Weak Leaders Are Replaced - 1 Kings 1-4

1 Kings 1:1-5 (ESV)

David in His Old Age

Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.” So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.

Now 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.

Someday I would like to write a book about stories in the Bible that seem to be either out of place, or make no sense or reason to record.  Like the story in 2 Kings 6 where the axe-head floated.   Or the story of the bear eating the boys who mocked Elijah’s bald head (2 Kings 2).   The above story might fit into this genre of literature, perhaps.   The book of 1 Kings is about Solomon rising to power.  It is the beginning of the book of the kings that lead Israel, and the division of the kingdoms into Israel and Judah.  So why put a story about King David and his inability to stay warm?   Only until you get old will you understand that concept.  In old age our blood does not circulate the same.  You begin to get cold in the extremities.   Your toes and your fingers get cold first.  Your lips might even tingle due to poor blood flow.   You look for ways to stay warm.  The body is failing and heat is a source of strength.   To accommodate the kind, the people around him thought, “Let’s get the king a hot young virgin and that will solve his problem.”  That might have been fine (although highly immoral) if it weren’t for the fact of David’s age.   David has never been shy about being attracted to women.  He had seven wives.   We know more about some than the other.   But he was attracted to women.  Yet in the above story, that although this young woman was available to the King and attractive for the King, she was not intimate with the king.  This is the point of the story.   Immediately after the writer tells us that the king did not have intimacy with her, he tells about one of David’s sons, Adonijah, making himself king.   The unlimited picture of David’s lack of strength to be king was correlated by the author of his lack of interest to have sex with this virgin.  This is a picture that David’s impotency for sex is being used metaphorically of David’s impotency for leadership.   David is now seen so weak that he can’t have intimacy with a young, hot virgin and remains cold.  So, too, the leadership of his kingdom.   The writer took a usual way to tell us this, but apparently this was in indication in the country that David could no longer lead.  Leadership must demonstrate power and if not, they will be over run by younger and more powerful versions of themselves.   Weakness in leadership will create a vacuum that sucks in those only wanting power.   Leadership needs to show weakness with great caution.   Someone is always looking to step into your role if you show weakness.