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 book of Kings opens with a search across the whole country for one girl. The men around David's bed act fast — but the question raised here is whether people will handle their problems themselves or bring them to the Lord.
A King Worn Out Before His Time
The search happens because the king cannot get warm. David was not extremely old. One writer contrasts him with another King whose strength never failed:
H. L. RossierAt the time our account begins, King David was about seventy years old. He had not reached extreme old age. But a life of suffering, conflict and grief wears down the strength of even the strongest man, so that the king "was old and advanced in years." At thirty-three years of age the Lord Himself looked fifty years old (John 8:57), yet His strength was unbroken. He was not worn down by grief as David was. He was the Man of Sorrows, and His face was marred more than any man's.
A Remedy Sought Anywhere But From God
Verse 3 is the result of a plan made by the king's servants. One writer points out the question nobody in the room asked:
Leslie M. GrantDavid complained of the cold, even though he was well covered with blankets. His servants thought a young girl, a virgin, would help to warm him. Why could not one of his wives do this? But they found a beautiful young woman, Abishag, and brought her to the king (v.2). She took care of the king's needs, but he did not have relations with her (v.4). People will use any means they can find to deal with problems, instead of committing the problem to the Lord.
Borrowed From the Surrounding Nations
Where did the idea come from? One commentator traces it to the courts of the surrounding nations, and then follows Abishag into the next reign:
H. L. RossierThe king's servants come up with a way to bring him back to life (vv. 2-4). In this they copy the kings of the surrounding nations. It seems David lacked the will-power to oppose the plan of those around him. They bring a woman of Shunem to him. She cares for him and serves him. Later Solomon will count this "very fair" virgin of Israel as one of the most precious jewels in his crown. She is to belong to him, and anyone who dares to look at her with desire will bear his judgment.
The Whole Land Searched
The search covered the whole country. An older translation reads "all the coasts of Israel." That word does not mean seashore:
Morrish Bible DictionaryIn Scripture the term means any 'border,' inland as well as near the sea. It can also mean large districts.
Not David's Wife
Verse 4 says the relationship stayed pure. One writer takes that line as the point of the passage, and reads it as a picture of Christ today:
H. L. RossierWhat the Word teaches us is that she did not become the wife of David, the king of grace. It is the same now with Christ. His eyes are on Israel, yet at this present time another bride is being taken from the nations outside Israel. He will keep her as King of Glory, and as King of Glory He will also renew His relations with the remnant of Israel, the excellent of His people.
Why Her Name Matters Later
Abishag first appears here. Her name matters again later, when Adonijah asks to marry her. In the customs of that world, a dead king's women carried the crown with them:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinIn the customs of that part of the world, many held that taking a dead king's wife or concubine was the same as claiming the rights of the king (2 Sam. 12:8; 16:21-22). Abishag was not David's wife in the full sense of the word. Yet she must have been counted as belonging to the king who had died.
Another writer feels the outrage of that request. The young woman who had served the king was to go to the man who had rebelled against him:
H. L. RossierAbishag! — that young girl who had served David and cared for him with tenderness, who had lived close to the king of grace — and she is to be given to this rebellious man, whom only Solomon's patience had spared until now!
Summary
- Worn, not old. At about seventy David is failing early, drained by sorrow and conflict. The Lord's strength was never broken.
- Managed, not prayed. The servants reach for the nearest fix. People will use any means they can find instead of bringing the problem to the Lord.
- Copied, not commanded. The plan imitates the kings of the surrounding nations, and David has no strength of will left to refuse it.
- Kept, not taken. She served the king but never became his wife. One writer reads this as a picture of Christ, who takes a bride from the nations while His eye stays on Israel.
- Named for what follows. A dead king's woman implied a claim to his throne. So Abishag's name becomes the hinge of Adonijah's ambition — and of his judgment.