Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20030316.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSINGS IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part I: Overcoming Our Parents' Rearing Errors Even In An Apostate Era
(1 Kings 1:1-53)
  1. Introduction
    1. With the spiritual decline in many parts of the world has come a host of aberrant behaviors in adults due to ungodly rearing errors by their parents. Many teachers in public school settings agree with this claim.
    2. However, this fact does not excuse the irresponsibly reared young adult from his bad behavior: God in his rich grace can make it possible to overcome our parents' rearing errors even in apostate times, and 1 Kings 1:1-53 demonstrates how that is possible as follows:
  2. Overcoming Our Parents' Rearing Errors Even In An Apostate Era, 1 Kings 1:1-53.
    1. The books of 1 and 2 Kings record Israel's spiritual and national decline from glory to captivity as the Davidic kings became increasingly sinful, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, O. T., p. 591.
    2. In the beginning of that decline, a son of David named Adonijah foolishly tried to usurp the throne due to a rearing error by David arising out of past sinful defeats in David's life:
      1. Adonijah, one of David's sons, foolishly tried to usurp the throne of Israel:
        1. When his father, David was elderly and physically infirmed (1 Kings 1:1-4), Adonijah arranged for a following to take the throne for himself, 1 Kings 1:5.
        2. Adonijah collected followers with a rally to overthrow Solomon whom God via Nathan had shown was to succeed David as king, 1 Kings 1:7-10; 2 Samuel 12:24-25 (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn.)
        3. Yet, when those in power heard of Adonijah's plot, they overturned it: (a) The prophet, Nathan heard of Adonijah's plan and told it to David, 1 Kings 1:11-14, 15-27. (b) David immediately crowned Solomon as king, challenging Adonijah's rally, 1 Kings 1:28-40. (c) Fearing reprisals from Solomon, Adonijah's supporters abandoned him, 1 Kings 1:41-49. (d) This left Adonijah seeking asylum in the tabernacle by clinging to the horns of the altar, cf. 1 Kings 1:50 with Ex. 21:14 (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, footnote to 1 Kings 1:50).
      2. Yet, Adonijah's actions were the result of bad parental rearing rising from David's own sinful past:
        1. David had never disciplined Adonijah, failing even to question anything he did, 1 Kings 1:6a.
        2. This parenting failure arose out of David's grief over losing Absalom, for Adonijah had been born the younger brother of Absalom to Absalom's mother, cf. 1 Kings 1:6b.
        3. Well, David's loss of Absalom had risen out a loss of communication between David and Absalom due to David's failure to execute Amnon for raping Absalom's sister, Tamar, cf. 2 Samuel 13-15.
        4. Then, David's failure to execute Amnon had doubtless risen from David's hesitancy to execute Amnon for the similar immorality he himself had committed with Bathsheba, 2 Samuel 11-12.
        5. Thus, David's own immorality bore a long list of dreadful results even in Adonijah's behavior this late in David's life in fulfillment of Nathan's prophecy that it would do just that, 2 Samuel 12:9-10.
    3. Nevertheless, Adonijah was without excuse for remaining in his aberrant condition, for GOD arranged for him to have a chance to repent and thus finish rearing himself as follows:
      1. Solomon, David's God-appointed successor, could have had Adonijah killed for his insurrection, for Solomon executed Joab, David's commander for following Adonijah, 1 Kings 1:7; 2:28-34.
      2. However, knowing intimately of his father's rearing error with his half-brother in Adonijah, Solomon gave Adonijah a second chance to finish rearing himself as follows (1 Kings 1:51-52, 53):
        1. Solomon offered Adonijah protection were he to use this scare of a turn of events to reverse his attitude of insubordination and obey Solomon completely, 1 Kings 1:51-52a.
        2. However, were Adonijah ever to try such insubordination again, he would surely die, 1 Kings 1:52b.
        3. Thus, Adonijah had the chance to think long and hard about his error so he could mature, 1 K. 1:53.
Lesson: Though he was the product of errant parental rearing at the start of an apostate era, Adonijah was given the chance by a CRISIS event in ADULTHOOD under the WATCHFUL EYE of Solomon, Israel's God-appointed king, to AMEND his thinking and ways to function in life with God's blessing!

Application: There is no excuse for REMAINING with behavioral disorders due to errant rearing by our parents once GOD exposes those disorders to us! At THAT point we are accountable to REPENT!