No Mixed Messages - Zadok

Adonijah took Joab son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest into his confidence, and they agreed to help him become king. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s personal bodyguard refused to support Adonijah.

1 Kings 1:7-8

“My door is always open,” a company manager told his staff one day. “If you need anything or have any questions, don’t hesitate for a moment to stop in and talk to me.”

That sounds pretty inviting! most of the staff thought, until they tried to take their boss up on his invitation.

One by one, each of the staff found that though their boss’s door was always open and his invitation was sincere, he was rarely in the office. If he was, he was so busy with outside phone calls or e-mails that he had to tell them he’d get back to them. He rarely did.

Talk about mixed messages!

The Bible contains several examples of people whose words and actions sent a message of single-minded devotion. One of these was the high priest Zadok, who time and again proved his faithfulness and affection to God and then to two men God had chosen to serve as kings of Israel, David and Solomon.

Zadok never wavered in his support for the men God anointed king. He joined David at Hebron as a brave young warrior (see 1 Chronicles 12:23-28), took his place as ruler over the Aaronites (see 1 Chronicles 27:16-17), and remained loyal to David when his son Absalom attempted to take the throne.

During David’s final days, Zadok refused to support Adonijah, David’s fourth son, when he attempted to succeed David on the throne. Instead, he gave his unwavering allegiance to Solomon, the man David had named as his successor.

Zadok’s godliness and loyalty were rewarded. Because he remained loyal to God and to his appointed leaders, he was Israel’s high priest during both David’s and Solomon’s reigns.

Does your life send a message of steadfast devotion to God and to the people he has placed in your life? People around you need to see your loyalty in the way you talk, live, and serve God. Make sure that your life and your words don’t send mixed messages.