The One Who Exalted Himself and the One Who Was Raised Up

As King David grew old without naming a successor, his fourth son, Adonijah, put himself forward to be king and gathered chariots, horsemen and an escort of guards. He had the birthright, a handsome appearance, and even the backing of Joab and Abiathar, yet Solomon was the one man he did not invite to his feast.

Adonijah rested his claim to the throne on his birthright and his looks, but Scripture says that God looks not on the outward appearance but on the heart. Solomon did nothing to win the crown, yet even before he was born he had been chosen and loved by God. In the end the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba went in and spoke before David, and in a moment everything was overturned: Solomon took his seat on the throne, and Adonijah was left clinging to the horns of the altar, begging for his life.

Unlike Adonijah, who sought to exalt himself, Solomon had done no more than live quietly and faithfully in his own place, and it was God who raised him up. Rather than rushing to and fro after results they can see, God’s people must be faithful in small things right where they now stand, and wait for God’s appointed hour. Even when no one seems to be watching, God searches the heart, and when that hour comes he will without fail bring them into their rightful place and use them.