I Kings 1:5-6- Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.
Even though David had told Solomon that he would be king next and that it was his job to build a temple for the Lord, we see that Absalom's brother thought that he could proclaim himself king. He knew that his father had never told him "no" about anything, and he thought his father would just shrug at his appointing himself ruler.
I Kings 1:7-10- And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants: But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
So, Adonijah called General Joab and the priest, Abiathar. They went with him to a specific place and threw a banquet with most of his brother's to proclaim himself the next king.
He knew that Zadok the priest Nathan the prophet, David's Mighty Men, and the king's other friends would question him and so he didn't invite them. He also didn't invite Solomon.
I Kings 1:11-14- Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign? Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
Nathan the prophet heard what Adonijah was doing. He knew that once Adonijah had established himself as the uncontested king that he would kill anyone who dared say he wasn't suppose to be the next ruler. Nathan called Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, and told her his plan to save their lives.
Nathan wanted Bathsheba to go into the king and let him know what Adonijah was doing, and ask if that was the king's wishes. Once she had finished telling the king what was going on, Nathan the prophet would come in to let the king know that what she was saying was true.
I Kings 1:15- And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.
Abishag was brought to help the king keep warm. He was so old that his body wasn't able to generate enough heat. She was young and would be looked at as part of David's family.
I Kings 1:16-18, 22-24- And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou? And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not: And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
So, Nathan and Bathsheba stood waiting for the king to give them an answer.
I KIngs 129-30- And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.
The king verified that he wanted Solomon to take the throne after him. Now, normally the king would die before another one took the throne. But David was going to crown Solomon early so that if anyone wanted to hear who was the king's choice he would be around to tell them.
I Kings 1:32-35- And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
David told his friends what they should do to make sure that all of Jerusalem knew that Solomon was crowned king. He was to be anointed outside Jerusalem. Then he was to ride the king's mule back into the city straight to the castle and sit on the throne. While he was riding through the city they would blow the trumpet and shout "God save King Solomon!"
I Kings 1:38-40- So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.
While all the people were accepting Solomon as their new king, Adonijah was just finishing his banquet.
I Kings 1:41-43- And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings. And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.
When Joab and all the others that were with Adonijah heard this they were afraid. They all slowly left the banquet. Adonijah ran to the temple and grabbed onto the altar. He was hoping that Solomon wouldn't kill him if he were in the temple.
I Kings 1:51-53- And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword. And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die. So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.
Solomon told Adonijah that as long as he proved he wasn't going to try to usurp the throne that he could live. So, Adonijah came and bowed before Solomon and then went home.
I Chronicles 23:1, 28:1-2a, 4-7- So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel. And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem. Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel: And of all my sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.
David called the people together. He wanted them all to know that not only had he chosen Solomon as the next king, but that God also chose Solomon as the next king. He now wanted them to build the temple for the Lord that he wanted to build so long ago.
I Chronicles 28:11-12, 19-20- Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things: All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
The Lord had shown David exactly what He wanted His house to look like, and David was passing the designs as well as the materials that he had gathered over to Solomon.
David praised the Lord for all His goodness to him. He thanked God for giving him a son to rule in his place.
I Chronicles 29:26-28- Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.
