Though his name suggests acquaintanceship with God, Adonijah’s behaviour pointed to something different. His name means worshipper of Jah. One would think that a true worshipper of Jah would know His ways and defer to the divine will, however that was not the case with Adonijah. He was consumed by what might be called presumptuous ambition. Ordinarily, ambition should pose no problem since by definition it is a desire to achieve a particular end. Bereft of any form of ambition, there  is no push for any meaningful accomplishment in life. The problem is when such desire is for selfish purposes. Ambition also becomes problematic when it lacks legitimacy and divine backing. Adonijah’s ambition lacked both. David, the then reigning king, was the one with the legitimacy to announce who would be king. Adonijah was too much in haste that he announced himself. Again, Adonijah’s posturing to be king was contrary to God’s choice that had earlier pointed to Solomon.

” The compensation for a proud attitude is always a fall. The sane thing to do is to never think of ourselves more highly than necessary. “

Our text for meditation today vividly captures Adonijah’s problem – pride. He exalted himself that he would be king, but his desire was short-lived. He had to eat the humble pie when the one with the legitimacy eventually announced his replacement. The Bible is clear in its teaching on pride. God resists the proud and gives more grace to the humble. Pride is always the forerunner of a fall, just as a haughty spirit comes before destruction. The compensation for a proud attitude is always a fall. The sane thing to do is to never think of ourselves more highly than necessary. We must also exercise ourselves within the framework of God’s plan and purposes and never seek to be impostors.