This week we shall continue the
study of the book of 1 Kings in the Old Testament.
David leaves his last word to Solomon:
(1) What normally might be the last word that a godly father would leave to his children?
a. What would he say about their relationship with the Lord?
b. What would he say about their relationship with their family?
c. What other areas might he speak to?
d. In the case of a godly king like David, what would he say to his son succeeding him?
(2) What did David say in vv. 2-4 and how does what he said compare to your answers above?
(3) However, David had more to say about Joab, his commander, who had followed him for a long time and had been loyal to him (vv. 5-6):
a. In essence, what did David tell Solomon to do to Joab?
b. What reasons did he give?
- Abner left David’s enemy to join him (2 Sam. 3:12), except before that he was forced to kill Joab’s brother Asahel in battle (2 Sam. 2:18-23), only to be murdered by Joab in cold-blood (2 Sam. 3:27). Why didn’t David take action against Joab then? (2 Sam. 3:38-39)
- Amasa once betrayed David by supporting Absalom (2 Sam. 17:25), but returned to David only to be murdered by Joab (2 Sam. 20:8-10). What kind of a person was Joab? Was David right in giving Solomon such advice?
(4) What did Barzillai do to David? How kind was his action? (see 2 Sam. 17:27-29)
(5) What did David ask Solomon to do to Shimei in essence? (vv. 8-9)
a. What did Shimei do to David? (also see 2 Sam. 16:5-13)
b. Why did David tolerate him all these years?
c. What did Shimei do at the latest rebellion by Adonijah? (1 Ki. 1:8)
(6) Are you surprised by these last words of David concerning Joab, Barzillai and Shimei? Why or why not?
(7) This short passage ends with the death of David. Spend a moment to reflect on this king who was called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22).
a. Do you think he should still be called “a man after God’s own heart” after his sins of murder and adultery? (read Ps. 51)
b. What great lessons can you learn from David’s life?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.” (1 Ki. 2:10)
As I was reflecting on the last words of David, I came across George Matheson’s prayer which I have used as this week’s invocation. Indeed, “we live by the afterglow of many vanished days”, which includes David’s.
For sure, David was not a perfect man, and he will always be remembered for his sins of murder and adultery (2 Sam. 11). In fact, as the Apostle Matthew was penning the genealogy of Jesus Christ in his gospel, he (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) would not recognize Bathsheba as David’s wife and referred to her as “Uriah’s wife” (Matt. 1:6).
However, the prophet Nathan had clearly told David that “The Lord has taken away your sin” for this was a result of his repentance — a genuine repentance that was marked by “a broken and contrite heart” (Ps. 51:17). Indeed, in spite of his horrible sins, David was still “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22).
Yes, as much as “complete forgiveness” is defined by a total restoration of one’s relationship with God, sin always carries temporal consequences and in the case of David, these include the temporal judgments from God: “the sword will never depart from your house (and)… Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you” (2 Sam. 12:10-11).
However, we have seen that subsequent to David’s repentance and in the midst of his sufferings for his own sins, David did not have to face his situations on his own, he continued to love the Lord and walked in obedience to the point that before his death, he could give this advice to his son, Solomon, “observe what the Lord your God requires: walk in obedience to Him, and keep His decrees and commands, His laws and regulations” (1 Ki. 2:3). David continued to walk his talk and such was affirmed after his death by his son and the Lord (1 Ki. 3:6, 14).
I have found that to many Christians down the ages, the “afterglow” of David shines the brightest at the time of their greatest failure, giving them courage and hope in genuine repentance to the God of the “second chance”.
2:13-25—The Elimination of Adonijah, the Usurper of the Throne
(1) Given the history of Adonijah gathering support to usurp the throne, what did his words in vv. 13-15 sound like to you? Did his reference to God’s will sound genuine or was it an attempt to disarm any suspicion of Bathsheba?
(2) Did he not fear for his life with this request? Why or why not?
