1 Kings 1:5-6a (NKJV) Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?”
2 Samuel 15:4,10 (NKJV) Moreover Absalom would say, “Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.”….Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’
It is tragic when a son attempts to overthrow his father. There were two such attempts in King David’s life. His two sons, Adonijah and Absalom, both rebelled against him in attempts to seize the throne of Israel, declaring themselves king without his blessing. It was a coup against the king, their father. They were neither God’s nor David’s choice to succeed to the throne.
Absalom attempted to sway the people against King David by portraying himself as a better ruler. He argued that King David had neglected the people and that he would fight for their cause. He employed the divide-and-conquer strategy. Absalom’s rebellion was fuelled by pride, ambition, and vengeance, demonstrating how personal grievance and the thirst for power can ruin families and kingdoms.
Waiting to succeed is never easy, as it requires humility and patience, even if you’ve already been named the successor. The comfort is that God has a plan for the leaders He has chosen. In fact, God has a perfect plan for everyone, even if there’s no leadership role involved. Our corporate position should not define who we are.
Planning a leadership transition is no easy task, whether in a company, non-profit organisation, or church. It must be done intentionally and with much prayer. The hearts of men, whether good, bad, or ugly, will be revealed throughout the process. How a person holds onto their identity in the leadership role will be uncovered. The character of the successor or the presumed successor will also come to light. While appointing a leader is simple, changing or revoking the appointment is a challenge.
Have you ever had a subordinate suggest that they could have performed better than their leader? It’s never easy to be in leadership, but we often don’t recognise our limitations until we have to make tough decisions under immense pressure. Therefore, we must not undermine the leadership placed above us, whether in the marketplace or in a church. We should give honour where it is due by submitting to the leadership God has appointed.
It was shameful for Adonijah to be feasting over his kingship when the announcement of King Solomon’s appointment was made public. He even had to beg for his life when Solomon was appointed as king. Therefore, it is better to be invited to the main table than to self-promote and be asked to give up your seat for someone more important (Luke 14:7-11). Humility will prevent us from being shamed.
Sermon Series: Walk into Your Calling
自我高举的危险
列王纪上 1:5–6a 那时，哈及的儿子亚多尼雅自尊，说：“我必做王。”就为自己预备车辆、马兵，又派五十人在他前头奔走。 6 他父亲素来没有使他忧闷，说：“你是做什么呢？”他甚俊美，生在押沙龙之后。
撒母耳记下 15:4,10 押沙龙又说：“恨不得我做国中的士师！凡有争讼求审判的到我这里来，我必秉公判断。” ……押沙龙打发探子走遍以色列各支派，说：“你们一听见角声就说：‘押沙龙在希伯仑做王了！’”
当儿子试图推翻父亲时，这是一件极其悲哀的事。在大卫王的一生中，曾发生过两次这样的事件。他的两个儿子——亚多尼雅和押沙龙——都曾背叛他，试图夺取以色列的王位，在没有父亲祝福的情况下自立为王。这是一场针对君王、也是针对他们父亲的大逆不道之举。他们既不是神所拣选的，也不是大卫所指定的继承人。
押沙龙试图通过塑造自己为“更好的统治者”，来离间百姓与大卫王的关系。他声称大卫忽略了百姓的需要，而自己愿意为百姓伸张正义。他运用了“分而治之”的策略。押沙龙的叛乱源于骄傲、野心与报复，清楚地显明个人的怨恨与对权力的渴望，足以摧毁家庭，也能毁坏一个国家。
等候承接位置从来都不容易，因为这需要谦卑与忍耐，即使你已经被指认为继承人。令人安慰的是，神对祂所拣选的领袖自有祂的计划。事实上，即便没有任何领导角色，神对每一个人都有完全的旨意。我们在群体中的职位，并不应定义我们的身份。
无论是在企业、非营利组织，还是在教会中，规划领导层的交接都绝非易事。这必须是一个有意识、并且充满祷告的过程。在这个过程中，人心的真实光景——无论是良善、软弱，还是丑陋——都会被显露出来。一个人在领导位置上如何持守自己的身份，将被清楚看见；继任者，或自以为是继任者之人的品格，也会随之显明。任命一位领袖或许并不困难，但要更改或撤回这样的任命，却往往极具挑战。
你是否曾遇过下属暗示自己可以比现任领袖做得更好？身处领导岗位从来不容易，然而，往往只有在巨大压力之下、必须作出艰难决定时，我们才真正意识到自己的有限。因此，无论在职场还是在教会中，我们都不应削弱或贬低神所设立在我们之上的权柄。我们当将当得的尊荣归给他们，顺服神所安排的领导。
当所罗门被正式宣告为王时，亚多尼雅却仍在为自己所谓的王位设宴，这是极其羞愧的事。后来，在所罗门登基之后，他甚至不得不为自己的性命哀求。因此，正如主耶稣所教导的，与其自我高举，最终被要求让座，不如谦卑等候，被邀请坐上首位（路加福音 14:7–11）。谦卑，能保守我们免于羞辱。
讲章系列：走进你的呼召