Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Failed Dreams
Today’s Verse:
And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. ~1 Kings 1:50
Which city in California do you think is the largest in land area? I would have guessed Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco. Amazingly, it is a city called California City. In the 1950s, a master plan was drawn up for this city to be larger than Los Angeles. Many lots for homes were sold, but the dream for this city came to nothing. Today, there are around 14,000 people who live in California City. Our devotion this morning centers on a man who had big dreams without God’s blessing, and these dreams became nothing.
We see the desire.
“Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.” Adonijah was an overindulged son. When David, his father, was old and feeble, Adonijah decided to use this situation to usurp the kingdom. He declared himself king without permission, prayer, or proper election. Like Adonijah, we can sometimes have lofty dreams and plans that are prideful and absent of God. What he wanted was not God’s will for him. Yet, he persisted in pushing forward.
We see the dissidents.
“And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.” Adonijah conspired with some men who were once loyal to David but decided that it was time for David to step down. These men turned their backs on David and wanted a king who would fulfill their dreams for a different kingdom. It is easy for us to find people to follow us in sinful pursuits. We will always find people who will give us approval for our dreams if they think that they will also benefit from helping get you there. Be careful of trying to find people who will validate desires that are not from God.
We see the disruption.
“So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.” God’s will was for Solomon to be the next king. Nathan the prophet got word of Adonijah’s conspiracy and told Bathsheba, who, in turn, brought the matter to David. David had strong, loyal men who stood with him and for him in disrupting Adonijah’s plan. When God does not give His blessing, He will short-circuit our dreams. God has His way of bringing our wrong plans to a crashing halt.
We see the defeat.
“And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.” When Adonijah heard that Solomon rode on David’s mule through the city and the people were shouting, “God save king Solomon,” he and his companions all became afraid and fled for safety. They knew that the death penalty was punishment for insurrection. He went from being a delusional, self-proclaimed king to begging for mercy and forgiveness. Adonijah was in an embarrassing and shameful place. His grand scheme came to a crashing halt, and his dream failed. When we seek self-glory, self-promotion, and great dreams without God’s approval and blessing, we eventually fail. The best laid plans are in accordance with God’s will, with God’s approval, and with God’s blessing. Be careful of running ahead of God: your plans could come to nothing.
Have a glorifying God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Isaiah 31-35
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