1 Kings 2: “David’s Dying Charge Of Solomon /
Solomon’s Immediate Challenges After David’s Death”
By
1.INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked at chapter 1 of 1 Kings.
1.1.1.
We studied about David’s last challenge as king of Israel. With David on his deathbed, David’s fourth
son Adonijah was an opportunist and decided to follow in the footsteps of his
brother Absalom and in rebellion against his father as well as defiance of God
and His will, proclaimed himself as king over Israel. However, David foiled Adonijah’s attempt to usurp his throne and
appointed his son Solomon to be king over Israel. David, as his last act, makes sure that it is God’s man who
follows him to sit upon the throne of Israel.
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to look at chapter 2 of 1 Kings.
1.2.1.
In our study today, David is on his deathbed and he charges Solomon
before the Lord about his responsibility that he now has before the Lord as
king. Then, he gives Solomon some wise
advice about bringing to justice some of the trouble makers in his kingdom so
that he can rid himself of those who might cause him trouble.
1.2.2.
Solomon’s reign will be one of peace, as he was a man of peace, however
we will see that there is a price to pay for peace. This kind of reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw recently that
said, “Freedom is not free!” In
following David’s advice concerning how to handle a few individuals in the
kingdom, we will see that though Solomon is gracious and gives each of these
people (with the exception of Joab) one chance to change their ways and do
good, that they instead end up showing that their true motives are bad and
Solomon gives each one of them a capital sentence. Because of the heinous nature of Joab’s sins he is not given a
second chance.
2.VS 2:1-4 - “1 As David’s time to
die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am going the
way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. 3 “Keep
the charge of the Lord your God,
to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances,
and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you
may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that the Lord may carry out His promise which He
spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful of their way, to walk
before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not
lack a man on the throne of Israel.’” - David
charges Solomon about his responsibilities that he will now have before the
Lord
2.1.
David first tells Solomon that he (David) is about to die saying that
he is, ‘going the way of all the earth.’
2.2.
David’s charges of Solomon :
2.2.1.
‘be strong.’
2.2.1.1.
This charge of Solomon by David is very similar to Moses’ charge to
Joshua as Joshua was now taking up the helm in leading the children of
Israel. Moses told Joshua three times
in Joshua 1:6-9, “Be strong and courageous!” In that charge Moses also told Joshua to be sure to obey all of
the words that Moses in his law had received from the Lord.
2.2.2.
‘show yourself a man.’
2.2.2.1.
Solomon was a young man and had not fought in the battles that David
had fought in. Therefore, David charges
Solomon to be strong and be a man.
2.2.2.2.
Many believe that even though many years before this time that David
had said that Solomon would be king that in the interim David had not really
had much respect for Solomon because of Solomon’s softness and because Solomon
had not been a warrior and fought in battle.
In fact, some believe that the reason why David had not tried to thwart
Adonijah’s attempts to make himself king before Bathsheba and Nathan the
prophet came to persuade David that Solomon was to be king is because Adonijah
was a lot like Absalom, the son whom David really had wanted to succeed him as
king. Perhaps David in his heart had been
wanting Adonijah to take the throne before he was reminded of God’s revealed
will that Solomon was to be the next king.
2.2.2.3.
In 1 Corinthians 16:13 the apostle Paul had admonished the Corinthians
to be strong and to act like men, “13 Be on the alert, stand firm
in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
All of us as Christians need to take it to heart that we too need to be
courageous for the Lord and serve Him zealously, courageously and boldly.
2.2.3.
‘Keep the charge of the Lord.’
2.2.3.1.
Solomon was to realize that he had a calling and thus a stewardship
from the Lord as king over God’s people.
This was a huge responsibility that every king needed to come to grips
with before the Lord.
2.2.3.2.
Each of us as Christians also has a calling and thus a charge before
the Lord for our lives.
2.2.4.
‘Walk in His ways.’
2.2.4.1.
Solomon was not to follow the natural inclinations of his fleshly
nature, what we under the new covenant would call the “old nature” or “old
sinful nature.” Solomon as God’s king
was to order and organize his life around all of the principles found in God’s
word.
2.2.5.
‘Keep His statutes.’
2.2.5.1.
The Hebrew word “chookaw” translated ‘statutes’ refers to the
ordinances that are created by a people’s legal legislature.
