QUOTE THREE
A LEADER SHOULD BE A LADDER FOR OTHERS TO CLIMB HIGHER; NOT A DIGGER THAT PREPARES THEIR GRAVES
“Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, fifty men to run before him…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.” 1 kings 1:5,39
At some point in Israel, David the King became very weak because of age; he was no longer strong enough to personally pilot the affairs of the state of Israel. Adonijah, one of his sons, the 4th son of David and from his wife Haggith; rose up and self-proclaimed himself king of Israel. At the time, so many well-meaning Israelites rallied round him in support. Adonijah had the crowd but not the crown. He had the people’s ovation but no revelation of God’s plan for Israel’s leadership. Adonijah had the aura of a leader who attracts support but had no oil on his head for the throne. Adonijah was a man who exalted himself above the knowledge of the word of God for Israel’s kingship – God had promised David that Solomon will sit on the throne in his stead. Adonijah was a man who took advantage of the weakness on ground to further his selfish course. He was a man who put fun fare ahead of the people’s welfare. He was the kind of man who would work against a system set by God to advance his personal course. Adonijah was a power usurper who reigned as king while David was still alive and knew nothing about his reign.
Alright, let us look again at those qualities of Adonijah as it shows us the kind of leader we must not follow:
CROWD BUT NOT THE CROWN
Adonijah had the crowd but not the crown; the Israelite men and women gathered around him during his campaign to become King, though there was no crown or the promise of a crown for his head. In the oriental times, kings were viewed as divinely sent to rule over the people, and the crown was a symbol of that divine authority to rule. Some kings like Caesar Augustus of Rome, Xerxes of Persia etc stretched the concept of the divine authority of the king by proclaiming themselves gods among men.
So it may have been such a feat for Adonijah to have gathered such a cream following that he had without a crown on his head or the promise of a crown for his head, but it ended in utter disappointment for him and all who followed him.
Simple lesson: Do not follow a leader on whose life you cannot sense or confirm DIVINE AUTHORITY. Divine authority is simply the support of God evidenced by godly results. This was the only thing that the Israelites asked of Joshua after Moses had commissioned him as the leader of Israel. Josh. 1:17,
“According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: ONLY LET THE LORD THY GOD BE WITH THEE, AS HE WAS WITH MOSES”
Notice the condition (in capital case) the Israelites gave Joshua for the obedience they were willing to give him.
OVATION WITH NO REVELATION
Adonijah had the ovation of the well meaning people of the time but he had no revelation of God’s plan for Israel’s throne. Adonijah apparently did not know that the throne was destined for Solomon. Maybe he should have overheard the promise of the throne for Solomon while he was in the palace, but he did not hear. He presumed that the kingdom will be his after David his father. He said after his failed attempts to take over power:
“… Thou knewest that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and become my brother’s for it was his from the Lord” I Kgs. 2:15
So, he had assumed that the kingdom was his after his father without a revelation of what had transpired before God about the throne of Isreal. For David had sworn before the Lord that Solomon would be king: “Even as I sware unto thee before the Lord saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me…” I kgs.1:30.
Adonijah knew nothing about the future of Israel’s throne though he lived in the palace, how could he ever know the future of the common people of Israel whom he does not live with, and which he should lead as king. A leader without revelation will leave the people in trepidation for their future. When a leader lacks insight about his people’s future, the people end up in fear and uncertainty about where they are headed. Besides, “Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint.” Prov. 29:18 (NIV). That means, where there is no revelation the people will give up on life, get tired of life because they are obviously unaware of which way to go from where they are. A leader without revelation is a time bomb.
Also note that Adonijah did not recognize that the kingdom had been given to Solomon until his efforts failed. In other words, Adonijah learned by HINDSIGHT who the true king of Israel should be. A leader with foresight and insight provides a safe harbor for his people’s dreams and aspirations. A leader that learns by hindsight, on the other hand, is a calamity. And when you consider how everyone that followed Adonijah ended in fear, confusion and despair, you would agree that Adonijah was not the man to be followed.
