The Mediator

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

THE MEDIATOR

1 Kings 2:13-25

13 Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. Bathsheba asked him, "Do you come peacefully?" He answered, "Yes, peacefully." 14 Then he added, "I have something to say to you." "You may say it," she replied. 15 "As you know," he said, "the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the LORD. 16 Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me." "You may make it," she said. 17 So he continued, "Please ask King Solomon — he will not refuse you — to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife." 18 "Very well," Bathsheba replied, "I will speak to the king for you." 19 When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat down at his right hand. 20 "I have one small request to make of you," she said. "Do not refuse me." The king replied, "Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you." 21 So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah." 22 King Solomon answered his mother, "Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him — after all, he is my older brother — yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!" 23 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! 24 And now, as surely as the LORD lives — he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised — Adonijah shall be put to death today!" 25 So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.

NIV

Why did Adonijah not just go to his brother, the king, to ask this request for a certain bride? He had to hide his request behind a woman, and the mother of Solomon no less. He had already proven himself to be a schemer trying to steal the kingdom and declare himself to be the king of Israel. He had no anointing from his father David, or from the LORD. However,  even the great King Solomon showed respect for his mother as she entered his court, standing and bowing to her and then had a throne placed at his right hand, giving her a place of honor. We were not told nor do we expect that Adonijah did not bow before Bathsheba, but rather came seeking her to be the mediator and ask Solomon for the very beautiful young woman, Abishag, who attended their father David when he was old and could not keep warm. Solomon saw right through the plot of Adonijah and declared justice upon him, giving him a death sentence. What do we learn from this insight and action of Solomon? Adonijah must pay with his life for his crime against his father, David, and his brother Solomon. But there is more to this because there is no other way to go before the Lord and to come seeking forgiveness, repenting, changing the way we think about everything. Adonijah tried to come through another way, but we cannot, as we know Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only one to give us life. We cannot come to God based on the relationship of someone else, or, as some might think, we could ask someone who died before us to intercede before God for us. We must come to God based only on His own work on our behalf by sending Jesus to pay the price for our sins. This narrative shows us that sin requires the death penalty, and Solomon had Adonijah put to death because of his evil behavior. God will not allow sin to enter into His kingdom, but we have come before him for ourselves seeking his forgiveness through our Savior Jesus, and so we will be ushered into His kingdom. But those who try to enter seeking anything from the Lord by any other means will be put to death. Adonijah tried to use Bathsheba, the mother of the king, as his mediator, and it cost him his life.  Jesus is our one mediator who gives us life.