2.2.5.2.
Solomon was being charged by David to keep God’s law to the very
letter.
2.2.6.
‘Keep His commandments.’
2.2.6.1.
This Hebrew word “mitzvah” translated ‘commandments’ is very
similar to the word “chookaw” above and refers to God’s ordinances and precepts
as found in the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament.
2.2.7.
‘Keep His ordinances.’
2.2.7.1.
The Hebrew word “mishpawt” translated ‘ordinances’ here is very
similar to “chookaw” and “mitzvah” and in the KJV is translated “judgments.”
2.2.8.
‘Keep His testimonies.’
2.2.8.1.
The Hebrew word “eduwith” translated ‘testimonies’ refers to
those things that the Lord has witnessed to us about, or given testimony to.
2.2.8.2.
We ‘keep’ the Lord’s ‘testimonies’ by placing our faith
in what His word has told us, and thus acting according to the things as
revealed in His word.
2.2.9.
‘Do all according to what is written in the Law of Moses.’
2.2.9.1.
David during his lifetime had become painfully aware of the
consequences of both obeying and disobeying the Law of Moses. David suffered huge consequences for his
sins of disobedience regarding adultery with Bathsheba, murder of Bathsheba’s
husband Uriah the Hittite, not bringing up and disciplining his sons to walk
according to the ways of the Lord, etc., etc.
2.2.9.2.
David knew that no man would ever be in the place of God’s blessing
unless he walked in obedience to the Lord’s revealed will, that which he knew
existed in the Law of Moses.
2.2.9.3.
David tells Solomon that if he keeps the Law of Moses that he shall
succeed in “all” that he did.
2.2.9.4.
We as God’s people need to be walking according to God’s commandments
and it is only as we are doing so that we honor and bless the Lord with our
lives, and in which we will be used greatly by the Lord.
2.3.
David tells Solomon that if his sons after him walk according to the
ways of the Lord that he (Solomon) will never lack a son upon the throne in
Israel. Solomon must not set the
example for his sons to follow in serving the Lord.
3.VS 2:5-6 - “5 “Now you also know
what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of
the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether,
whom he killed; he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of
war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet. 6 “So
act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in
peace.” David gives Solomon the advice to hold Joab
accountable for murdering Abner and Amasa, and not let Joab’s ‘gray hair go
down to Sheol in peace’
3.1.
During our study of 1 & 2 Samuel we observed that though Joab had
originally been faithful in serving King David that over time he had begun to
serve his own selfish and self-serving ends instead of those of his king, plus
Joab had become a ruthless and violent man.
Observe the ruthless acts of Joab which caused him to be deserving of
death:
3.1.1.
Joab had murdered Abner who was a captain of the army.
3.1.1.1.
Abner had murdered Asahel (2 Sam. 2:12-32) who was Joab’s brother, yet
this gave Joab no good reason to murder Abner.
3.1.2.
Joab had murdered Amasa who was another captain of the army.
3.1.2.1.
Amasa had followed Absalom in his rebellion to take over the throne of
his father David, however Amasa had repented and then been made general over
David’s army (2 Sam. 20). Joab used
deceit to murder Amasa. He had feigned
coming over and giving Amasa a kiss on the beard only to take out his knife and
murder Amasa.
3.1.2.2.
The way that Joab murdered Amasa by feigning that he was going to kiss
Amasa on the cheek and then pulling out his dagger and stabbing him, Joab had, ‘put
the blood of war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.’
3.1.3.
Joab had murdered David’s son Absalom in battle.
3.1.3.1.
King David had given Joab and the rest of David’s men the charge to be
gentle with Absalom, as David had hopes that Absalom might come to his senses
and repent of his wickedness of rebelling against his father’s kingship, however
Joab blatantly disregarded that charge and murdered Absalom when Absalom’s hair
had gotten caught up in the branches of a tree leaving him hanging in mid-air.
3.1.4.
Joab had followed Adonijah in his attempt to make himself king over
Israel.
3.1.4.1.
Though Joab’s following of Adonijah was a treasonous act (found in 1
Kings chapter 1), one which was calculated to thwart the revealed will of God
concerning who would be the next king of Israel, it was not for this act that
Joab would now face justice under Solomon and be put to death.
