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.
Death and Legacy of David
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.
Introduction and Chapter Overview
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.
Charge to Solomon: Obedience
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.
Necessity of Obedience to God's Law
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.
The Davidic Covenant and Its Condition
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.
Disposition of Joab, Barzillai, and Shimei
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.
Elimination of the Kingdom's Enemies
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.
The Case of Adonijah
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.
The Exile of Abiathar and Execution of Joab
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
The Case of Shimei
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.
Ethical Challenges and Critical Views
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?
Typological Significance: Solomon and Christ
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.
Closing Prayer
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.