Adonijah learns that Solomon has been anointed king by his
father David and that the nation has received him as their king. Adonijah makes the smart play and goes to the
altar and lays hold of the horns of the altar, refusing to leave or let go
until Solomon has pledged not to harm him.
We speak of giving sanctuary and we see it in The Hunchback of Notre
Dame by Victor Hugo. It was a
significant part of English church history, and a frequent sticking point in
the relationship between crown and church.
Solomon essentially says that Adonijah will be given pardon for what he
has done and will be judged in the future on his actions. David begins his charge to Solomon by
reminding him of the necessity of keeping the law of Moses and teaching it to
his children and also by reaffirming the covenant the Lord has made with David
concerning the throne and David's descendants.
It is a covenant based in their fidelity to Him. It is not based in perfection but it is based
in keeping the Lord first and making knowledge of Him and His ways
primary.
Stay awake! That is
the command Jesus gives us concerning the end of days. What does He mean? We are to remain alert, watching like the
doorkeeper that the master of the house not be kept waiting when he
arrives. We are to be like that
doorkeeper in that we are to be always watching for the return of Jesus, not
the signs of his return but for Him personally.
We must also cling to the cross as Adonijah clung to the horns of the
altar. Jesus told the disciples to pray
first for the coming of the kingdom of God and then for daily bread. David instructed Solomon to keep the main
thing the main thing and Jesus tells us that is also our marching orders. If we are longing first for the kingdom,
seeking it as He says in Matthew 6, then we will be perfectly fine and prepared
for His arrival. We are spiritually awake so long as we remain in Him.
Festus, who is not Jewish, believes Paul has lost his mind
as he speaks of heavenly visions and a man who suffered and died but was raised
from the dead as the hope and light of the world. It does sound far-fetched doesn't it? Festus objects "in a loud voice"
and yet Paul bores in on the king, Agrippa, as one who should know that such
things are in keeping with Moses and the prophets. Agrippa is amazed that Paul would expect him
to accept such things and become a Christian based on these few words. Paul's argument isn't based solely on his own
testimony, however, he makes it clear that what he is saying is well known, it
wasn't done in secret and Agrippa already must know these things. He indeed wants not only Agrippa but all men
to accept the truth. The one thing the
king knows is that this is certainly not worthy of death in any circumstance
and so, because Paul has appealed to Rome, to Rome he will go. Paul's one thing was his testimony about
Jesus and we hear it recounted many times in Acts and the epistles, he was a
man who was always awake and his desire was to wake others.
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