In our study of 1 Kings chapter two, we look at the early days of Solomon's reign and the fact that our actions must line up with our words.
Now, if God speaks to you in this study, you can save your own personal notes on this page. Then, every time that you look at this study, your notes will automatically be added to the page. To add a note or to display your previous notes, click on the YOUR NOTES button.
The time came near for David to die; so he commissioned Shlomo his son as follows: "I am going the way of all the earth. Therefore, be strong; show yourself a man. Observe the charge of ADONAI your God to go in his ways and keep his regulations, mitzvot, rulings and instructions in accordance with what is written in the Torah of Moshe; so that you will succeed in all you do and wherever you go. If you do, ADONAI will fulfill what he promised me when he said, 'If your children pay attention to how they live, conducting themselves before me honestly with all their heart and being, you will never lack a man on the throne of Isra'el.'
Before David died, he urged Solomon to stand up and be a man and he went on to explain what that means. He was speaking of being a man of God and following Him. David had messed up in his life but he was still known as a great man of God. He also reminded Solomon of the fact that God promised him that his family line would remain on the throne as long as they were faithful to Him. We see that he urges Solomon to walk faithfully with all his "heart and soul" and not just going through the motions and saying it. It seems like we need more fathers to explain this to their sons today. Many young men have gotten the idea that being a man is all about the size of your bank account, the number of women you can get, or your street reputation. For more on this, check out our Measure of a Man devotion.
"Moreover, you are aware of what Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah did to me, that is, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Isra'el, Avner the son of Ner and 'Amasa the son of Yeter - he killed them, shedding the blood of war in peacetime, putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet. Therefore, act according to your wisdom; don't let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.
What had Joab done? He had supported Adonijah when he tried to make himself king. He had also killed Abner and Amasa because he did not want them to replace him as Israel's military commander. David urges Solomon to deal with him at the proper time.
"But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gil'adi. Include them with those who eat at your table, because they came and stood with me when I was fleeing from Avshalom your brother.
David keeps giving his final instructions to Solomon and, here, he remembers those who stood by him through the trials. Absalom had tried to take the throne from his father and David had fled. We, like King David, need to remember those who have helped us through the difficult times.
"Finally, you have with you Shim'i the son of Gera the Binyamini, from Bachurim. He laid a terrible curse on me when I was on my way to Machanayim; but he came down to meet me at the Yarden; so I swore to him by ADONAI that I would not have him put to death with the sword. Now, however, you should not let him go unpunished. You are a wise man, and you will know what you should do to him - you will bring his gray head down to the grave with blood."
Shimei had betrayed King David but his life had been spared due to David's oath to God. He instructs Solomon to make him pay. Evidently, there had not been a real change of heart on the part of Shimei but still David was a man of his word. This is a picture of the forgiveness that we are to extend to those who offend us as well as the fact that, in the end, God will repay them for their offenses.
Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. David had ruled Isra'el for forty years - seven years in Hevron and thirty-three years in Yerushalayim. Shlomo sat on the throne of David his father; and his rule had become firmly established,
In this passage, we see the legacy that David left to Solomon. First, we see that he established Jerusalem as the center of the kingdom. He reigned forty years and we are reminded that that number refers to the complete trials of establishing the kingdom. David had been a fighting man but now the kingdom was established and Solomon would inherit a time of relative peace. As parents, we must stop and ask ourselves what kind of legacy we will leave our kids. We may leave them an inheritance of wealth but, more importantly, we must also leave them a legacy of peace. That peace can only come through knowing Jesus Christ as their personal Lord & Savior. Are we, like David, fighting the spiritual battles required to bring them into that kingdom?
when Adoniyah the son of Haggit came to Bat-Sheva the mother of Shlomo. She asked, "Have you come as a friend?" He answered, "Yes, as a friend." Then he continued, "I have something to say to you." She said, "Go on." He said, "You know that the kingdom should have been mine, that all Isra'el was looking to me to be their ruler. No matter; the kingdom has turned around and become my brother's, because ADONAI gave it to him. But now I ask one favor of you; don't deny me." "Go on," she said. He said, "Please speak to Shlomo the king - for he won't say 'No' to you - and ask him to give me Avishag the Shunamit as my wife." Bat-Sheva said, "All right, I will speak to the king on your behalf."
