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Last week we saw in 1 Kings 1, 
Adonijah attempted to take the throne from David. David got 
wind of it and David dealt with it. And basically what happened 
is that Solomon was crowned as the king over Israel. It consolidated 
Israel, both the north and the south. And Adonijah was given 
life or given lease on life by Solomon. He told him very specifically 
that if he indeed proved himself to be a worthy man, not one hair 
of him would fall on the earth. And we saw as well in the beginning 
of 1 Kings 1, David is old, he's advanced in years, he's about 
to die. And in 1 Kings 2, we see his 
charge given to Solomon concerning the kingdom itself. And so I'll 
read beginning in chapter 2 at verse 1. Now the days of David 
drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, 
saying, I go the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, 
and prove yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your 
God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, 
his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of 
Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever 
you turn. that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning 
me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before 
Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, He said, 
you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel. Moreover, you 
know also what Joab the son of Zariah did to me, and what he 
did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner 
the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. 
And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood 
of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals 
that were on his feet. Therefore, do according to your 
wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in 
peace. But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai, the Gileadite, 
and let them be among those who eat at your table. For so they 
came to me when I fled from Absalom, your brother. And see, you have 
with you Shimei, the son of Gerah, a Benjamite from Baharim, who 
cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at 
the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not 
put you to death with the sword. Now therefore do not hold him 
guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to 
do to him. But bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood. So David rested with his fathers 
and was buried in the city of David. The period that David 
reigned over Israel was 40 years. Seven years he reigned in Hebron, 
and in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years. Then Solomon sat on the 
throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established. 
Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to Bathsheba, the mother 
of Solomon. So she said, do you come peaceably? And he said, peaceably. Moreover, 
he said, I have something to say to you. And she said, say 
it. Then he said, you know that the 
kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set their expectations on 
me that I should reign. However, the kingdom has been 
turned over and has become my brother's, for it was his from 
the Lord. Now I ask one petition of you, 
do not deny me. And she said to him, say it. 
Then he said, please speak to King Solomon, for he will not 
refuse you, that he may give me Abishag, the Shunammite, as 
wife. So Bathsheba said, very well, 
I will speak for you to the king. Bathsheba therefore went to King 
Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet 
her and bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne, and had 
a throne set for the king's mother. So she sat at his right hand. 
Then she said, I desire one small petition of you. Do not refuse 
me. And the king said to her, ask 
it, my mother, for I will not refuse you. So she said, let 
Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah, your brother, as 
wife. And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, Now why 
do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the 
kingdom also, for he is my older brother, for him and for Abiathar 
the priest, and for Joab the son of Zariah. 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. Now 
therefore, as the Lord lives, who has confirmed me and set 
me on the throne of David my father, and who has established 
a house for me, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death 
today. So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah, the son 
of Jehoiada, and he struck him down and he died. And to Abiathar, 
the priest, the king said, Go to Anatoth, to your own fields, 
for you are deserving of death. 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 every time 
my father was afflicted. So Solomon removed Abiathar from 
being priest to the Lord, that he might fulfill the word of 
the Lord which he spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh. Then news came to Joab, for Joab 
had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. 
So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord and took hold of 
the horns of the altar. And King Solomon was told, Joab 
has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord. There he is by the 
altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the 
son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, strike him down. So Benaiah went 
to the tabernacle of the Lord and said to him, Thus says the 
king, Come out. And he said, No, but I will die 
here. And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, Thus 
said Joab, and thus he answered me. Then the king said to him, 
do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, that you 
may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent 
blood which Joab shed. So the Lord will return his blood 
on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous and 
better than he, and killed them with the sword. Abner the son 
of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the 
son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah, though 
my father David did not know it. Their blood shall therefore 
return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his descendants 
forever. But upon David and his descendants, 
upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever 
from the Lord. So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada 
went up and struck and killed him, and he was buried in his 
own house in the wilderness. The king put Benaiah the son 
of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put Zadok 
the priest in the place of Abiathar. Then the king sent and called 
for Shimei and said to him, build yourself a house in Jerusalem 
and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. For 
it shall be on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, 
know for certain you shall surely die. Your blood shall be on your 
own head. And Shimei said to the king, 
the saying is good. As my lord the king has said, 
so your servant will do. So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem 
many days. Now it happened at the end of 
three years that two slaves of Shimei ran away to Achish, the 
son of Meachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, 
Look, your slaves are in Gath. So Shimei arose, saddled his 
donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And 
Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. And Solomon was told 
that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. Then 
the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, Did I 
not make you swear by the Lord and warn you, saying, Know for 
certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you 
shall surely die? And you said to me, The word 
I have heard is good. Why then have you not kept the 
oath of the Lord and the commandment that I gave you? The king said 
moreover to Shimei, you know as your heart acknowledges all 
the wickedness that you did to my father David. Therefore, the 
Lord will return your wickedness on your own head. But King Solomon 
shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established 
before the Lord forever. So the king commanded Benaiah 
the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and 
he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. 
