1 Kings 2:1-46

Memory Verse: 43

Questions

Introduction

Outline

I. If You Obey the Law and Walk Faithfully (2:1-4)

>1. What was David's death bed personal advice to Solomon? (1-3)

* 1 Kings 2:1-3 "When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. 'I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go'"

* 1 Chronicles 22:7-19 and 28:9-21 is similar to these verses. Factually 1 Chronicles 22 and 28 happened at the same time. The author split it in two according to subject matter. 1 Chronicles chapters 23 thru 27 are merely explaining how David organized the kingdom for him and his son.

* 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 says, "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work."

* Ancestral influence does not mean that I am free of responsibility and decisions. David instructed his son, "acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever."

Regardless of the good and poor influence of my parents, grand parents, and all those in line before God holds me accountable for how I respond and deal with their sustaining influence. I am the master of the decision to serve God in spirit and truth.

David continued, "Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work." David helped Solomon by making preparations to build a house as a sanctuary for the Lord. Jesus is building his house in his people, a place for his Spirit to rest. I am to continue and participate in the effort.

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>Which of the Lord's promise did he remind Solomon? (4)

* 1 Kings 2:4 "and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'"

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>Compare this with the promise in 2 Sam. 7:11b-16 and the warning in 1 Sam. 12:19-25.

* 2 Samuel 7:11b-16 "The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever."

* 1 Samuel 12:19-25 "The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king." "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away."

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II. Remember What These Men Did (5-12)

>2. Who was Joab? (16a)

* 2 Samuel 8:16a "Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army"

* This is the only place that David's direction about his enemies is recorded in the Bible. Neither 2 Samuel nor 1 Chronicles covers this event though 1 Chronicles covers Solomon's crowning.

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>What instructions did David give Solomon concerning him? (5-6)

* 1 Kings 2:5-6 "Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me--what he did to the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace."

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>3. Who was Barzillai? (2 Samuel 17:27-29, 19:31-32)

* 2 Samuel 17:27-29 "When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, "The people have become hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert."

* 2 Samuel 19:31-32 "Barzillai the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and to send him on his way from there. Now Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man."

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>What instructions did David give Solomon concerning him? (7)

* 1 Kings 2:7 "But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom."

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>4. Who was Shimei? (2 Sam. 16:5-6, 19:18-20)

* 2 Samuel 16:5-6 "As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. He pelted David and all the king's officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David's right and left."

* 2 Samuel 19:18-20 They crossed at the ford to take the king's household over and to do whatever he wished. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king and said to him, "May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first of the whole house of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king."

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>What instructions did David give Solomon concerning him? (8-9)

* 1 Kings 2:8-9 "And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: 'I will not put you to death by the sword.' But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood."

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>5. How did Jesus' parables reinforce David's instructions to Solomon? (Luke 12:42-48; Matt. 25:31-46, 21:33-44)

* Luke 12:42-48 "The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

* Matthew 25:31-46 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

* Matthew 21:33-44 "Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

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>How long did David reign?

* 1 Kings 2:10-12 "Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. He had reigned forty years over Israel--seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established."

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* Israel did not calculated a king's ascension and reign as other nations. After Israel and Judah split Judah kept calculating to "old way" and Israel switched and started calculating the way other nations did around them. Read The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings by Edwin Richard Thiele for more understanding on how Israel and Judah calculated the dates of their king's ascension and reign.

III. Solomon's Kingdom Established (2:13-46)

* See a wood engraving by Gustave Dore (1832-1883) to the right depicting King Solomon. Dore's drawings were in Bibles that are now in public domain. This one was scanned in by creationism.org.

>6. After David died what did Adonijah waist no time in doing? (13-14)

* 1 Kings 2:13-14 "Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. Bathsheba asked him, "Do you come peacefully?" He answered, "Yes, peacefully." Then he added, "I have something to say to you." "You may say it," she replied."

* This is the only place Adonijah's approaching Bathsheba is recorded in the Bible. Neither 2 Samuel nor 1 Chronicles covers this event though 1 Chronicles covers Solomon's crowning.

* This passage is also unique to Kings. It is a continuation of the account of Adonijah, the fourth son of David and the oldest alive at the time Solomon was anointed king. Chapter 1 covers his attempt to gain the throne when David was well advanced in years. These verses cover another attempt Adonijah made to become king.

David had no sooner passed away when Adonijah hatched his plan to gain power through marriage. Adonijah had convinced himself of the gross exaggeration that he was indeed the king of Israel and all of Israel looked to him as their king (15). He seems to acknowledge and yet resent the Lord for making Solomon king (15).

Adonijah's request seems innocent enough. He went to Bethsheba, Solomon's mother with a petition. Bathsheba expresses weary concern. She knew his character. He might not be going to her peacefully (13).

Adonijah asked her to go before Solomon with his solicitation. Adonijah wanted to marry Abishag, David's beautiful young personal attendant (17). Abishag was assigned to help David in his old age. She shared his bed to keep him warm. Yet she remained a virgin.

Solomon saw Adonijah's nefarious duplicity. If Adonijah would marry Abishag, he would be all but proclaim himself king (22). Solomon had him put to death for such a request (23). Solomon refused his mother's solicitation on Adonijah's behalf.