(3) Who was Abishag, even though David did not have any sexual intimacy with her? (1:1-4)
(4) What might be the reason that Bathsheba agreed to his request?
a. Was she jealous of Abishag? (1:15)
b. Did she desire for peace between the two sons of David? or
c. Was there something else?
(5) Why did Solomon react so emotionally (and even violently) to Adonijah’s request?
(6) Why did Solomon link Adonijah’s request to his desire for his kingdom (and even to his supporters, Abiathar and Joab)?
(7) Why did Solomon decide to kill Adonijah over this request? Was he justified? Why or why not?
2:26-27—Removal of Abiathar from Priesthood
(8) Why didn’t Solomon kill Abiathar as well?
(9) What prophecy did the removal of Abiathar fulfill? (See 1 Sam. 2:30-36)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“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!” (1 Ki. 2:22)
In reading the events leading up to the death of Adonijah, I was caught by many surprises:
- I was surprised by either the foolishness or guts of Adonijah. His life was just spared by Solomon for his attempted usurpation of the throne. Why would he make such a foolish request and give Solomon an excuse to put him away for good?
- I was surprised by Bathsheba for making this “small” request for Adonijah. Did she not know the implication of this request? Did she not know what Adonijah’s ultimate intention was?
- Of course, at first I was also surprised by the extremely emotional and even violent reaction of Solomon.
Upon reading some of the commentaries, and looking up some ancient sources, I have come to understand the implication of Adonijah’s request.
While Abishag did not have any sexual intimacy with David, nonetheless, she was admitted into David’s harem as one of his concubines. The Bible appears to intentionally highlight the fact that when Bathsheba went to see King David, “the Shunammite was attending him” (1:15). Therefore, no explanation was needed to explain Adonijah’s fatal mistake in the ancient time, “because taking over the harem of a former king amounted to a claim to the throne” (NCBC, 1 & 2 Kings, I, 111). This fact is backed by the famous Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484-425 B.C.) who recorded how Darius, “according to the notions of the Persians”, consolidated his claim to the Persian throne by taking his predecessor’s wives and concubines (Herodotus, Histories, III).
Thus, Solomon saw this as Adonijah’s first step toward reclaiming the throne Adonijah considered his (2:15). It is no accident that the Bible records the death of Adonijah and Joab together with the removal of Abiathar as the high priest as an “inclusio” beginning with v. 12, stating that “Solomon sat on the throne of his father David and his rule was firmly established” and ending with v. 46, stating that “The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon’s hands”.
As much as we hate to see violence, it was obvious that Adonijah was still thinking of dethroning Solomon with the help of Abiathar and Joab. However, Solomon’s treatment of Abiathar shows that he was a man of grace and he held great respect for God’s servant although he told Abiathar, “You deserve to die” (2:26).
2:28-35—The Death of Joab
(1) Why does the Bible mention that Joab had not conspired with Absalom? What might be the difference between conspiring with Absalom and with Adonijah?
(2) Joab took hold of the horns of the altar, thinking that what worked for Adonijah must work for him:
a. Did it?
b. Why not?
(3) How heinous were the sins of Joab? (2:31 and 2:5-6)
2:36-43—The Death of Shimei
(4) What crime did Shimei commit against David? (see 2 Sam. 16:5-13)
(5) Why didn’t David kill him then?
(6) What did David tell Solomon to do with Shimei and why? (2:8-9)
(7) How did Solomon deal with Shimei? (vv. 36-37)
(8) Why didn’t he kill him right away? (1 Ki. 1:8)
(9) How did the last words by Solomon to Shimei reveal what might be in the heart of Shimei? (2:44-45)
(10) This section concludes with the words that “The kingdom was now established in Solomon’s hands”: How did the removal of these individuals — Adonijah. Abiathar, Joab and Shimei, help put the establishment firmly in the hands of Solomon?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“The kingdom was now established in Solomon’s hands.” (1 Ki. 2:46)
At the removal of Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab and Shimei, the Bible says “The kingdom was now established in Solomon’s hands” (1 Ki. 2:46). In other words, all these individuals posed a continuous threat to the kingdom of Solomon, and only their death or removal would ensure the firm establishment of Solomon’s reign over Israel.
