And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 1 Kings 1:50
When I was 35, I discovered there was an amateur football league in Minnesota and that there was a team right in my hometown! I wanted in. So, I signed up, even though I was in no condition to play football. I hadn’t played for more than a decade and I was struggling with an opioid addiction, which made it difficult to get to the gym. I entered that season overweight, out of shape, and 10 years older than all the other players. The physicians with whom I worked just shook their collective heads. They knew what I should have known – This isn’t going to end well. I had no fear though. The possibility of injury just wasn’t part of my decision making. Honestly, I was surprised when I tore my ACL (again). In retrospect, I’m not saying I shouldn’t have played – I had a lot of fun. I am saying however, that I probably should have had a little more fear of injury, at least considering the possibility.
Fear carries a negative connotation, particularly in the context of our faith. In church, fear is often seen as faithless, thus the bumper sticker slogan – Faith not Fear! Some fears are healthy though. For instance, driving while texting is dangerous, and I should be afraid of the consequences of doing so. Fear, if experienced prior to a hazardous activity, can prevent me from injury. Some fears are good for me.
This is the lesson of today’s passage, in which Adonijah experienced a fear that came too late. In the story, Adonijah rebelled against his father, King David, trying to steal his throne. In response, David crowned Solomon, uniting the whole city in support of Solomon’s coronation. As Adonijah heard the celebration and realized it wasn’t for him, he cowered in fear. He’d launched a coup which had failed and now his life was in danger. Had he thought things through, experiencing this fear prior to his revolt, he would have saved himself a lot of misery. Adonijah was right to fear, but his fear came too late.
There are behaviors of which I should be afraid. Driving while eating with one hand and texting with the other, is dangerous. I should be afraid that if I keep alcohol in my house, that I’m going to be tempted by it. Some fears are healthy, and if I consider them before I engage in a self-destructive behavior, my fear can be protective. I’m not saying I should live in fear. I’m just saying that a 35-year-old man should more carefully consider the consequences of playing full contact football.