Amen. So here is the rise of Solomon. It begins in chapter 1 at verse 
1 and continues to the end of chapter 2. Then we'll enter into 
the reign of Solomon, which takes us from chapter 3, verse 1 to 
chapter 11, verse 43. And here in particular, the question 
could be asked, how does one secure the kingdom? Well, David 
gives him the charge to, first of all, obey the Lord, and then 
secondly, to eliminate the enemies of the kingdom of the Lord. And the recurring theme in chapter 
2 is found in verses 12, 24, 45, and 46. The reference to 
the firm establishment of the kingdom of Solomon. So 
this is how stability is achieved, by honoring God's Word, obeying 
His Word, walking in the law of the Lord, and in dealing with 
the enemies of God Almighty. So I want to look at this section. 
It breaks down into two broad sections. Verses 1 to 12 is the 
charge given to Solomon, and then verses 13 to 46 is the elimination 
of the enemies of the kingdom. Now certainly this chapter causes 
some persons a great deal of distress, as they see Solomon 
going about taking care of enemies at the edge of Benaiah's sword. 
We'll deal with that as we conclude our study tonight, but suffice 
it to say, this is the means by which the kingdom was established, 
and that's not going to come about in a peaceful manner when 
you have enemies of the kingdom of God Almighty. But let's look 
first at this charge given to Solomon in verses 1 to 12. It's 
not the entirety is charged. We see that specifically up until 
the death of David. But note in the first place the 
necessity of obedience. Again, we're reminded that David 
is about to die, 1 Kings 2, verse 1. Solomon has been crowned, he 
sits upon the throne, and David has some choice words for him. 
When you look at some of the patriarchs, for instance, Joseph, 
you see Moses in Deuteronomy 31, Joshua in Joshua 24, when 
a man comes to die, he gives some parting admonitions, encouragements, 
or a charge to those who will succeed him. And that is precisely 
what David is saying here. Note the specifics in verse 2, 
I go the way of all the earth, Be strong therefore and prove 
yourself a man. This is very similar to what 
you find in the book of Joshua. In Joshua chapter 1, we see the 
nature of Joshua's charge is quite similar. Joshua 1.6, be 
strong and of good courage for to this people you shall divide 
as an inheritance the land. which I swore to their fathers 
to give them. So this admonition to be strong, 
to be a man of courage. And then on the heels of that, 
he says, only be strong and very courageous that you may observe 
to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded 
you. Do not turn from it to the right 
hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you 
shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to 
do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make 
your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have 
I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. 
Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with 
you wherever you go. So David essentially gives that 
charge to Solomon concerning his accession to the throne. 
Be strong and prove yourself a man. And notice that strength 
and courage, or proving oneself a man, is directly related to 
obedience to God's law. In other words, how do we evidence 
that we are strong? How do we evidence that we are 
full of courage? It's not by living apart from 
God. It's not by living in rebellion against God, but rather it is 
living consistent with God's holy word. Note the manifestation 
of his strength and of his courage is found in verses 3 and 4. Keep 
the charge of the Lord your God to walk in His ways, to keep 
His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, 
as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in 
all that you do and wherever you turn. The manifestation of 
strength and manhood comes relative to our obedience to the law of 
the living God. Strength and courage are measured 
by that, for kings to be sure, but also by disciples in the 
New Covenant community. Jesus said, if you love me, you 
will keep my commandments. John the Apostle said the commandments 
of God are not burdensome. The people of God who have the 
Spirit of God want the law of God. They don't resist it, they 
don't reject it, they don't rebel against it, but rather they welcome 
it. They appreciate the comprehensiveness of it. Notice, statutes, commandments, 
judgments, testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, 
that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. 
And note as well, the prosperity of Israel's king was not dependent 
upon his military ability. It was not dependent upon his 
ability to command troops. Now certainly those things were 
essential and necessary to be sure, but his success or his 
prosperity didn't ultimately depend on his political maneuvering, 
but it depended upon his obedience to the law of God Most High. 
The same instruction that Joshua received is the same instruction 
that Solomon receives that the kings of Israel must have taken 
into heart. Deuteronomy 17 said the first 
order of business for the king who ascended the throne was to 
write out for himself a copy of the law so that he would have 
it with him all the days, so that he could do, as Joshua was 
told, to meditate upon it day and night. This would be the 
secret of their success. This would be the means by which 
they would gain prosperity. And Davis says, whether it is 
the Davidic king or the disciple of Jesus, true stability only 
comes through obedience to the Lord's commands. Would to God 
Almighty that all of us would embrace that reality. Whether 
it is the Davidic king or the disciple of Jesus, true stability 
only comes through obedience to the Lord's commands. It doesn't 
come elsewhere. There's not another means by 
which we get stability as the people of God apart from the 
law of God. Of course, the Spirit is in us, 
empowering us and enabling us to comply with that law, but 
the pathway to prosperity, and I'm not talking Benny Hinn prosperity 
or those fools, but the prosperity that the Bible enjoins upon the 
