The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

I Kings 1:5-10, “Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, ‘I will be king.’ So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him.

6 And his father had never crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man; and he was born after Absalom.

7 And he had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and following Adonijah they helped him.

8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.

9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants.

10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.”

There’s an old idiom that pleads, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” It dates to the mid-16th century; therefore, Adonijah could not have known it—at least, by that name. Nevertheless, he boldly stated, “I will be king,” and proceeded to go forth with the process.

Adonijah’s attitude is partially his father’s fault. David had never denied Adonijah anything he wanted. Now, ill and on his deathbed, David is unable to correct his son! Why cannot parents see that a refusal to deny everything a child wants only exacerbates an ongoing, stubborn selfishness in the child?

Some anti-Semites should read Biblical history without prejudice! “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’ (Ps. 122:6)—and then recognize that to stubbornly oppose Israel’s occupation of her land is to blatantly oppose Almighty God!

Unfortunately, the problem of anti-Semites is still with us. May we understand the problem and allow the LORD to do for us what they denied Him to do for them.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom