April 3, 2026 - 1 Kings 1-2

The royal intrigues continue:  “Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, ‘I will be king.’  So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.  (His father had never rebuked him by asking, ‘Why do you behave as you do?’  He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)” (1:5-6). All this is to say that Adonijah was a spoiled and entitled brat.  Entering into a conspiracy with Joab and Abiathar in the last days of David’s life and reign, he sought to take the kingdom for his own.  Unbeknownst to him, apparently, was the conniving from Solomon’s side with Nathan and Bathsheba.  Some ugly stuff going on, here.  What stands out to me is that, let man do what he will, God will still have his way.  Adonijah and his allies were intent on taking the throne.  God, on the other hand, would have Solomon.  And even if the actions from Solomon’s side of the intrigue were less than honorable, God would have his way.  God always has his way.  With Resurrection Sunday only a few days away, all this reminds me of another time that God’s purposes were achieved perfectly even over against evil opposition.  At Pentecost, Peter told the crowds there in Jerusalem, “Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.  This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:22-24).  I have to, just have to, quote the entirety of William Cowper’s hymn.

God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform.

He plants his footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in the dark and hidden mines,

With never-failing skill,

He fashions all his bright designs

And works his sov’reign will.

Oh, fearful saints, new courage take:

The clouds that you now dread

Are big with mercy and will break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust him for his grace.

Behind a frowning providence,

He hides a smiling face.

God’s purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour.

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err

And scan his work in vain.

God is his own interpreter,

And he will make it plain.   --William Cowper (1774)