However, David could have dealt with them himself directly except for the following:
- Adonijah was his own son and we know that “doting” was one of the greatest weaknesses of David. It was sad that he had to leave the elimination of Adonijah in the hands of his own brother!
- But the other two individuals were different in that as much as Abiathar and Joab “conspired” with Adonijah (2:28), they had been loyal to David and shared in all his hardships (2:26). While they conspired with Adonijah, they meant no harm to David directly and so David did not feel right to repay them with death. But in his foresight, he knew they would continue to pose a threat to Solomon’s reign.
- As much as Shimei deserved death because of his mocking and cursing of David at the time of his fleeing from Absalom, David did not kill him likely because he knew his fleeing was a result of his own fault — not punishing the crime of Amnon as he should. In a way, he saw his own guilt greater than that of Shimei at the time. But he knew that deep in Shimei’s heart, he never accepted the reign of David who was not a Benjaminite as King Saul.
The fact that David left Solomon to deal with these potential rebels was very helpful to Solomon in establishing his firm reign over Israel, because by killing Adonijah and Joab, he demonstrated his decisiveness to the people, and by sparing Abiathar and Shimei, he demonstrated his grace — qualities that earned the respect of his people!
(1) What did the Lord offer Solomon in v. 5 and how did it reveal how pleased the Lord was with Solomon?
(2) Why was the Lord so exceedingly pleased with Solomon? (v. 3)
a. Why was his love not tainted by his marriage with Pharaoh’s daughter? (see Note 1 below)
b. Why did the offering of sacrifices in high places serve as a qualification of his love for the Lord? (see Note 2 below)
c. However, did the Lord accept his sacrifices at Gibeon? (vv. 4-5) Why?
(3) If you were asked the same question in v. 5 by the Lord today, what might your answer be?
(4) What did God say the normal answer was? (v. 11)
(5) What did Solomon ask for? (vv. 7-9)
(6) How did it demonstrate the greatest desire of his heart and the biblical comment that he loved the Lord?
(7) Why didn’t he ask for what God might have expected from a king in v. 11?
(8) In the end, what did God grant him?
(9) How did God’s grant to him echo that of Matthew 6:33?
(10) Upon his return to where the ark of the Lord was, why did he offer sacrifices again?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note 1:
Marriage with an Egyptian woman technically was not a transgression of the Law, only marriages with Canaanites (Exod. 34:16; Deut. 7:3). Given how God was pleased with Solomon, it was obvious that Solomon did not, at least at the time, tolerate the idolatry of his wives and they would have confessed their faith in Yahweh.
Note 2:
High places were places of sacrifice and prayer, and were built upon eminences of hills, because men thought they were nearer the Deity there. But Solomon’s high places were consecrated to the worship of YHWH, and essentially different from the high places of the Canaanites which were consecrated to Baal. Nevertheless, sacrificing upon these high places was still opposed to the law, according to which the place which the Lord Himself had chosen for the revelation of His name was the only place where sacrifices were to be offered (Lev. 17:3ff). However, it was excused here on the ground that no house (temple) had yet been built to the name of the Lord. Note also that the Mosaic Tabernacle was in Gibeon at the time (1 Chr. 16:39; 21:29), but the ark, brought back by David to the City of David, was resting in the tent he built for it (2 Sam. 6:16-17).
“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Ki. 3:9)
God said to Solomon, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (1 Ki. 3:5). It reminds me of what Herod said to his daughter when he was so pleased with her: “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you” (Mk. 6:22). Of course, I am not comparing the Lord to this wicked king Herod, but it does show how pleased the Lord was with Solomon. Indeed, this is a Father’s heart, wanting to do all that He can for His beloved children!