3.2.
Speaking of Joab and these horrible acts of murder he carried out,
David says here, ‘he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the
blood of war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.’
4.VS 2:7 - “7 “But show kindness
to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at
your table; for they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother.” - David charges Solomon to show kindness to the sons of Barzillai
the Gileadite
4.1.
In 2 Sam. 19:31-ff we read the story of how when David was fleeing from
his son Absalom who had created an insurrection against him that Barzillai the
Gileadite had come and sustained David and his men with food, and in exchange
for the kindness shown to David in that day David wanted to bring Barzillai
back with him to Jerusalem so that he could sustain Barzillai the rest of his
life. However, since Barzillai was an
old man and couldn’t really enjoy many pleasures of life anymore he chose to
just go back to his home. Barzillai
asked David that he would instead take a man named Chimham and do this for him
in Barzillai’s place. David then took
Chimham with him and fulfilled this for Chimham.
4.2.
David charges Solomon here to show kindness to more than Chimham but
also to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them also eat at his table
with the king.
4.3.
David serving as a type of Christ here is remembering to do good to
those who have done good to him. We
Christians must remember that Jesus never forgets to reward our labors which we
have performed for Him.
5.VS 2:8-9 - “ 8 “Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera
the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a violent curse on
the day I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore
to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I
will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 “Now therefore, do not
let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought
to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood.”” - David gives advice to Solomon to keep an eye on Shimei and not
let him go unpunished
5.1.
In 2 Sam. 16:5-ff there is the story told of when David was fleeing
Jerusalem from his son Absalom during Absalom’s insurrection to take over the
throne and there was this man named Simei who was walking alongside of David
throwing rocks and dust upon him and calling him a “bloody man” for killing
King Saul (David didn’t call Saul however).
5.2.
Shimei was from the tribe of Saul (Benjamin) and had wanted a
descendant of Saul to remain upon the throne in Israel. He either didn’t realize or didn’t care that
the Lord had called and anointed David to be king, He wanted Saul to
reign.
5.3.
Later, after Absalom’s demise in battle, Shimei had come repentant
before David asking for his forgiveness, and David vowed that he would not kill
Shimei (2 Sam. 19:18-ff). However, even
though David had shown mercy to Shimei at that time, he realized that Shimei
was really a rebel at heart and being a sympathizer with the house of Saul
Shimei could easily cause yet more trouble for the kingdom and heartache for
Solomon. In short, David knew that
Shimei needed to be dealt with.
6.VS 2:10-12 - “10 Then David slept
with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. 11 The days
that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years he reigned
in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem. 12 And
Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly
established.”
- David passes away
6.1.
David was buried in the city of Jerusalem, the city he loved more than
any place on the earth. Today I am told
that there is a site in Israel that is claimed to be where David is buried.
6.2.
We see here that David’s reign as king consisted of 40 years, 7 of
which were in Hebron and 33 which were in Jerusalem.
6.3.
Now, we see that Solomon is seated and reigning upon the throne of
David, no longer a co-regent king with David, he is the sole monarch over the
Lord’s united nation of Israel.
6.4.
Further, we see here that Solomon’s kingdom is ‘firmly established.’
7.VS 2:13-25 - “13 Now Adonijah the son
of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come
peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.” 14 Then he said, “I have
something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.” 15 So he
said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to be
king; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was
his from the Lord. 16 “Now
I am making one request of you; do not refuse me.” And she said to him,
“Speak.” 17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he
will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 18
Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.” 19 So
Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose
to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he had a throne set
for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right. 20 Then she said,
“I am making one small request of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to
her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” 21 So she said,
“Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.” 22
King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking
Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him also the kingdom—for he is my
older brother—even for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of
Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if
Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life. 24 “Now
therefore, as the Lord lives, who
has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and who has made
me a house as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.” 25
So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so
that he died.”
- Adonijah again becomes ambitious for
the throne and causes himself to be put to death by Solomon
7.1.
Adonijah’s life had been spared by Solomon after David had appointed
Solomon to be king. Adonijah at that
time was ordered by Solomon to house arrest, and had he stayed at his house and
minded his own business he would have fared well the rest of his life.
7.2.
