“Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, ‘I will be king.’ And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and 50 men to run before him. His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, ‘Why have you done thus and so?’ He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom.
– 1 Kings 1:5-6
Here we have in 1 Kings 1:5–6, a picture of one of David’s sons, rising up in an attempt to take over the kingdom. He’s exalting himself, making himself king. Adonijah is exalting himself saying, “I will be king.” And verse 6 tells us, “His father had never at any time, displeased him by asking, ‘Why have you done thus and so?'” In other words, his father, King David, had never disciplined his son. Had never sat down and had a conversation with him in which he asked him, “Why have you done this?”
God, we pray that you would help us to love children well in our homes, in our churches, and to point the next generation to you that they may learn to walk with you.
I can think about a variety of conversations I’ve had with my children saying, “Why have you done this?” And helping them think through why they may not have made a wise decision in that moment. And this is part of the responsibility God has given to parents in an Ephesians 6:4 kind of way. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” To lovingly discipline them in a way that reflects Hebrews 13 God’s loving discipline in our lives.
1 Kings 1:5–6 Reminds Us of God’s Love
God loves us so much, he cares for us so much that he opens our eyes to see when we have done something foolish, when we have sinned, when we have done something that will harm us or harm others. God turns us from it in the same way parents are intended to be a reflection of God’s love and care in this way. And King David had not done this with Adonijah, and the result was attempted coup and sin against God and the people of God.
And so can we just pray based on 1 Kings 1:5–6 for those of us who are parents for wisdom in parenting? Even if you’re not a parent, for the parents around you to have wisdom and loving our children well. Just for us to pray all together for the next generation that God would help us to lead the next generation in our homes, in our churches to follow God. To ask good questions like, “Why did I do this?” And to learn from unwise decisions.
God, we pray based on 1 Kings 1:5–6 in this picture of an undisciplined, uncared for child named Adonijah, who rises up in sinful defiance of you. God, we pray that you would help us to love children well in our homes, in our churches, and to point the next generation to you that they may learn to walk with you. We pray Plasm 78 over them, they might know you. And your way isn’t their ways and your word are good and they’re worth following with our lives.
This Verse Leads Us to Pray for Our Homes
God, we pray specifically in our homes that you would help all of us who are parents and you would help parents around us to raise our children, to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Not in ways that provoke children to anger, but in ways that help children to see your love reflected in their parents.
And God, we pray all of this with gratitude in our hearts for your discipline as our Father in heaven. We pray that you would help us to respond rightly to your discipline, to receive it, to receive correction, to respond to conviction from your Spirit in our hearts, that we might walk in obedience to you. And we might experience all the good you have designed for us as your children. You, our heavenly Father. We pray all of this in light of 1 Kings 1:5–6in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