people of God, stability, righteousness, composure, security, all those 
things come via obedience to the law of God. And that is precisely 
what Solomon is told here. Notice in verse 4, that the Lord 
may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, 
If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth, 
with all their heart and with all their soul, He said, you 
shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel. Now this has behind 
it the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7. Now when you read 2 Samuel 
7, it's an unconditional covenant. That means there's not a condition 
upon it. In other words, God promises 
there will be descendants from David leading to the great descendant 
of David, namely the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. But in 
this aspect, there is a condition attached. And the idea specifically 
is this. He says, "...if your sons take 
heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart 
and with all their soul." It would probably or likely mean, 
in terms of this condition, it would be a peaceful, stable, 
blessed reign. In other words, if the king of 
Israel, the king of Judah, ascends the throne and he lives like 
a miserable wretch, then unconditionally, nevertheless, Messiah is going 
to come. Jesus inevitably is going to 
come. That is a promise attached to 
the Davidic covenant. But if the kings of Judah are 
to ascend the throne and live in a manner consistent with the 
law of God, they'll have a happy, prosperous, fruitful, and a blessed 
reign. So this is the emphasis from 
David to Solomon at this particular point. Notice that David then 
highlights the disposition of certain persons. Now the rest 
of the chapter is going to flesh this out in more detail, so we're 
going to just skim over it quickly. But he highlights the case of 
Joab. Joab was a man that for the most part was loyal and faithful 
to David. And when you look at the history 
of Joab in the books of Samuel, he is a faithful leader or a 
faithful military commander who for the most part supports David. But it wasn't consistent and 
it wasn't absolute. And David remembers this, so 
David highlights specifically the fact that Joab killed Abner 
and Amasa. He doesn't mention that Joab 
kills Absalom. Now probably the death of Absalom 
pained David a whole lot more than did the deaths of Abner 
and Amasa. But as we see, when Solomon highlights 
this judgment, or executes judgment against Joab, he indicates that 
by Joab's act, what he engaged in, in the slaying of Abner and 
Amasa, could result in blood guiltiness upon the house of 
David. Remember in 2 Samuel 21, when 
we read at the very beginning that there was famine in the 
land for three years. So David inquired of the Lord, 
and the Lord said, there is a problem. did not honor the covenant made 
with the Gibeonites. And it leads to that atonement. It leads to that bloodshed there 
at Gibeah when Saul's sons died. There was blood guiltiness attached 
to Israel as a result of that reneging of or breaking of that 
covenant by Saul to the Gibeonites. So David wants to make sure that 
such is not the case for Solomon and for his reign. So he gives 
him directions concerning Secondly, he says to remember kindness 
with reference to Barzillai. Remember, Barzillai showed kindness 
to David in 2 Samuel 17, 27 to 29. This was after Absalom had 
taken the throne from David and David and his men had to flee 
from Jerusalem. On their way out of Jerusalem, 
there were certain persons that did not treat him well, and there 
were certain persons that did treat him well. And Bar Tzolai 
was one of them. And then in 2 Samuel 19, as David 
is returning to Jerusalem, he sees Bar Tzolai and he wants 
to convey blessing to him. He wants to heap good things 
upon him for that kindness that he had exhibited to him on his 
way out of Jerusalem. Bar Tzolai being an old man, 
and doesn't sound like he needs a whole lot anyway, basically 
declines. And so what David says here to 
Solomon is, don't forget Bartholai, show kindness to his sons. You see, with reference to the 
king of Israel, it's not just the execution of judgment upon 
the enemies of the kingdom, but it's the execution of kindness 
to the friends of the kingdom. Certainly there is a type here 
concerning the reign and the rule of our Lord Jesus. He is 
both kind, compassionate, and gracious to his people, but he 
executes vengeance and terrible judgments upon those who oppose 
his kingdom. So both David and Solomon are 
typical of Jesus in that regard in this particular chapter. So 
be kind to Barzillai. And then with reference to Shimei. 
Shimei was the man who cursed David. Shimei was of the house 
of Saul. Shimei didn't like the fact that 
David, a Judean king, was now taking over, and he didn't like 
the fact that Saul was no longer preeminent. In fact, Saul was 
dead, and Shimei curses David. Shimei calls David a man of blood. Intriguing. The last words of 
David recorded in the Bible is, bring his gray hair down to the 
grave with blood. It's the last thing David says 
on record in terms of scripture. And this is precisely what Shimei 
had accused him of, being a man of blood. Well, in this instance, 
it would be the bloodshed of a man who was wicked and rebelled 
against not only David, but when you rebelled against David, you 
rebelled against the kingdom of Yahweh himself. So Shimei 
was to be dealt with by Solomon. Certainly, David made a promise 
to Shimei that he would not kill him. David technically did not 
kill him. He certainly told Solomon, however, 
to make sure the job got done. Now, as I said, there are some 
commentators that really struggle with 1 Kings 2. They see political 
maneuvering and all sorts of things that just seem to them 
to be inconsistent. I think it's just the stability 
or the stabilizing of the kingdom. We'll see more as we move on. 
So that's the disposition of persons. Joab, Barzillai, and 
Shimei. And then the death of David is 
recorded in verses 10 to 12. I always get this feeling when 
I end a letter of the epistle, one of the epistles of Paul. 