Our natural question is this: What did Solomon do that so pleased the Lord? The Bible has already given us the answer: “Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David” (1 Ki. 3:3). And he backed it up with his amazing answer to this most generous offer by God: “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Ki. 3:9).
Indeed, he did not ask for longevity, wealth or the death of his enemies (1 Ki. 3:11), but only for what was most needed to carry out the calling he received from the Lord — to govern God’s people, not his!
Solomon knew longevity, wealth or the stability of his kingdom was not something he needed to pursue or worry about, for it was in God’s hands, but what was in his hands (for which he would be held accountable) was how to govern the people, and he also understood that they were not his people, but God’s. In other words, he knew that it was not really his kingdom, but God’s. Therefore, what he asked for and what he sought after first and foremost was the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). No wonder he was so pleasing to the Lord, and God responded with giving him far more than what he asked for — wealth and honor as well (1 Ki. 3:13).
I wonder if the Lord asks you the same question today, what might your answer be? Food for thought!
3:16-28—Validation of Solomon’s Dream
(1) Of course, there was no DNA technology available in Solomon’s days, so how then would this case be determined?
(2) What was the most difficult part in discerning whose baby this was?
(3) What was the crux of Solomon’s approach?
(4) How did it demonstrate Solomon’s wisdom was from God?
(5) The granting of wisdom to Solomon was given through a dream (3:15). How did this incident prove that it was not just a dream but God’s revelation to Solomon?
4:1-19—Solomon’s Officials—While this passage is placed at the beginning of Solomon’s reign, it appears that it contains a recap of the major officials during the entire reign of Solomon:
(6) The first list of Solomon’s “chief officials’ (vv. 1-6) resembles today’s cabinet posts of a government which includes secretaries, recorder, command-in-chief, district officers, personal adviser, the one in charge of the palace (chief of staff?) and the head of the forced labor, with Azariah topping the list (not as a priest, but likely the top official among them). No such list was provided for David (though he must have had such officials). What might this speak to Solomon’s approach to his government and his wisdom?
(7) Solomon had twelve district governors:
a. Why twelve? (see Note below)
b. What were their responsibilities?
c. How might this speak to his wisdom in government?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
While some of the names of cities are hard to identify today, they roughly covered the territories occupied by all twelve tribes, including those east of Jordan.
“When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” (1 Ki. 3:28)
The Bible is indeed a book that is authentic and honest and we can see this quality in its record about the giving of wisdom by God to Solomon.
The conversation between the Lord and Solomon concerning how pleased God was with Solomon resulted in God meeting his request for wisdom and is very touching and offers great spiritual lessons to us. But it ends with these words, “Then Solomon awoke and he realized it had been a dream” (1 Ki. 3:15). However, it does not mean that it was just another dream, but a dream not unlike that of Jacob at Bethel which was a revelation by God (Gen. 28:10ff). This fact is further validated through the story of Solomon’s ruling over the disputed baby, resulting in this affirmation in the Bible:
“When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” (1 Ki. 3:28)
However, the biblical affirmation of his God-given wisdom does not end with the story of the baby, but continues with the list of Solomon’s officials, his fame and his many literary compositions (1 Ki. 4:1ff).
The positions of those in the list of officials is rather important in that it is recorded here in the initial stage of his reign, while it is obviously a recap of his officials of his entire reign as evidenced by the listing of Ahimaaz, the district governor of Naphtali who was Solomon’s son-in-law (1 Ki. 4:15). With Solomon barely in his mid-twenties (some opine that he was even in his teens which was unlikely) when he assumed his reign, he would not have a daughter of marriage-age.
I believe this list of officials is placed here not just to show Solomon’s “might and glory” (as K&D opines), but rather to demonstrate his wisdom in that he surrounded himself with able officials and was willing to delegate both his responsibilities and his authority.
4:20-28—The Prosperity Under Solomon’s Reign
(1) This is not just a passage of the might, glory and prosperity of Solomon’s reign. From the wording of vv. 20-21, one detects a special meaning. See Genesis 15:18 and 22:17. What is the biblical message conveyed by these verses here?