Adonijah however couldn’t help himself. Having tasted what it might be like to be king over Israel, he
couldn’t get the desire to reign out of his system. However, his actions will now quickly lead to a capital sentence
for him.
7.3.
Adonijah asks Bathsheba to request Abishag the Shunammite as a wife for
himself. Adonijah knew that King David
in his old age had taken Abishag to be a concubine for himself. Now that David was dead only a king could
marry Abishag for to marry one who had been a queen would be to make yourself a
king. Absalom during his rebellion
remember had as a show of his kingship in Israel taken David’s concubines in
public view and laid with them as a show of his kingship.
7.4.
Adonijah is not so foolish as to approach Solomon directly about
obtaining Abishag as his wife, however he decides that if he requested that
Bathseba, Solomon’s mother, were to request this woman for a wife for himself
that Solomon would grant this request.
7.5.
Notice here in Adonijah’s petition to Bathsheba how he paints himself
as being sort of cheated out of his rightful kingdom and then says in essence
that in respect of this that Bathsheba should grant him his request to ask
Solomon if Abishag could be given to him as a wife: ‘“You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel
expected me to be king; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my
brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.
16 “Now I am making one request of you; do not refuse me.”.’
7.6.
Scholars are divided as to whether or not Bathsheba knew what Adonijah
was up to in requesting Abishag the Shunammite to be his wife.
7.6.1.
Some say that Bathsheba was totally naďve of the consequences for
Adonijah if Abishag were given to him as a wife.
7.6.2.
Others say that Adonijah tried to convince Bathsheba that he truly
loved Abishag and that therefore Bathsheba was moved with compassion in
requesting that Solomon give Abishag to Adonijah as his wife.
7.6.3.
Still, others say that
Bathsheba knew exactly what Adonijah was up to and that she tells Solomon of
Adonijah’s request knowing full well that in doing so that Adonijah would be
brought to swift justice.
7.7.
Well, when Bathsheba presents Adonijah’s request to Solomon, Solomon
immediately is discerning of Adonijah’s true intentions. Adonijah still has his heart set upon
reigning as king over Israel.
Therefore, Solomon immediately determines and swears that Adonijah must
be put to death on this day as punishment for his insurrection in trying to
wrest the kingdom away from David on his deathbed, when the Lord had long
before determined that Solomon should be the next king.
7.8.
Benaiah is the henchman here who goes and takes Adonijah’s life, the
justice Adonijah deserved for insurrection.
8.VS 2:26-27 - “26 Then to Abiathar
the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth to your own field, for you deserve to
die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark
of the Lord God before my father
David, and because you were afflicted in everything with which my father was
afflicted.” 27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to
the Lord, in order to fulfill the
word of the Lord, which He had
spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.” - Solomon executes justice upon Abiathar the priest for having
followed Adonijah in his attempt to make himself king over Israel
8.1.
Abiathar is one who also deserved the arm of justice for having
followed Adonijah in his attempt to make himself king over Israel.
8.2.
Solomon determines that Abiathar shall not be put to death for this
crime for though this might normally be what was due him. In Abiathar’s case, since he had once served
King David faithfully as a high priest (a position in the kingdom of highest
esteem), and he had at one time ‘carried the ark of the Lord God,’ his
sentence shall be to be go to his own field and be stripped of any further
priestly or political activity in all of Israel.
8.3.
The extinguishing of the priesthood of Abiathar was a fulfillment of
prophesy. In 1 Sam. 2:30-ff we read the
story of the judgment pronounced against Eli the high priest who had two wicked
sons whom he allowed to function as priests although he knew that they were
committing horrible wickedness. The
Lord promised that the priestly line of Eli would be cut off because of the
sins he allowed his sons to commit.
Abiathar was the last of the descendants of Ithamar who was a descendant
of Eli and thus the priestly lined ended with him and resumed with Zadok and
his descendants.
9.VS 2:28-34 - “28 Now the news came
to Joab, for Joab had followed Adonijah, although he had not followed Absalom.
And Joab fled to the tent of the Lord
and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 It was told King Solomon
that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord,
and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, saying, “Go, fall upon him.” 30 So Benaiah came to the
tent of the Lord and said to him,
“Thus the king has said, ‘Come out.’ ” But he said, “No, for I will die here.”