You know, we've gone through Ephesians, and Philippians, and 
Colossians, and Galatians, and 1st and 2nd Timothy, and Hebrews. And you know, whenever I get 
to the end, I feel like I'm losing a good friend here. And to some 
degree, I feel that way with David. David's dying. We're not 
going to get any more David. Now certainly we are going to 
get more David in 1st and 2nd Kings because he's referred to 
often, but here's the death of David in verse 10. So David rested 
with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. The period 
that David reigned over Israel was 40 years. Seven years he 
reigned in Hebron, And in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. Then Solomon sat on the throne 
of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established. One commentator, a man by the 
name of Paul House, says this with reference to David. He says, 
besides noting his political accomplishments, it is also necessary 
to survey David's ongoing influence in first and second kings as 
a whole. Most of the references to David in 1 and 2 Kings are 
in 1 Kings 1 to 11, where he places Solomon in power, serves 
as the narrator's and Solomon's model for leadership, and remains 
God's ideal monarch. Beyond these chapters, David 
is the standard by which other kings are measured. David is 
the standard by which other kings are measured. That's why I said 
we'll see David still as we move through 1st and 2nd Kings. He's 
the benchmark. This is what the king of Israel 
ought to aspire to. He ought to be a David. He ought 
to be like this man of God. He goes on to say, according 
to the author, David was faithful in his walk with the Lord, except 
in the case of Uriah the Hittite, 1st Kings 15.5. Indeed, Excuse me, David defends Jerusalem 
long after his death since God spares the city for centuries 
simply for the sake of the promises made to David. 2 Kings 20, verse 
6 highlights that reality. So David's impact upon Old Testament 
religion was massive, it was huge, not least of which was 
the promise of God to him that from his line one would rise 
up whose kingdom would be forever, and that is of course the Lord 
Jesus Christ. So David has now departed, he's 
been buried in the city of David. We move on secondly to the elimination 
of the enemies of the kingdom. In the first place, we have the 
case of Adonijah in verses 13 to 25. This is not a brilliant 
man, brethren. Adonijah does not get props for 
being the brightest in Israel. He was simply told to behave 
himself at the end of chapter 1. In verse 52, Solomon said, 
if he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him shall 
fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die. 
As Davis points out, some persons have trouble with the death of 
Adonijah here, and they have trouble with the death of Shimei. 
But in both instances, these men should have just done what 
they were told. Adonijah should have just sat 
content and been happy that his challenge to the throne of Israel 
was not met with certain execution right off the bat. The fact that 
he goes through this particular escapade certainly highlights 
that he was not only not fit for the throne, but he's not 
fit to live in Solomon's kingdom. As well, shimmy, the terms of 
the agreement were very clear. Just stay put in Jerusalem. Do not leave Jerusalem. Three 
years later, what does he do? He leaves Jerusalem. Brethren, 
you can't fault Solomon for carrying out the vengeance or the execution 
in this instance when these men should have done what they were 
told. If a sitting king, a reigning king, tells you to stay in Jerusalem, 
you better stay in Jerusalem. Don't venture off the reservation, 
don't go fetch your slaves from Gath, don't run around and do 
things that you are not authorized to do. So at the outset, we ought 
to appreciate that what we have here is the consolidation of 
power and the stabilizing of the kingdom. And these renegade 
foes meet their end under the sword of Benaiah at the command 
of King Solomon. But note with reference to Adonijah, 
his exchange with Bathsheba. He, like Nathan, approaches Bathsheba 
and then sends Bathsheba to talk to the king. Remember, Nathan 
goes to Bathsheba in chapter 1 to educate her concerning Adonijah's 
rebellion. Bathsheba then goes into the 
king, and then at the time that she is speaking and rehearsing 
the situation, Nathan then comes to confirm what she says. Well, 
Adonijah comes to Bathsheba, perhaps thinking that Bathsheba 
will have more sway and more pull with Solomon than he would. And so he lays out this request 
to her. Note her concern. Do you come 
peaceably? Verse 13. Why do you think she 
asked that? because she remembered chapter 
1. Adonijah threw a bash in which he was the star where he would 
be crowned and he specifically neglected to invite Solomon or 
Nathan or Zadok. She knew what his plan was and 
she knew what he was up to. So she asks him, do you come 
peaceably? And he says, peaceably. Now note 
his continued arrogance, verses 14 and 15. Moreover, he said, 
I have something to say to you. And she said, say it. Then he 
said, you know that the kingdom was mine. Just, really? You know the kingdom was mine, 
you put yourself out there, you put yourself in this mock ceremony, 
you were a pretender king, it was never your crown to begin 
with, and for you to have the gall to say, you know that the 
kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set their expectations on 
me, that I should reign. Now notice this, however the 
kingdom has been turned over and has become my brother's, 
for it was his from the Lord. If he knows that it was his from 
the Lord, how in the world could he possibly conceive that the 
kingdom was mine and all Israel had set their expectations on 
me? Again, he's a dim bulb. He doesn't 
seem to have a clue as to what is going on. He certainly has 
not weighed out the nature of his request that he's about to 
present to Bathsheba. Note the specifics. Verse 17. Please speak to King Solomon, 
for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite 
as wife. So Bathsheba said, very well, 
I will speak to you to the king. Commentators wonder at this point, 
is Bathsheba naive? Does she just like a parrot wander 
in there and just certainly rehearse what Adonai just said? Others 
suggest that she's suave. I tend to agree with them. She 
knew what was happening, and she knew what the request meant. 
