon was told what Adonijah was doing. Solomon said that if Adonijah proved himself a worthy man, that is, loyal to Solomon, he would not put Adonijah to death. Verse 53 says, “So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, ‘Go to your house.’ ”

Adonijah was in rebellion against David and against God’s chosen successor, Solomon. However, when he realized that his rebellion had been exposed, he threw himself on the mercy of God and his anointed king. And Solomon extended mercy to him.

Conclusion

At 9:04 a.m. on September 2, 1945, aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, World War II officially ended. Signing on behalf of Emperor Hirohito, the Japanese foreign minister inked his signature to the document declaring Japan’s complete, unconditional surrender to the Allied powers.