Upon David's death, Adonijah went to the king's mother and it seems like he had accepted the fact that Solomon was the king and even seemingly acknowledged that it was God's will. He made what appears to be a simple request and, not asking for much, Bathsheba agreed to ask her son on Adonijah's behalf. We recall, from chapter one, that Abishag was the girl that was to keep King David warm in his old age and Adonijah simply wanted her as a sort of inheritance.
So Bat-Sheva went to King Shlomo to speak to him on behalf of Adoniyah. The king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat down on his throne and had a throne set up for the king's mother, so that she sat at his right. She said, "I am asking one small favor of you; don't deny me." The king said to her, "Ask, mother; I won't deny you."
What a beautiful picture we see here of the proper respect a son should have for his mother. We see this in the fact that he stood up, bowed down to her, & had a throne brought for her.
She said, "Let Avishag the Shunamit be given to Adoniyah your brother as his wife." King Shlomo answered his mother, "Why are you asking Avishag the Shunamit for Adoniyah? Ask the kingdom for him too! After all, he's my older brother! Yes, for him, and for Evyatar the cohen and for Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah!"
Solomon became angry at this insult but it is clear that Bathsheba had not known what she was asking. In this request, Solomon sees the fact that Adonijah had not given up his hopes of replacing him as king.
Then King Shlomo swore by ADONAI, "May God do terrible things to me and worse if Adoniyah hasn't condemned himself to death with this request! Now therefore, as ADONAI lives, who has established me, put me on the throne of David my father and set up a dynasty for me, as he promised, Adoniyah will certainly be put to death today." King Shlomo commissioned B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada, and he struck him down, so that he died.
As we have seen, Adonijah's talk was cheap and did not match his actions. Therefore, Solomon sentenced him to die in keeping with the words that he had said when he came down from the altar (see 1 Kings 1:52). This is a lesson for us as well in that, when we go to the altar for mercy, we must have a change of heart. This change of heart is known as repentance.
To Evyatar the cohen the king said, "You, get yourself to 'Anatot, to your own fields. You deserve to die; but I won't put you to death just now; since you did carry the ark of Adonai ELOHIM before David my father; and you suffered together with my father in everything he suffered." So Shlomo forced Evyatar out of his task as cohen to ADONAI, so that what ADONAI had said in Shiloh about the family of 'Eli might be fulfilled.
Solomon spared Abiathar the priest but removed him from his office. He was remembered for the good things that he had done for King David. This was fulfilling the curse that was upon the house of Eli the unfaithful priest (see 1 Samuel 2:27).
When the news came to Yo'av, he fled to the tent of ADONAI and took hold of the horns of the altar; for Yo'av had given his support to Adoniyah, even though he had not supported Avshalom.
Solomon had dealt with the other two main conspirators and Joab heard about it. He ran to the altar to seek mercy just as Adonijah had done.
King Shlomo was told, "Yo'av has fled to the tent of ADONAI; he's there by the altar." Shlomo sent B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada with the order, "Go, strike him down." B'nayah came to the tent of ADONAI and said to him, "The king says: leave!" He answered, "No, I'd rather die here." B'nayah brought the message back to the king, "This is what Yo'av said to me."
Why had Solomon allowed Adonijah to live when he plead for mercy but now ordered the death of Joab? As we saw in verse 6, David had told Solomon that he was to die.
The king answered him, "Do what he said - strike him down, and bury him. In this way you will take away from me and my father's family the blood which Yo'av shed for no reason. ADONAI will bring his blood back on his own head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he - he killed them with the sword without my father David's awareness: Avner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Isra'el, and 'Amasa the son of Yeter, commander of the army of Y'hudah. In this way their blood will return on the head of Yo'av and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his family and his throne there will be peace forever from ADONAI."