She goes to tell Solomon, understanding that most likely Solomon is going 
to liquidate this particular enemy to the throne. See, with 
Solomon on the throne, she has a throne sitting right next to 
him. I'm not suggesting she's engaged in any cunning or any 
conniving. I'm simply suggesting that she 
knew what was going on and probably muttered something along the 
way as to the sound of, do you really want me to ask Solomon 
for Abishag? Have you thought through this, 
son? I don't think you've given it careful consideration. Because 
you see, when a man takes the king's wife, that is an assertion 
that he will ultimately take the king's throne. And you see, 
that's how Solomon interpreted this. That's how Solomon understood 
this particular act. In fact, look at 2 Samuel 3 for 
just a moment. House says it this way, whoever 
possesses the harem controlled the kingdom. Abner, I'm sorry, 
yes, Abner understood this in 2 Samuel 3, verse 6. Now it was so while there was 
war between the house of Saul and the house of David that Abner 
was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul. And Saul had 
a concubine whose name was Ritzpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth 
said to Abner, why have you gone into my father's concubine? See, 
Ashbosheth knew what that meant. Why have you gone into my father's 
concubine? The sexual part of it was not 
the primary concern. The primary concern was going 
into my father's concubine is tantamount to going into my father's 
throne. You simply do not do that. Notice 
in 2 Samuel 16. 2 Samuel chapter 16. This is in the rebellion of Absalom 
when he's seeking to take the throne away from David. And Ahithophel 
gives Absalom this particular piece of advice. 2 Samuel 16, 
20. Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, 
give advice as to what we should do. And Ahithophel said to Absalom, 
Go into your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the 
house, and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your 
father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strong. 
See, this was brilliant counsel. It was diabolical counsel. It was morally offensive counsel, 
but it was brilliant counsel. Ahithophel knew that if Absalom 
does this, he is asserting to all Israel that I am not only 
going into my father's concubines, but I am going to take my father's 
throne. And Ahithophel says, then all 
Israel will know or hear that you are abhorred by your father. 
You see, at that time, they weren't sure if David was going to forgive 
Absalom. And if David forgave Absalom 
and they made peace, then all the backers of Absalom would 
have been in a bad state. In other words, they side with 
a rebel, and then David forgives the rebel, and the rebel and 
David make up. What happens to the people that sided with the 
rebel? So Hithophel says, go into his concubines. That's an 
overt statement that you are assuming the kingship. You are 
assuming the kingdom. then the hands of all who are 
with you will be strong. They'll know there is no chance 
whatsoever for reconciliation between David and Absalom." You 
see, this was an overt attempt to take the throne from a reigning 
king. And this is precisely the way 
that Solomon understood this. Now, some suggest that Adonijah 
maybe didn't have this thought. Maybe he just wanted Abishag 
to mend his broken heart. I mean, things had not gone well 
for him in his attempted coup, and he's confined now, basically 
under house arrest, and it's a simple request, just, can I 
please have Abishag? She can keep me warm and make 
me happy. But he had to know that Solomon 
would possibly understand it as an assault upon the throne. 
as an attempt to take the throne back. And that is precisely what 
happens. Bathsheba goes to Solomon, expresses 
the request specifically as the same way that Adonijah said. 
She asks, in verse 21, let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah, 
your brother, as wife. And King Solomon answered and 
said to his mother, now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite 
for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also. 
See how he interpreted it? See, he understands Adonijah 
has not stopped in his rebellious pursuit of the throne. What does 
that mean? Adonijah is guilty of treason 
against the crown. And that is a death penalty offense. So what he executes by way of 
Benaiah is legitimate and it is consistent. He says, ask for 
him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother. for him, 
and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zariah." 
Remember, Abiathar and Joab were supporters of Adonijah in the 
rebellion in chapter 1. So you see what Solomon says. 
Why don't you just hand them all the kings? You know, if you 
want to give them Abishag the Shunammite, we might as well 
give them the kingdom. Verse 23, 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. Now 
therefore, as the Lord lives, who has confirmed me and set 
me on the throne of David my father, and who has established 
a house for me, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death 
today. So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah, the son 
of Jehoiada, and he struck him down and he died. Benaiah was 
a good and faithful man. Benaiah gets promoted in verse 
35 along with Zadok. So you see, this is another movement 
toward the stabilizing of the kingdom. In the next instance, 
you have the case of Abiathar and Joab, verses 26 and 27. Abiathar is exiled. Abiathar 
joined the rebellion with Adonijah to take the throne from Israel. 
Solomon does not order his execution, however, because Abiathar had 
proven faithful to David in the past. He says, he carried the 
Ark of the Lord before my father David. And notice, and because 
you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted. David's 
afflictions were known by Israel, weren't they? They didn't see 
this king as somebody who never had problems, or who never had 
trials, or who never had difficulty. Certainly you could say of David, 
the first, that he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with 
grief. The son of David, it's written of concerning him in 
Isaiah 53. He's a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. The typology is strong between 
David and Jesus at that particular point. Now note verse 27, because 
this reaches back to 1 Samuel 2. So Solomon removed Abiathar 
from being priest to the Lord, that he might fulfill the word 
of the Lord, which he spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh. Those of you who have been here 
over the last however many Wednesday nights, we saw that prophecy 
in 1 Samuel chapter 2. Remember Eli's sons, they were 
ungodly specimens of priests. They would lay with prostitutes 
at the door of the house of God and they would steal sacrifices. I mean, what kind of miserable 
people steal sacrifices? Men would bring their meat to 
offer to Yahweh and they'd throw in their three pronged forks 
and take out big hunks of meat for themselves. And thus they 
caused the people of God to be at odds with the whole sacrificial 
system. And so Eli knew about this, but 
Eli did not restrain his sons. This is an interesting study 
in the former prophets. None of these men, as good as 
they were in terms of leadership, in terms of, you know, the fear 
of God, they weren't good fathers. Eli wasn't a good father. Samuel's 
sons weren't good. David, we see his fathering throughout 
the books of Samuel and Kings here. I mean, it's an unfortunate 
reality. Men need to pursue holiness, 
not just in their vocation, but they need to pursue holiness 
in their homes as well. Paul, the apostle, argues with 
reference to the eldership. If a man does not know how to 
manage his own household, How shall he take care of the church 
of God? There's two different words there. 
