David in Old Age
1 Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her [a]attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not [b]cohabit with her.
5 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never [c]crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man, and [d]he was born after Absalom. 7 [e]He had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and following Adonijah they helped him. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the [f]stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.
No doubt Adonijah thought himself very wise for waiting until his father was growing weak to try and take the kingdom. But it’s telling that certain people were not invited to the party, as Adonijah knew he had to be careful in his deception.
But when you work in lies and deception, it never goes quite how you expect. One might think that’s just the natural order, since we are inclined to evil in our flesh. However, the Universe was created by God, and that is not how He ordered it to run.
Half truths and deceptions only go so far, and then their course must come out into the light and be discovered. The only path that is sure, is the one God has prepared for you. So keep your feet from the way of the wicked, and pursue peace and joy by following God’s way. Only then can you be sure of anything in this world of uncertainty.