And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, and thus he
answered me.” 31 The king said to him, “Do as he has spoken and fall
upon him and bury him, that you may remove from me and from my father’s house
the blood which Joab shed without cause. 32 “The Lord will return his blood on his own
head, because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed
them with the sword, while my father David did not know it: Abner the son
of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander
of the army of Judah. 33 “So shall their blood return on the head of
Joab and on the head of his descendants forever; but to David and his
descendants and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.” 34 Then
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and
he was buried at his own house in the wilderness.” - Joab flees to the horns of the altar so that Solomon might not
have him put to death, yet this does not save him
9.1.
We have already considered the heinous sins of murder committed by
Joab, the worst being the murder of Abner and Amasa. David should have brought Joab to account for these murders much
before this time however David had held off doing this because when these
murders occurred David had become an old man and Joab was heavily entrenched
into his power base as general over David’s army.
9.2.
When Joab heard of the justice that had been meted out to Adonijah and
Abiathar, in fear he fled to the tabernacle and held onto the horns of the
altar begging for his life from King Solomon.
9.3.
However, the horns of the altar would never save anyone who had
committed willful murder, only those who had committed manslaughter and who
could plea for a fair trial in their matter (see Exod. 21:14 and 2 Kings
11:15). The law specifically taught
that those guilty of willful murder (we call it in our justice system “murder
in the first degree”), that they could be pulled from the horns of the altar
and executed elsewhere, which is what Solomon orders to occur in Joab’s
case.
9.4.
Since Benaiah, though a warrior, was of priestly descent he as the
executioner could not violate the law by entering the tabernacle to carry out
the capital punishment of Joab.
10.VS 2:35 - “35 The king
appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king
appointed Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.” - Solomon makes political appointments for Benaiah and Zadok
10.1.
Now that Joab had been put to death, Solomon needed a new general to
lead his army, and Benaiah was the natural and logical choice for such a
position, especially because of his faithfulness over many years in serving
David and being part of David’s mighty men.
10.2.
Zadok the priest had been a faithful high priest serving under King
David for many years. Though Zadok had
served as co-high priest along with Abiathar for a long time, now he alone will
hold the position in Solomon’s kingdom as high priest.
11.VS 2:36-46 - “36 Now the king sent
and called for Shimei and said to him, “Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem
and live there, and do not go out from there to any place. 37 “For
on the day you go out and cross over the brook Kidron, you will know for
certain that you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.” 38
Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. As my lord the king has
said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. 39
But it came about at the end of three years, that two of the servants of
Shimei ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei,
saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.” 40 Then Shimei arose
and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to look for his servants.
And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 41 It was told
Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 42 So
the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear
by the Lord and solemnly warn you,
saying, ‘You will know for certain that on the day you depart and go anywhere,
you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word which I have heard is
good.’ 43 “Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord, and the command which I have laid
on you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know all the evil
which you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David;
therefore the Lord shall return
your evil on your own head. 45 “But King Solomon shall be blessed,
and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” 46 So the king commanded Benaiah
the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died. Thus
the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.” - David gives Shimei a chance to show his good character and thus
save his life, however Shimei cannot live under those terms forever and
eventually breaks them incurring the judgment of death upon himself
11.1.
Solomon had allowed Shimei to not perish because of the sin he
committed against King David when David had been fleeing from Absalom. All Shimei had to do was to build himself a
house within the city of Jerusalem and never venture out of the city. Solomon was worrying about this man from
Saul’s tribe stirring up trouble if he returned to the land of his own tribe.
11.2.
Shimei could not help himself though for three years later when two of
his slaves fled from him he left Jerusalem pursuing them. If Shimei had asked permission of Solomon to
pursue these fleeing slaves he may have obtained it however Shimei decided once
again to tempt fate by showing disobedience to the house of David.
11.3.
When Solomon hears about the fact that Shimei had left the city of
Jerusalem he orders Benaiah to go and to fall upon him also and kill him.
11.4.
Now with Adonijah, Joab, Abiathar, and Shimei out of the picture
Solomon could establish his kingdom of peace under which he would be able to
build the temple of the Lord.
12.CONCLUSIONS:
12.1.
Keep your charge and calling before the Lord.
12.2.
Be strong and courageous, be a man.
12.3.
Walk in all of the ways of the Lord and thus you shall be successful in
all that you do.