He manages his house, but he stewards, or he takes care of 
the house of God. He doesn't manage the house of 
God. Christ manages the house of God, and he does so by his 
word and his spirit through the officers in the church. But Paul's 
argument is that an officer in the church can't be an officer 
in the church if they don't successfully manage their families. If you're 
not good at the lesser, you're certainly not going to be good 
at the greater. And these former prophets indicate to us that 
these men were not as consistent as they ought to have been. So 
Eli knew about his sons, but he didn't restrain them. Now 
think about what he knew about his sons. He knew that they were 
prostituting the sacrificial system by stealing meat and by 
lying with temple prostitutes. And he didn't restrain them. 
So the curse of God comes upon the house of Eli and says that 
this priesthood will cease in the house of Eli. Now Abiathar 
was a member of Eli's house. He is the grandson of Ahitab 
and a grandson of Eli. The faithful priest in 1 Samuel 
2.35 points to 1 Kings 2, specifically Zadok, verse 35. So there is the fulfillment of 
biblical prophecy fleshed out right before our eyes in this 
particular passage. Now note with reference to the 
execution of Joab. You have the exile of Abiathar, 
you have the execution of Joab. Now notice in verse 28. Then 
news came to Joab, for Joab had defected to Adonijah, though 
he had not defected to Absalom." Interesting reminder there. He 
didn't defect to Absalom. He wasn't the most horrible person 
on the face of the earth, but he had defected to Adonijah. So note, so Joab fled to the 
tabernacle of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar. 
Why do you think Joab did that? Because Joab's a bright fellow. 
Joab has heard of the failed attempt of Adonijah to gain the 
hand of young Abishag. He has heard of the failed attempt 
of this man to once again reassert himself and try to position himself 
in the kingdom. He has heard that Adonijah met 
his fate at the end of Benaiah's sword. He has also heard that 
Abiathar has been exiled to Anatoth. Well, Joab is smart enough to 
know that me and Abiathar supported Adonijah in the rebellion. Solomon 
is on the throne and he is starting to stabilize his empire, his 
kingdom. He is starting to consolidate 
power. Joab knows that his time is up. So Joab runs to the altar 
and he grabs hold of the horns of the altar. He seeks asylum 
in a holy place. Again, behind this is Exodus 
21, 12 to 14. So he goes there, he realizes 
what is happening, and then Solomon commands, verse 29, He was told 
that Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the LORD, there he is, by 
the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, 
saying, Go, strike him down. So Benaiah went to the tabernacle 
of the LORD, and said to him, Thus says the king, Come out. 
Interesting. It sounds like Solomon said, 
Kill him right there at the altar. Benaiah says, Come out. I just 
see there that perhaps Benaiah is thinking of Exodus 21.14 in 
this particular instance, not saying that Solomon isn't. And 
I don't think it was necessarily a sin to kill a man at the altar, 
but it was something that at least by way of tradition, persons 
could seek asylum in the holy place. So Benaiah says, come 
out. And he said, no, but I will die 
here. Little does he know. And Benaiah brought back word 
to the king saying, thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. 
Then the king said to him, do as he says and strike him down 
and bury him that you may take away from me and from the house 
of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed. So this is the particular reason 
given by Solomon. Joab is blood guilt upon his 
hands and Solomon does not want that to be carried over to the 
kingdom. And note specifically, it says, 
the Lord will return his blood on his head, because he struck 
down two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them 
with the sword, Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the 
army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, the commander 
of the army of Judah, though my father David did not know 
it. The text is conspicuous in 2 Samuel as well, to indicate 
that David not only did not authorize Joab to undertake on this particular 
situation, but he also did not know about it. This was something 
that was very important for David and for Solomon to vindicate 
David and hence to vindicate Solomon so there wouldn't be 
some sort of shady business attached to their reign. You know, Wikilinks 
couldn't come out and say, well, David had a hand in the death 
of Abner and Amasa. You know, there wouldn't be another 
Wikilinks report saying, you know, David was the one who dispatched. 
No, no, no. That was not the case. David 
was not culpable or responsible. And here, this is the reason 
given for the execution of Joab. So this is precisely what happens. 
Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, verse 34, went up, struck and 
killed him, and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 
And then notice the promotion. The king put Benaiah, the son 
of Jehoiada, in his place over the army, and the king put Zadok, 
the priest, in the place of Abiathar. You see the basis, or the foundation 
rather, the base of the kingdom is established. You've got Solomon 
on the throne, you've got the high priest now, and you've got 
the military commander. Certainly Nathan is the prophet 
that has served David well and served Solomon also. And then 
notice finally the case of Shimei in verses 36 to 46. There is 
a conditional exile imposed upon Shimei. Basically, he is told 
to stay put. Notice in verse 36, the king 
sent and called for Shimei and said to him, build yourself a 
house in Jerusalem and dwell there and do not go out from 
there anywhere. It's pretty clear, isn't it? 