Adonijah was wrong only because of one reason, the Lord had made it clear that Solomon would be king. Seeking otherwise was a sin. I need to examine why I want to get ahead. Is it my will or the Lord's will? Am I resisting God's plan for me or submitting to it? If I go against God's intentions it could mean my death.

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>How is bitterness expressed in his words in verses 15-16 even as he acknowledges the Lord's hand?

* 1 Kings 2:15-16 "As you know," he said, "the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the LORD. Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me." "You may make it," she said."

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>What was his request? (17)

* 1 Kings 2:17 "So he continued, "Please ask King Solomon--he will not refuse you--to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife."

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>Who was Abishag? (3-4)

* 1 Kings 1:3-4 "Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The girl was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no intimate relations with her."

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>Why might he not go directly to Solomon for this request?

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>7. How did Solomon honor his mother? (18-20)

* 1 Kings 2:18-20 "Very well," Bathsheba replied, "I will speak to the king for you." When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat down at his right hand. "I have one small request to make of you," she said. "Do not refuse me." The king replied, "Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you."

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>What does the Bible teach about how children are to honor their parents? (Eph. 6:1-3; Col. 3:20)

* Ephesians 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise-- "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

* Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."

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>What was her request? (21)

* 1 Kings 2:21 "So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah."

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>8. How did Solomon see through to the real reason for the request? (22)

* 1 Kings 2:22 "King Solomon answered his mother, "Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him--after all, he is my older brother--yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!"

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>What judgement did he proclaim, refusing his mother's request?

* 1 Kings 2:23-25 "Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! And now, as surely as the LORD lives--he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised--Adonijah shall be put to death today!" So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died."

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>9. Who was Abiathar and why did he deserve to die? (26-27; 1 Sam. 2:30-33)

* 1 Kings 2:26-27 "To Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign LORD before my father David and shared all my father's hardships." So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD, fulfilling the word the LORD had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli."

* 1 Samuel 2:30-33 "Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before me forever.' But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. Every one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life."

* Solomon was king. In those days a king's responsibility included establishing and maintaining justice. The king was the highest court of law.

The king's responsibility also included maintaining and defending the country. They were to establish and organize the fighting men.

The king was not responsible for maintaining the priesthood, for priests were established by birth family, just as the king was established by birth (if the king loved the Lord and served him). The king also did not tell the priests how to offer sacrifices and what to do for that was established in the law of the Lord. However, they could organize the priesthood as David and Solomon did.

David had left two unfinished responsibilities to Solomon. One included the army ranks, and one included the priesthood. Joab has struck two important men down without David's knowledge and even against his wishes and intent. David had told Solomon to deal with Joab. Solomon took this event to have Joab put to death.

The Lord had told Eli, the high priest what would happen to his household because he did not deal with his son's defilement of the priesthood. That would have been around the time of David's birth.

Solomon now banished Eli's grandson, Abiathar from serving as a high priest. Solomon used the event concerning Adonijah to enact the Lord's word.

The Lord's timing of justice is not often as I would like. Justice often takes a long time. Perhaps because God wants to give time to the person to repent. Perhaps there is another reason. Whatever the reason, I am keenly aware that the Lord is also slow to be angry with me and his justice towards me is merciful. The Lord is full of grace and mercy to me just as he is to everyone.

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>Why did Joab take hold of the altar? (28-30)

* 1 Kings 2:28-30 "When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar. King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, "Go, strike him down!" So Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, "The king says, 'Come out!'" But he answered, "No, I will die here." Benaiah reported to the king, "This is how Joab answered me."

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>Why didn't his plan work and what can we learn?

* 1 Kings 2:31-35 "Then the king commanded Benaiah, "Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my father's house of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. The LORD will repay him for the blood he shed, because without the knowledge of my father David he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them--Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army--were better men and more upright than he. May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the LORD's peace forever." So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried on his own land in the desert. The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest."

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>10. How did Solomon keep his father's request regarding Shimei?

* 1 Kings 2:36-46 "Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37 The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head." 38 Shimei answered the king, "What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said." And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time. 39 But three years later, two of Shimei's slaves ran off to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, "Your slaves are in Gath." 40 At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath. 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, 'On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die'? At that time you said to me, 'What you say is good. I will obey.' 43 Why then did you not keep your oath to the LORD and obey the command I gave you?" 44 The king also said to Shimei, "You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the LORD will repay you for your wrongdoing. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and David's throne will remain secure before the LORD forever." 46 Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and killed him. The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands."

* Shimei was a relative of Saul, the first king of Israel. Shimei ridiculed David when David had to leave Jerusalem because of Absolom's threat. Saul still had followers. So Shimei was a threat to Solomon's throne. David instructed Solomon to "bring his gray head down to the grave in blood." (1 Kings 2:8-9) David wanted vengeance but did not carry it out himself. David told Solomon to kill Shimei.

Solomon devised a way to obey his father. He restricted Shimei to live and stay in Jerusalem with the punishment of death if he left. Shimei did leave after 3 years. Solomon had him put to death. Having a king means that death is a part of them maintaining their throne.

The Lord knows the hearts of humans. He knows that in the fallen state anyone and everyone will violate others, even kill to maintain power. That is why he warned Israel that having a king will make their life harder (1 Sam. 8). However, the person who loves God will resist those impulses by obeying and following Jesus' teaching.

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he got up from the table, dressed as a servant, and washed his disciple's feet. Then he said, "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (Jn 13:12-17)

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