I Kings 2:15
‘So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”‘
We all want things. However, as a christian, we are to submit our wants to Him. He is our lord, so we generally allow Him to be our filter. Jesus modeled it for us by saying, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”
Many don’t follow Christ for that reason. They don’t want to limit their freedom. I understand that. There is pleasure in sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25). What they don’t realize is the other side of sin. John 8:34 says, “Jesus replied, ‘Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.'” They want freedom, but become slaves.
David says in Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word.” I want to pause and say a huge “Thank You” to God. I can recall being a young man and asking Him for help. He gave it.
This was the tragedy for Adonijah. He wanted something that wasn’t his. His first mistake was attempting to slip in and become king. He manipulated people and circumstances and almost got it. He begged for his life and was pardoned. Today’s verse is a much smaller request, but an inappropriate one.
He is following selfish wants. Proverbs 14:14 says, “The backslider in heart receives the fill of his own ways, but a good man is rewarded for his ways.” When we seek our own way, instead of submitting them to God, we get filled with wants. To be flooded with unfiltered desires isn’t good. It’s a curse.
David said in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” It’s a blessing to submit ourselves to Him. He takes away the many wants and fills us with contentment. Jesus said it a little differently in Matthew 10:39, “The one having found his life will lose it, and the one having lost his life on account of Me will find it.”
This inspires more, “Thank You’s” to God. His way is good. He is good. Lord, thank You for Your love and Your ways. The multitude of blessings never stops.