Reflections on 1 Kings 2

1 Kings 02 (Contemporary English Version)

1. Not long before David died, he told Solomon:
   
2. My son, I will soon die, as everyone must. But I want you to be strong and brave.
   
3. Do what the LORD your God commands and follow his teachings. Obey everything written in the Law of Moses. Then you will be a success, no matter what you do or where you go.
   
4. You and your descendants must always faithfully obey the LORD. If you do, he will keep the solemn promise he made to me that someone from our family will always be king of Israel.
   
5. Solomon, don't forget what Joab did to me by killing Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of Israel's army. He killed them as if they were his enemies in a war, but he did it when there was no war. He is guilty, and now it's up to you to punish him
   
6. in the way you think best. Whatever you do, don't let him die peacefully in his old age.
   
7. The sons of Barzillai from Gilead helped me when I was running from your brother Absalom. Be kind to them and let them eat at your table.
   
8. Be sure to do something about Shimei son of Gera from Bahurim in the territory of Benjamin. He cursed and insulted me the day I went to Mahanaim. But later, when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I promised that I wouldn't kill him.
   
9. Now you must punish him. He's an old man, but you're wise enough to know that you must have him killed.
   
10. David was king of Israel forty years. He ruled seven years from Hebron and thirty-three years from Jerusalem. Then he died and was buried in Jerusalem.
    
11. (SEE 2:10)
    
12. His son Solomon became king and took control of David's kingdom.
    
13. One day, Adonijah went to see Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and she asked, "Is this a friendly visit?" "Yes.
    
14. I just want to talk with you." "All right," she told him, "go ahead."
    
15. "You know that I was king for a little while," Adonijah replied. "And everyone in Israel accepted me as their ruler. But the LORD wanted my brother to be king, so now things have changed.
    
16. Would you do me a favor?" "What do you want?" Bathsheba asked.
    
17. "Please ask Solomon to let me marry Abishag. He won't say no to you."
    
18. "All right," she said. "I'll ask him."
    
19. When Bathsheba went to see Solomon, he stood up to meet her, then bowed low. He sat back down and had another throne brought in, so his mother could sit at his right side.
    
20. Bathsheba sat down and then asked, "Would you do me a small favor?" Solomon replied, "Mother, just tell me what you want, and I will do it."
    
21. "Allow your brother Adonijah to marry Abishag," she answered.
    
22. Solomon said: What? Let my older brother marry Abishag? You may as well ask me to let him rule the kingdom! And why don't you ask such favors for Abiathar and Joab?
    
23. I swear in the name of the LORD that Adonijah will die because he asked for this! If he doesn't, I pray that God will severely punish me.
    
24. The LORD made me king in my father's place and promised that the kings of Israel would come from my family. Yes, I swear by the living LORD that Adonijah will die today.
    
25. "Benaiah," Solomon shouted, "go kill Adonijah." So Adonijah died.
    
26. Solomon sent for Abiathar the priest and said: Abiathar, go back home to Anathoth! You ought to be killed too, but I won't do it now. When my father David was king, you were in charge of the sacred chest, and you went through a lot of hard times with my father.
    
27. But I won't let you be a priest of the LORD anymore. And so the promise that the LORD had made at Shiloh about the family of Eli came true.
    
28. Joab had not helped Absalom try to become king, but he had helped Adonijah. So when Joab learned that Adonijah had been killed, he ran to the sacred tent and grabbed hold of the corners of the altar for protection.
    
29. When Solomon heard about this, he sent someone to ask Joab, "Why did you run to the altar?" Joab sent back his answer, "I was afraid of you, and I ran to the LORD for protection." Then Solomon shouted, "Benaiah, go kill Joab!"
    
30. Benaiah went to the sacred tent and yelled, "Joab, the king orders you to come out!" "No!" Joab answered. "Kill me right here." Benaiah went back and told Solomon what Joab had said.
    
31. Solomon replied: Do what Joab said. Kill him and bury him! Then my family and I won't be responsible for what he did to Abner the commander of Israel's army and to Amasa the commander of Judah's army. He killed those innocent men without my father knowing about it. Both of them were better men than Joab. Now the LORD will make him pay for those murders.
    
32. (SEE 2:31)
    
33. Joab's family will always suffer because of what he did, but the LORD will always bless David's family and his kingdom with peace.
    
34. Benaiah went back and killed Joab. His body was taken away and buried near his home in the desert.
    
35. Solomon put Benaiah in Joab's place as army commander, and he put Zadok in Abiathar's place as priest.
    
36. Solomon sent for Shimei and said, "Build a house here in Jerusalem and live in it. But whatever you do, don't leave the city!
    
