“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control” (1Tim 2:14, 15)

In the natural, women have a tendency to be deceived more than the men. This is the story of how Bathsheba, was deceived, when her son, King Solomon, was not (1Kings 2). This is a great lesson for us all because she is the almost perfect woman described in Proverbs 31. It is another example how a good woman can fall to deception.

This is the background of the story.  One day, Adonijah comes to Bathsheba with a request. He wants to marry Abishag, his late father’s nurse and last ‘wife’. Bathsheba agrees to talk to her son. Hearing about Adonijah’s request, King Solomon suddenly becomes angry and refuses his mother’s intercession. He judges Adonijah’s actions as ‘evil’ and kills him for it. Read this royal drama and discover how Adonijah deceived the Queen Mother. She was not a young woman. She was the widow of great King David and now their son was on the throne. She was used to the palace intrigues and politics. So how was it that she did not detect this evil deception? How does deception come?

*Deception comes thru flattery

It is interesting to note that Adonijah’s mother’s name was Haggith, which in Hebrew means to celebrate, to entertain or to dance in circles until others get dizzy. His mother might have been someone who knows how to seduce men with her lustful dance. She reminds us of Salome, the daughter of Herodias, who thru entertainment gained the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Her son Adonijah is a skillful actor. He flatters Bathsheba saying that her son will always grant her every wish.

*Deception comes wrapped in the ordinary things of life

Adonijah did not sound like a wicked schemer, or a corrupt politician. He said that he wants to marry. He was addressing the emotions of Bathsheba as a mother. He knew that all good mothers will like sons to marry. On the surface, nothing is wrong. That is how deception hides. But by taking his late father’s youngest ‘wife’, he is claiming the throne for himself. Rebellion and evil is still in his heart. That is why Solomon rebukes his mother for being deceived by his wicked older brother. He judges his request as a proof that his brother is still a schemer, a rebellious man who wants to kill him and take his throne. “He who plots to do evil will be called a schemer” (PV 24:8). This request for marriage is Adonijah’s death sentence. Solomon kills him and now ‘the kingdom is established in his hands’. In Hebrew, the word ‘established’ means to stand erect, to have victory, peace and prosperity. Solomon, who wrote the Book of Proverbs, tells us what to do in similar situations. “Remove wicked officials from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness” (PV 25:5)