David died after forty years of reigning over Israel. Solomon took the throne and his kingdom was firmly established. Adonijah came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and recognized that Solomon was the rightful heir, even though he thought he had the kingdom in his grasp. He asked one favor: to have Abishag the Shunammite as a wife. This was the young maiden brought to David to keep him warm near the end of his life. Bathsheba asked David if Adonijah could have Abishag. Solomon responded angrily, thinking that Adonijah still wanted to have the kingdom. He vowed to put Adonijah to death. He sent Benaiah, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
While we are not nearly as cutthroat a society as in the Old Testament times, sometimes it is important to know who your enemies are. If you are in a position of leadership, you cannot afford to have people around you who are working against you or who do not believe in your leadership. While it is completely unacceptable to kill them, it is important to surround yourself with people you can trust. Could Solomon have been a little paranoid? Who knows? However, it is obvious that when your older brother (who had a claim on the throne) asks for your father’s last wife after his death, he may have had intentions of claiming more than just his woman. That was the last mistake he would make!
Devoted To You 