NOW Adonijah offered sacrifices at the altar called the Stone of Zoheleth. That altar sat idle by the spring of En Rogel in the vast Kidron 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!’
Now at that time some of the guests were dwelling on this thought. The thought of how the Third 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 Fourth 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 felt 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 One. 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 to wait and not run.
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 as far.
And as he was arising from a prostrate fall, the impossible happened like the sudden clash of a whirlwind and a downpour.
Like the monstrous rainstorm. Like the hurricane.
Right there in the ears of everyone, the trumpets blasted a loud, deafening sound.
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 the Third 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.
Then immediately a man ran into that place of sacrifice that was just about to turn a merry field. He went with urgent news.
The elders and officials recognized him, and even their aspirant king knew he was for them.
It was Jona the son of Abiathar, and he was sweating and panting, and gasping for breath.
Adonijah stopped the him. He was quite sure he had news, and wondered what sort of tiding would make him sweat.
He could only hope so desperately for good news. So he steadied the man to talk.
‘Oh come here, Jona! You must bring good news with you! Tell us, will you!’
But Jona took a frightening word there, for he was right around their opponent from daybreak till midday. So he ran all the way from there to share the bad tiding.
The lad spoke in the ears of everyone, and everybody knew what happened. They realized that it was the twist to things.
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 steeds 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.
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