I mean, he mentions the book Kidron. That would have meant 
eastward travel from Jerusalem to Bahrain. Persons read this 
and say, well, he didn't travel through the Burkidron, so Solomon 
overstepped his bounds here. No, the text tells him specifically 
you're not to go out from there anywhere. You can't even go west 
to Gath. The going out from anywhere means 
don't go out anywhere. The reason why he specifies Kidron 
is because Shimei is from Bahrain. It would have been most tempting 
for Shimei to travel over the Brook Kidron to get to Bahrain. That's why he specifically mentions 
the Brook Kidron. But the fact that he tells them, 
do not go out from there anywhere, certainly precludes a trip to 
Gath, which is over in Philistia, to collect his slaves. You see, 
Shimei's instructions were very simple. He received them, and 
he approved. He said, the saying is good. 
As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do. So Shimei 
dwelt in Jerusalem many days, and of course, at the end of 
three years, his two slaves ran away. Gil says they ran away 
because he was a nasty master. Why else would slaves run away, 
right? If your master is good to you, 
you wouldn't leave him. So this was another blot, another 
mark on the record of Shimei here. They wouldn't have left 
him if he was a good master. Anyways, they leave, they go 
to Achish and Philistia, and he goes, and of course Solomon 
gets wind, and Solomon sends Benaiah to visit him. The king 
said, moreover, to Shimei, verse 44, here's the real reason. You 
know, as your heart acknowledges, all the wickedness that you did 
to my father David Therefore, the Lord will return your wickedness 
on your own head. But King Solomon shall be blessed, 
and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord 
forever.' So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, 
and he went out and struck him down, and he died." House, the 
commentator says, by breaking his oath to God and to Solomon, 
the old cursor of David has cursed himself. He brought this upon 
himself. Yeah, it had been three years, 
but that doesn't mean the oath is over. What did he think? Solomon 
will just, you know, let me go? Solomon will just turn the other 
way? No, this was wrong. But Solomon highlights the fact 
that he had sinned and cursed his father David. He goes on 
to say, Solomon now reminds Shimei of the original reason for his 
displeasure, which is Shimei's verbal attack on David. God will 
punish all David's enemies, will bless Solomon, and will secure 
David's dynasty forever. Each of these assertions echoes 
2 Samuel 7, 1 to 17. So as I said, the emphasis in 
verses 12, 24, 45, and 46 is on the establishment of the kingdom. 
If you look at the verse in verse 12, it says, and his kingdom 
was firmly established. That is prospective. That is 
sort of a way to set up a parameter between this and the end. This 
tells us the reality, the rest of the chapter demonstrates or 
flashes how it is achieved, and at the end it's stated again, 
thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. So as 
I said, some have a bit of an ethical challenge with 1 Kings 
2. Now, perhaps I shouldn't tell 
you these things, but I think it's important because if you 
ever read Bible commentaries or study Bibles, you sometimes 
find things that are a bit surprising. I know I was very surprised going 
through the book of Judges when I was just elated with the bravery 
of JL when she took that tent peg and drove it through the 
head of Sisera for the glory of God Most High and for the 
good of the kingdom. I was quite surprised that one 
very popular study Bible said that Jael committed murder. That 
wasn't murder. That was killing for the glory 
of God when she drove that tent peg into the head of Sisera. 
So you meet with these various opinions concerning biblical 
texts. And just to give you a couple 
of samples of how men treat 1 Kings 2. One man says, what we have 
here in fact is a fairly sorted story of power politics thinly 
disguised as a morality tale." In other words, there is just 
political machinations going on. There's just, you know, Solomon 
upholds his oath when it's good for him. He doesn't uphold his 
oath when it's not. I mean, just a whole host of 
things. One Jewish commentator makes this observation. He actually 
believes verses 1 to 4 were added later. They were added later. The part where David tells Solomon 
that he is to keep the law of Moses, there's a whole theory 
that the way we have the Bible isn't the way we have the Bible. 
There were later editors. There was a man called a Deuteronomist 
that padded certain passages to make it look like it was reflective 
of the law of Moses. I mean, it's more confusing than, 
I don't want to say, whatever, it's a very confusing theory. 
But this particular fellow believes that a later editor added verses 
1 to 4, this charge concerning obedience to the law of Moses. 
And he says this is the reason it was added later. He says it 
seems very likely that he, the editor, the one who added this 
portion in verses 1 to 4, It seems very likely that he was 
uneasy with David's pronouncing to Solomon a last will and testament 
worthy of a dying mafia capo, which is an Italian word for 
head, like a mafia head. Be strong and be a man and use 
your savvy to pay off all my old scores with my enemies. So the editor thought, well, 
I better pad it with a bit of the Law of Moses for good measure 
so it doesn't sort of look like that. And then at the very end 
of his commenting on verse 46, he said, the solid foundations 
of the throne have been hewn by the sharp daggers of the king's 
henchmen. On the one hand, that is true. 
