Before Solomon ever takes the throne, his brother Adonijah tries to take it first, appointing himself king, building a coalition of loyalists, and quietly excluding anyone who might ask him why.

Self-exaltation always divides, whether it’s played out on a throne or in a marriage, a friendship, or a church. As we open a new series through 1 and 2 Kings, we’ll see how one missed turn early in this book sets a trajectory that ends in ruin, and how the gospel offers something Adonijah never had: a King who emptied Himself so we would never have to build a throne of our own.