AURA AND NO OIL
Adonijah had the aura of a king but no oil on his head. Every king in Israel must first be anointed with oil by the Prophet or Priest as a sign of divine conferment of authority. By this process, the kingdom of Israel was both spiritual as well as political. Any king will have to satisfy both elements of the spiritual (by being anointed by a prophet) and the political (commanding the people’s loyalty and followership) in order to be effective in the long run. Adonijah satisfied only one of the requirements and it was a matter of time before he was pushed aside. In the same vein, every leadership sphere has these two elements for maximizing effectiveness. Spiritual because you need divine acceptance to last on your seat and political because you need the people’s cooperation and acceptance to avoid constant mutiny and being forcefully pushed out of authority. Discern to find favor on both ends. The bible says of Jesus: “And Jesus increased in … favour with God and man.” Lk 2:52c
ABOVE THE WORD
Adonijah was a man who exalted himself above the word of God for Israel’s throne: David the King, had sworn an oath by the Lord, a gesture God viewed as binding in their time, to make Solomon king; yet Adonijah contrary to that word exalted himself to be king in place of David his father. Unfortunately for him, there is only one judgment for anything exalted above the word of God: it must come down.
“…casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God…” II Cor. 10:5
Any man, woman, leader who exalts himself above the purpose and will of God is one person heading for a speedy sudden crash.
SELFISH ADVANCEMENT
Adonijah was a man who took advantage of the prevailing weakness on ground to advance his selfish course.
Aside going against the will of God for Israel’s throne at the time, Adonijah was a selfish opportunist. David was sick and no longer strong enough to perform all his kingly duties, and the response of Adonijah to such political weakness was to promote himself as the next king of Israel. He had by his actions declared David unfit to rule the nation of Israel and projected himself as the worthy king of Israel. By his campaign he demoted the influence of David his father and promoted himself as the man of the moment. Note: any leader who buys credit for himself by demoting and demeaning others or their efforts is a glaring danger. Any man who preys on the weakness of others in order to make himself relevant is a bottled calamity.
FUN-FARE AHEAD OF WELFARE
Adonijah was a man who put fun fare ahead of the welfare of others. When you take a close look at the things that Adonijah did you would see how he exalted fun fare. When Adonijah discovered that David was too weak to rule, he did not take to helping the people of Israel, to make their lives better. Rather his first action was to prepare horses and chariots for himself and set 50 men to run ahead of him – Fun fare!
“Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and 50 men to run before him.” 1 Kgs.1:5
The second thing he did, to show his interest in the throne of Isreal was to call a party, eating and making merry, even before he received the crown – Fun fare!
“And Adonijah slew sheep and Oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zeholeth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah the King’s servants:” 1 Kgs 1:9.
The next thing we hear about Adonijah is that his camp was in chaos. While he was busy having fun everywhere, some persons were busy crowning Solomon King over Israel. The news that Solomon had been made king by David threw his camp into chaos.
“And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up and went every man his way,”1 Kgs 1:49.
Whenever fun fare is given priority ahead of the people’s welfare, the end will definitely be chaos. When a leader prioritizes his pleasures above the people’s welfare, he leaves a long trail of poverty for his people.
YOUR APPOINTMENT IS ANOTHER’S DISAPPOINTMENT
The story so far shows clearly how Adonijah wanted the throne so badly but it was given to Solomon; undeniably to the disappointment of Adonijah his brother. Life plays out in this form on many occasions. Many persons scramble for a position, one gets it and the others get to rue their near misses. One is appointed, others are disappointed. Even Jesus’ manifestation was for the rising (appointment/promotion) of some and for the falling (disappointment/demotion) of others. Your success today may be someone’s heartache; be wise who you share success tales with.
FLASH BACK
A leader with foresight and insight provides a safe harbor for his people’s dreams and aspirations.
Any man who preys on the weakness of others in order to make himself relevant is a bottled calamity.