THE day finally came that everyone should gather by En Rogel. That running spring in the south plains of Jerusalem named the Kidron Valley.
Adonijah’s guests gathered that early dawn, everyone he invited heeded his call. The men were prepared to crown a prince as king, as they’d found out what the boy wanted.
Yes, they were ready to witness the coronation of the Fourth Heir; but they wore the garb of a holy congregation of elders.
King David was still in the palace, served by his young new wife. But away from him were most of his nobles, as well his princes.
Almost everyone had followed the young aspiring king. As the plains by En Rogel were packed full with campaigners in the guise of worshippers.
Adonijah offered sacrifices at the altar called the Stone of Zoheleth. That rock settled rather idle by the quiet spring that ran across the adjacent valley.
The aspirant king sacrificed a lot on that stone altar. He offered a burnt offering of sheep, oxen, and fattened calves.
He went on slaughtering the animals by the hand of Abiathar the priest. He went forward to have them offered in burnings, too.
Yet he didn’t stop at sacrificing his sweat and wealth in worship. But he went on to fall down on his face, shouting the words: ‘Hallelujah!! All praise to God!’
Even so, his great effort and sacrifice only reminded him more of Cain, the brother of Abel.
For he heard the same words that God spoke to the man...
‘IF YOU DO WELL, WILL YOU NOT BE ACCEPTED?’
—he heard that Voice in the whisper of his soul.
Now at that same time, some of the guests were dwelling on a similar thought. It was the thought of how S’alom had led some nobles to Hebron to worship – back in those days of his revolution.
The people recalled from the stories of those days, that the prince did not in fact sacrifice an offering. Like Adonijah the heir was doing then.
They saw how this younger prince was putting so much effort in sacrifices and worship. So they wondered why the trumpets hadn’t sounded yet, to announce him king.
The men were expecting the boy to have signalled to his servants to sound the horns and trumpets, to announce his reign from those plains of En Rogel.
But there was nothing of such yet, as his trumpeters stood idle at the valley place.
So, at this rate the elders were quite disappointed. They wondered if the prince even had a plan. Or if he was waiting for the end of sacrifice.
Still, these men had gone this far to follow the Fourth Heir. So they couldn’t just head back to their houses as yet.
They had to wait it out and see things through. And so, they chose patience over haste.
The sacrifices took from dawn till it was the middle of day. And when it was time to move to the main business, everybody gathered knew it was time.
Adonijah raised himself from the lowly state he’d thrown his frame in front of God’s altar. He was surprised he could go so far.
And as he was arising from a prostrate fall, the implausible happened like the sudden clash of a whirlwind and a downpour.
Like a monstrous rainstorm. Like the hurricane.
Right there in the ears of everyone, the trumpets blasted an earsplitting sound…
PAPPAR-RAPPAH PEH,
PAR-RAH PAPPAH-PPEH!!
—it blasted and blared ceaselessly.
It was the sound that had announced David King in Hebron and Jerusalem. It was the sound that had announced Saul as King in Mizpah.
It was also the same that had blown for S’alom and made him King for a little time. Yes, it was the very same that blasted the ears now.
But that sound, that glorious sound, was not from right there in the plains of sacrifice.
It was not from En Rogel, where the Fourth Prince was still taking his time to reign.
No, it seemed to be pouring from behind everyone. From the direction of the royal courts of King David.
And just then, everybody knew what happened. They realized all of a sudden that it was a twist of their fates.
Now there was this boy thought the heir apparent, in a kingdom that hadn’t yet used a line of inheritance.
For the people reasoned that he was the firstborn to the king’s choice queen, the woman called the queen consort.
But the Fourth Son Adonijah was the heir by another standard, they reasoned. He was the eldest among David’s able offspring.
And since Chileab, the second child, was one man completely taken for dead; and the third in line of birth had died in the former revolution – then, it followed that Adonijah could be king.
So his folk sought to take steps in making him rule. Yet they knew nothing about Heaven’s choice. They knew nothing of God’s own standard.
Thus, right on that spot they heard the noise from the palace. The same great noise they were prepared to sound. And they wondered what on earth happened.
Suddenly, the seated ones jolted up, the standing ones picked a race. The rooted men bolted, as the great camp blew up in commotion.
Everybody was thrown off-balance. The people wandered and wondered, ran forth and back. For if their ears were hearing right, then the newly crowned one mustn’t find them.
Thus, the elders picked their mules and hit them to run. People crashed into donkeys, and donkeys clashed with one another.
Everybody scattered, whether priest or prince or noble. And the Wind heard the thunders also, as he feared and fled in fright.
Yes, the Whirlwind girded his loins and pounced on a sprightly horse, and fled; the end of his coat and hair blowing after him.
Now he ran when the thunders rolled. For it was the sound of water coming.
And that Water, it was called Peaceful.
But its other name was Dreadful.
To Be Continued in…
III: THE WATER AND THE THRONE
◙ ◙ ◙
WHO is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and selfish ambition exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
—THE EPISTLE OF JAMES CHAPTER III 13 – 17
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