Benaiah certainly helped build the foundation with reference 
to the earthly kingdom of Solomon, but not in the way that he is 
suggesting. I think House makes a good observation. He says, whatever one's conclusions 
about the propriety of Solomon's actions, it is unclear how else 
he could secure the kingdom. How else would Solomon stabilize 
the kingdom when Adonijah wants to be the king and he's got Abiathar 
and Joab that is supporting him in that particular endeavor? 
Is he going to just wish him away? Is he going to just ask 
them? He basically does with Abiathar and Shimei, tells him, 
just stay put. Well, they don't want to do that, 
so I tend to agree with what he, well, I fully agree with 
what he says, but I think there's even more stronger ideas concerning 
this. Gil comments on verse 46, and 
the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. Adonijah 
the usurper and Joab the general of the army who took on his side, 
both put to death, and Abiathar the high priest deposed, who 
was in the same conspiracy. And Shimei, a dangerous and troublesome 
man, dispatched. There remained none to give any 
disturbance. so that he now sat easy and quiet 
on his throne, and things with respect to the civil government 
were on a firm and settled foundation." I think that's more appropriate 
in terms of how we ought to understand 1 Kings 2. It isn't some political 
mafioso treatise that was padded later with references to Deuteronomy 
to make it go down a little bit easier. I think Davis nails it. He says, I cannot follow this 
anti-Solomon view. He deals with a couple of commentators 
and their sort of anti-Solomon tirade with reference to chapter 
2. He says, I readily admit David 
should have addressed these matters earlier. David should have dealt 
with Joab. I mean, you know, hands down, 
David should have dealt with Joab concerning Abner and Amasa. We can't exonerate David there. 
I mean, just as he didn't deal with certain things in his family, 
he didn't deal with Joab. Some suggest because he did need 
Joab. Joab was overall pretty faithful 
and pretty helpful to David. He needed his aid at the time 
that there was these rebellions against him. At any rate, he 
says, and I think we can assume that Solomon was no political 
fool, but tagging him callous and ruthless goes beyond the 
text. After all, Adonijah's request for Abishag may have been subversive. Solomon may only have assessed 
it accurately. The text provides as much or 
more evidence for this view as it does for a poor, vulnerable 
Adonijah story. There are actually persons that 
suggest that. You know, he's just hurting, he's sad, and just 
give him Abishag and make all of his hurts go away. That's 
not the way this... Solomon knows what's happening 
here, and this is what Davis is suggesting. He says, however, 
even if Adonijah's request was not sinister, it was stupid. I mean, I think Davis is right 
here. Assuming Adonijah had a modicum 
of sense, he would surely understand that Solomon could reasonably 
interpret his request as subversive should he choose to do so. If 
Adonijah wanted to live, he had only to sit still. The same goes 
for Shimei. Solomon ordered him to live confined 
in Jerusalem and to go nowhere else, including his old home 
at Baharim, a little east of Jerusalem. And then he makes 
this statement. He says, immediately before Adonijah's 
demise, Solomon had claimed that Yahweh had established him on 
David's throne. And after the executions of Adonijah, 
Joab, and Shimei, and the banishment of Abiathar, the narrator concludes, 
now the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. These 
statements reflect, here it is, the theological drive of the 
narrative. It isn't the political machinations 
that we ought to appreciate, it's the plan and purpose of 
our sovereign God. It's the theology behind the 
text that drives the interpretation. He says, if the kingdom is to 
be secure, the threats against it must be neutralized. That 
is what establishing the kingdom demands. How else would you possibly 
accomplish this if you lived in this situation? You had an 
Adonijah and a Joab and an Abiathar consolidated together to try 
to take the throne away from you, and Shimei, who's a loose 
cannon at best, What else do you do to secure the kingdom 
but to send Benaiah after them? So as I said, we have here in 
type pointing forward to the Lord Christ. Perhaps persons 
don't like 1 Kings because they don't like the New Testament 
concept of Jesus. He's certainly meek and mild, 
gentle, glorious, kind, and loving to his people, but he dashes 
down his enemies with a rod of iron, like a potter's vessels. 
This is what Psalm 2 indicates. This is what the Scriptures declare. He not only comes with grace 
and mercy and kindness to his people, but he comes with judgment 
and hell and damnation to those who are not his people. what 
Christ will ultimately do as the anti-type of Solomon makes 
what Solomon did to Adonijah, to Joab, to Abiathar, and Shimei 
look like a walk in the park. Brethren, we ought to fear the 
one to whom Solomon points a whole lot more than we fear Solomon. We ought to fear the power of 
Christ and His judgment more than we do Benaiah's sword in 
the temporal sense. If we have trouble with 1 Kings 
2, we're certainly going to have trouble with the one who wars 
and makes wars, and the one who people cry out to hide them from 
the wrath of the Lamb. So that is the typical significance. He deals with his enemies severely 
to establish and to build his kingdom. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you, God, for 
your grace to us. We thank you that you have made 
us your friends, not because we're good, but because you're 
good. because you're a God of mercy and kindness, and a God 
who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. 
And we stand amazed, and we thank you that we are going to escape 
the wrath of God, and how we thank you that Christ paid the 
debt that we could never pay, that Christ stood in our place 
on the cross, that He rose again the third day, and that He ever 
lives to make intercession for us. May you help us to appreciate 
the stability of the kingdom that we possess because Christ 
obeyed the law of God and because Christ does deal with his enemies. 
And we thank you and we pray that you would go with us now 
and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.