My first question – and maybe my only question – after reading this chapter was “What was so special about Abishag?” She was the woman Adonijah wanted to marry, and the request led to his death. I had to consult the footnotes in my study Bible for the answer because Abishag wasn’t ringing a bell in my memory. The footnote explained that Abishag was one of David’s concubines and still a virgin (this also left me with a few questions, but I’m going to leave those alone for now), and by marrying her, Adonijah would have access to King David’s harem. This was one of the tactics Absalom used when trying to overthrow his father. Apparently, women had more influence then we might think! And apparently, Adonijah was up to no good with his request. Sometimes it’s hard to unravel events behind the scenes, and we need a little scholarly knowledge to understand the text of the Bible better. This certainly was one of those instances. I try to read and surmise what the text says on my own most of the time, but today, I needed a little help. Solomon, too, needed a little help. He called on trusted confidants and advisors to fulfill King David’s dying wishes. By the end of this chapter, we’ve skipped ahead three years already. Keep the timeline in mind as you read on tomorrow.
On a side note, I loved the opening of this chapter. Well, I didn’t love the approaching of King David’s death, but I did love a couple things he said:
“I am going where everyone on earth must someday go (v. 2),” and “Keep the decrees commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses …” King David didn’t have the Bible to reference, but he did have the Laws of Moses, which had been recorded centuries beforehand. Also, I found some solace in his first statement about going where everyone on earth must go someday. The Old Testament doesn’t talk about Heaven much, but it does give us some context about it. Maybe David didn’t know exactly what would happen when he died, but he somehow had knowledge about “life” after death. Somehow that is comforting to me.
Writing prompt: Adonijah
What was your first impression upon reading Adonijah’s request? Write about your thoughts, the explanation my footnote offered and Solomon’s response.
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