Joab had killed two men in order to take their jobs as head of the army. He did this without the knowledge of the king and showed them no mercy. According to the law, the penalty for him was death. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, it is those who show mercy to others that receive mercy from God.
So B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada went up, struck him down and killed him; he was buried in his own house in the desert. The king put B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada in charge of the army instead of him, and the king replaced Evyatar with Tzadok the cohen.
The sentence of the king was carried out and we see that Joab was buried in the desert. Throughout the Bible, the desert is associated with times of trials and testing. We see that Joab had failed his trial as he had appeared to be serving the king but was out for himself. We all go through trials (pass through the desert) but it is not good to be buried there. Like Joab, there are many today who will say they are serving the King of Kings but in reality are out for what they can get for themselves. As we see with Joab and Abiathar, they will be found out and will end up being buried in the desert.
The king summoned Shim'i and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Yerushalayim, and live there; don't go outside the city walls. Know for a fact that on the day you go out and cross Vadi Kidron, you will certainly die; your blood will be on your own head." Shim'i answered the king, "What you have said is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do." So Shim'i lived in Yerushalayim for a long time.
Shimei had been an enemy of David's but David had showed mercy on him by promising that he would not kill him for his betrayal. Solomon offered him a chance to live as long as he stayed in Jerusalem so that he could be watched. By handling it this way (with wisdom), Solomon would not be guilty of shedding the man's blood when required. It is much the same way with all men in that Jesus has offered us a refuge from sin in Him. If we refuse it, the blood guilt is on our own heads.
But after three years, two of Shim'i's slaves ran away and went to Akhish son of Ma'akhah, king of Gat. They told Shim'i, "Your slaves are in Gat." So Shim'i set out, saddled his donkey and went to Akhish in Gat to look for his slaves; then Shim'i returned, bringing his slaves from Gat.
We are reminded that throughout the Bible the number three is associated with the earthly display of God's will and after three years Shimei left Jerusalem. We notice that he left because of his love for money and disobeyed the orders of King Solomon. This is a picture of the fact that many will reject the grace of God for the pursuit of earthly riches. Shimei forgot that the penalty for leaving was death and so he would not own the slaves anymore anyway. It is the same way with people today in that the devil will distract many people with wealth from this world and they forget that the things of this world are only temporary. In chasing wealth, they turn and run from the saving grace of Jesus Christ towards an eternity in hell.
Shlomo was told that Shim'i had gone from Yerushalayim to Gat and back. The king summoned Shim'i and said to him, "Didn't I have you swear by ADONAI and forewarn you by telling you, 'Know for a fact that on the day you leave and go anywhere outside the city, you will certainly die'? and you answered me, 'What you're saying is good; I hear it.' Why, then, haven't you kept the oath of ADONAI and the mitzvah I charged you with?"
King Solomon confronted Shimei with the fact that he had broken his oath to God. This oath was based on the principle of the Cities of Refuge which was given to Moses by God before Israel entered Canaan. These cities were a place where murderers could stay until they were put on trial. If they left the city at any time before their trial, they could be killed. This is a picture of the fact that our refuge is in Christ. He stood trial on our behalf and so we can now walk in freedom. We are no longer confined to a religious system such as the Cities of Refuge.
Moreover, the king said to Shim'i, "You know in your own heart all the terrible things you did to David my father; therefore ADONAI will bring back your wickedness on your own head. But King Shlomo will be blessed, and the throne of David will be established before ADONAI forever." So the king gave the order to B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada, and he went out and struck him down, so that he died. Thus the kingdom was established in Shlomo's hands.
Shimei's talk was cheap in that he did not back it up with action. Solomon made it clear to him that the judgment that was coming to him was from God because of his treatment of God's chosen kings. He paid the penalty with his life and the last of the enemies of David and Solomon were dealt with. We are reminded that our walk with Jesus is more than just an idle promise. When we accept Him as our savior, we accept the fact that He has purchased our lives and we no longer belong to self but to Him. Our actions will bear witness as to whether our conversion was merely cheap emotional talk or if we truly know Him as our savior.
Read about what we do with the data we gather and the rules you agree to by using this website in our privacy policy.