(2) What further depictions of Solomon’s kingdom are made by vv. 22-26?
(3) What kind of a picture is painted by the words in v. 25: “everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree”? (See Mic. 4:4; Isa. 65:21)
4:29-34—Solomon’s Fame
(4) Vv. 29-31 indicates that Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of the Eastern sages, the wise men of Egypt and of the local Israelites (see 1 Chronicles 2:6 for the names cited). Accompanying his wisdom is his “very great insight” and “a breath of understanding”. What do they mean?
(5) Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs: The collection in the Book of Proverbs represents a small collection, perhaps of the best of his sayings. Based on some of the Proverbs you have read in the past, what do you think of Solomon’s wisdom and insight?
(6) Solomon composed 1,005 songs — only the Song of Songs and two Psalms of his are included in the Bible (Ps. 72 and 127). Perhaps, you will want to read the shortest of them, Psalm 127. See what you think of his spiritual insight.
(7) How would you categorize Solomon’s scientific knowledge described in v. 33 in today’s terms?
(8) As “science”, what process would have been involved by Solomon in order that he could master such insight, understanding and knowledge?
(9) Given the description of this passage, what word or words would you use to describe Solomon?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.” (1 Ki. 4:33)
It is true that Solomon’s wisdom was God-given (1 Ki. 3:12). However, if we think that he was just sitting there and all his wisdom, insight and breadth of understanding simply fell upon him from the sky, we are totally wrong!
Just as he must have spent time observing, comparing, analyzing and perhaps testing his findings in order to be a botanist, an ornithologist, a zoologist and more, he would have read a great deal of books and a large variety of literature, plus spent much time in reflection and prayers in order to write his 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. It means that as much as God has given him unparalleled wisdom, in order to acquire, maintain and use such wisdom, it took discipline and hard work.
Two of Michelangelo’s famous sayings are, “If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all” and “If you knew how much work went into it, you would not call it genius”.
This was true of Michelangelo, it was true of Solomon, it is true of all students, it is true of all professionals and it is true of all God’s servants as well.
(1) God did not only appoint Solomon to build His temple, but what other preparation had the Lord done in advance for him?
(2) What reason did Solomon give for David not building the temple for the Lord? Why did Solomon appear to have twisted the facts a little? (1 Chr. 22:8)
(3) What was Solomon’s express purpose for building the temple? (v. 4)
(4) By comparison, what might be some of the wrong reasons for “church planting” today?
(5) What was Solomon’s proposal to King Hiram? (v. 6)
(6) How did King Hiram modify his proposal and why? (vv. 8-9)
(7) Who was wiser in your opinion?
(8) In the end, Solomon’s men would work in Lebanon for one month (likely in assisting in logging and receiving training in woodworking) and return to be involved in the temple building directly for two months: With all the natural and human resources and time put into building such a massive and extravagantly beautiful temple, do you think it was necessary or worth it? Why or why not?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors (3,600 tons) of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year.” (1 Ki. 5:10-11)
Solomon was indeed a very wise king , but in my opinion, Hiram was also a very wise ruler as well.
By helping Solomon build the temple of the Lord, he had secured a huge international trade agreement. What he supplied Solomon was the natural resources from his land — the famed cedar of Lebanon — plus his craftsmen. In return, he received a huge supply of food and valuable goods in the finest oil. And, in cutting the deal with Solomon, he wisely refused to have Solomon pay his workers, thereby maintaining the loyalty of his people and bringing them still under his direct control. His ingenious suggestion of division of labor predated Henry Ford by a good three thousand years! Also, with this alliance with Solomon, he secured the protection of this growing and powerful nation, and undoubtedly gained access to many important trade routes, both to Egypt and to the Euphrates.
However, the greatest benefit he got was the privilege of being used in the building of the temple of the One True God, Yahweh. One can only hope that what he said represented his acknowledgement of the God of Israel when told Solomon, “Praise be to the Lord today” (1 Ki. 5:7).