Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?” 1 Kings 1:41
One Friday night when I was a kid, my dad went to the local high school football game, just a few blocks away from our home. He asked if I wanted to go, but I was too busy playing with a neighbor kid. After a while though, my friend suggested that we go to the game after all. Don’t ask your mom. Let’s just go. That made sense. So, we snuck off to the game. There, I ran into my dad who must have thought my mom sent me and so, he bought me popcorn. I was a little concerned about the repercussions of sneaking off, but we had such a grand time that I stopped worrying about it. My plan worked! I’m totally getting away with it! My elation was short lived though. When I got home and my parents conferred about the events of the evening, I was in trouble. It turned out that my friend’s plan wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t get away with it. And now, I was going to face the consequences.
I’ve got to think Adonijah, King David’s son, must have experienced something similar. In today’s passage, Adonijah tried to take David’s throne, even though David intended for Solomon to be the next king. Confident that his father would do nothing, Adonijah boldly pronounced himself king, organized a parade, offered sacrifices, and held a feast in his own honor. During the celebration, as his guests were praising his name, Adonijah must have felt pretty good about his plan. This is working! I’m getting away with it! When Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, fearfully informed David of the events though, David didn’t do nothing. Instead, he coronated Solomon and roused the city in support. It was the crowd’s cheering for Solomon, so that the earth was split by their noise (1 Kings 1:40), that interrupted Adonijah’s celebration. When Adonijah was informed of what was going on, he suddenly realized he wasn’t getting away with it. This was a bad plan. And he was going to face consequences.
What’s the lesson for me? The lesson is that I shouldn’t place my confidence in evil, even if my plan is fool proof. Even if I think I’m getting away with it – even if I do get away with it – I’ve still chosen wrong. The only price I may pay is that I distance myself from God, but that is perhaps the worst consequence of all. Even when I think I’m getting away with it, I’m not.