37. If you ever cross Kidron Valley and leave Jerusalem, you will be killed. And it will be your own fault."
    
38. "That's fair, Your Majesty," Shimei answered. "I'll do that." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem from then on.
    
39. About three years later, two of Shimei's servants ran off to King Achish in Gath. When Shimei found out where they were,
    
40. he saddled his donkey and went after them. He found them and brought them back to Jerusalem.
    
41. Someone told Solomon that Shimei had gone to Gath and was back.
    
42. Solomon sent for him and said: Shimei, you promised in the name of the LORD that you would never leave Jerusalem. I warned you that you would die if you did. You agreed that this was fair, didn't you?
    
43. You have disobeyed me and have broken the promise you made to the LORD.
    
44. I know you remember all the cruel things you did to my father David. Now the LORD is going to punish you for what you did.
    
45. But the LORD will bless me and make my father's kingdom strong forever.
    
46. "Benaiah," Solomon shouted, "kill Shimei." So Shimei died. Solomon was now in complete control of his kingdom.

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David realized his death was approaching and summoned Solomon to instruct him much as did Moses with Joshua just before his death. Though Solomon had already become king this was somewhat of a "passing of the mantle," so to speak, with the succession of rule. First, David told Solomon the secret of a successful reign. "Be strong and brave," he said, "and keep your obligation to the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, judgments, and testimonies." (2:2, 3) The secret lay in his faithfulness and obedience to God. As Moses said to Joshua, David told him to "be strong and brave." It takes both strength and courage, or bravery, to be faithful to God. Obviously, it is inner strength rather than physical strength that is required. To remain faithful to God will require one to make choices at times that go contrary to the actions, choices, and counsel of others and will require courage as well as inner strength.

Next, David instructed Solomon about what he must do to assure peace for his reign. This required dealing with enemies of both David and Solomon. The list included Joab who had been David's faithful commander of the army. But Joab had murdered two innocent men for which David had not taken action. He had also turned against David in the end and given his loyalties to Adonijah in his attempt to take the throne. Also included was Shimei who had cursed David when he fled Absalom's attempt to take the throne. Though Shimei had met David on his return to Jerusalem on that occasion and David had granted him mercy, David evidently still did not trust the man. But David also requested that Solomon "show loyalty to the sons of Barzillai" who had supported David when he fled from Absalom. He wanted Barzillai's descendants to share in the king's favor.

David died soon after this talk with Solomon. He had reigned 40 years, 7 of which had been over Judah and then 33 over all Israel. Even after David's death and Solomon's actions to follow the counsel of his father, Solomon did not execute a bloody house cleaning. He continued to extend mercy toward his enemies and let them seal their own fates. The first to seal his fate was Adonijah. Though Solomon could have rightfully executed Adonijah for his attempt on the throne he had ruled that "not a single hair of his will fall to the ground, but if evil is found in him, then he dies." (1:52)

Solomon took no action against Adonijah until he attempted another plot. On the surface it seemed quite innocent and drew in Bathsheba to provide help for his scheme. Adonijah went to Bathsheba to petition her to go to Solomon and request on his behalf that Abishag be given to him as a wife. Abishag had been the beautiful young woman who was David's nurse in his later years. Though he did not have an intimate relationship with her, she had become a part of the king's harem. This request, though seemingly innocent, was, in Solomon's words, the equivolence of asking for the kingship. Solomon realized the people would interpret this as a claim to the throne. Therefore, he immediately ordered Adonijah's execution.

Adonijah's plot indicated there was still sentiment alive to depose Solomon. So Solomon didn't stop with Adonijah, he also exiled Abiathar the priest, who had supported Adonijah, to his "fields in Anathoth." His next action would have been to deal with Joab, but Joab got word of Solomon's actions against Adonijah and Abiathar and knew he was next. So he fled to the tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar. The altar offered refuge for all but murderers, so Joab sought its protection in vain. Solomon sent Benaiah, his replacement for Joab as commander of the army, to execute Joab, and when he would not come away from the altar he was slain there at the altar.

Finally Solomon dealt with Shimei who had cursed David. Instead of killing him he told him to build a house in Jerusalem and not leave the city. If he did so he would surely die. If he left the city he would be liable of going to his home to stir up insurrection among the Benjamites. All went well for three years, but then some of Shimei's slaves escaped and he went after them, showing his lack of respect for the king's orders. When word came to Solomon, he called Shimei to him, reviewed his orders to him, and then had him executed. The chapter concludes with the words, "So the kingdom was established in Solomon's hand." (2:46)