1 Kings 7:1 Solomon completed his entire palace complex after thirteen years of construction. 1 Kings 7:2 He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. It was a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on top of the pillars. 1 Kings 7:3 It was covered above with cedar at the top of the chambers that rested on forty-five pillars, fifteen per row. 1 Kings 7:4 There were three rows of window frames, facing each other in three tiers. 1 Kings 7:5 All the doors and doorposts had rectangular frames, the openings facing each other in three tiers. 1 Kings 7:6 He made the hall of pillars fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. A portico was in front of the pillars, and a canopy with pillars was in front of them. 1 Kings 7:7 He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge — the Hall of Judgment. It was covered with cedar from the floor to the rafters. 1 Kings 7:8 Solomon’s own palace where he would live, in the other courtyard behind the hall, was of similar construction. And he made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, his wife. 1 Kings 7:9 All of these buildings were of costly stones, cut to size and sawed with saws on the inner and outer surfaces, from foundation to coping and from the outside to the great courtyard. 1 Kings 7:10 The foundation was made of large, costly stones twelve and fifteen feet long. 1 Kings 7:11 Above were also costly stones, cut to size, as well as cedar wood. 1 Kings 7:12 Around the great courtyard, as well as the inner courtyard of Yahveh’s temple and the portico of the temple, were three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams.
showcase
David had been a shepherd and became a warrior and then a king. Solomon is a builder and a collector of wise sayings. His home and the other buildings described here are a showcase of his talent. You and I may never be able to build like Solomon, but we each have a talent that God wants us to show to the world.
LORD, show us how to showcase who we are and bring you glory in doing it.
1 Kings 6:1 Solomon began to build the temple for Yahveh in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month. 1 Kings 6:2 The temple that King Solomon built for Yahveh was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. 1 Kings 6:3 The portico in front of the temple sanctuary was twenty cubits long extending across the temple’s width, and ten cubits deep in front of the temple. 1 Kings 6:4 He also made windows with recessed frames for the temple. 1 Kings 6:5 He then built a chambered structure along the temple wall, encircling the walls of the temple, that is, the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around. 1 Kings 6:6 The lowest chamber was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide. He also provided offset ledges for the temple all around the outside so that nothing would be inserted into the walls. 1 Kings 6:7 The temple’s construction used finished stones cut at the quarry so that no hammer, chisel, or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. 1 Kings 6:8 The door for the lowest side chamber was on the right side of the temple. They went up a stairway to the middle chamber, and from the middle to the third. 1 Kings 6:9 When he finished building the temple, he covered it with boards and planks of cedar. 1 Kings 6:10 He built the chambers along the entire temple, joined to the temple with cedar beams; each story was five cubits high. 1 Kings 6:11 The word of Yahveh came to Solomon: 1 Kings 6:12 “As for this temple you are building– if you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep all my commands by walking in them, I will fulfill my promise to you, which I made to your father David. 1 Kings 6:13 I will dwell among the Israelites and not abandon my people, Israel.” 1 Kings 6:14 When Solomon finished building the temple, 1 Kings 6:15 he covered the interior temple walls with cedar boards; from the temple floor to the ceiling surface, he overlaid the interior with wood. He also overlaid the floor with cypress boards. 1 Kings 6:16 Then he lined twenty cubits of the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the surface of the ceiling, and he built the interior as an inner sanctuary, the most holy place. 1 Kings 6:17 The temple, that is, the sanctuary in front of the most holy place, was forty cubits long. 1 Kings 6:18 The cedar covering inside the temple was carved with ornamental gourds and flower blossoms. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen. 1 Kings 6:19 He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple to put the ark of Yahveh ‘s covenant there. 1 Kings 6:20 The interior of the sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high; he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the cedar altar. 1 Kings 6:21 Next, Solomon overlaid the interior of the temple with pure gold, and he hung gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary and overlaid it with gold. 1 Kings 6:22 So he added the gold overlay to the entire temple until everything was finished, including the entire altar that belongs to the inner sanctuary. 1 Kings 6:23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim ten cubits high out of olive wood. 1 Kings 6:24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing was five cubits long. The wingspan was ten cubits from tip to tip. 1 Kings 6:25 The second cherub also was ten cubits; both cherubs had the same size and shape. 1 Kings 6:26 The first cherub’s height was ten cubits and so was the second cherub’s. 1 Kings 6:27 Then he put the cherubim inside the inner temple. Since their wings were spread out, the first one’s wing touched one wall while the second cherub’s wing touched the other wall, and in the middle of the temple, their wings were touching wing to wing. 1 Kings 6:28 He also overlaid the cherubim with gold. 1 Kings 6:29 He carved all the surrounding temple walls with carved engravings– cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms– in the inner and outer sanctuaries. 1 Kings 6:30 He overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and the outer sanctuaries. 1 Kings 6:31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made olive wood doors. The pillars of the doorposts were five-sided. 1 Kings 6:32 The two doors were made of olive wood. He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold, hammering gold over the cherubim and palm trees. 1 Kings 6:33 In the same way, he made four-sided olive wood doorposts for the sanctuary entrance. 1 Kings 6:34 The two doors were made of cypress wood; the first door had two folding sides, and the second door had two folding panels. 1 Kings 6:35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flower blossoms on them and overlaid them with gold applied evenly over the carving. 1 Kings 6:36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams. 1 Kings 6:37 The foundation of Yahveh’s temple was laid in Solomon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv. 1 Kings 6:38 In his eleventh year in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the temple was completed in every detail and according to every specification. So, he built it in seven years.
building his temple
The process of discipleship is very much like that of Solomon building the LORD’s temple.
It is costly. Much of the work is done away from the public eye. It is detailed work, with great care taken for each aspect. It is time-consuming. It cannot be done quickly. LORD, give us a passion for building your temple within ourselves today.
1 Kings 5:1 King Hiram of Tyre sent his emissaries to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place, because Hiram had always been friends with David. 1 Kings 5:2 Solomon sent this message to Hiram: 1 Kings 5:3 “You know my father David was not able to build a temple for the name of Yahveh his God. This was due to the warfare all around him until Yahveh put his enemies under his feet. 1 Kings 5:4 Yahveh my God has now given me rest on every side; there is no enemy or crisis. 1 Kings 5:5 So I plan to build a temple for the name of Yahveh my God, according to what Yahveh promised my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the temple for my name.’ 1 Kings 5:6 “Therefore, command that cedars from Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants’ wages according to whatever you say, for you know that not a man among us knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.” 1 Kings 5:7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s words, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be Yahveh today! He has given David a wise son to be over this great people!” 1 Kings 5:8 Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying, “I have heard your message; I will do everything you want regarding the cedar and cypress timber. 1 Kings 5:9 My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate. I will break them apart there, and you can take them away. You then can meet my needs by providing my household with food.” 1 Kings 5:10 So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, 1 Kings 5:11 and Solomon provided Hiram with one hundred thousand bushels of wheat as food for his household and one hundred ten thousand gallons of oil from crushed olives. Solomon did this for Hiram year after year. 1 Kings 5:12 Yahveh gave Solomon wisdom, as he had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty. 1 Kings 5:13 Then King Solomon drafted forced laborers from all Israel; the labor force numbered thirty thousand men. 1 Kings 5:14 He sent ten thousand to Lebanon each month in shifts; one month they were in Lebanon, two months they were at home. Adoniram oversaw the forced labor. 1 Kings 5:15 Solomon had seventy thousand porters and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains, 1 Kings 5:16 not including his thirty-three hundred deputies in charge of the work. They supervised the people doing the work. 1 Kings 5:17 The king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones. 1 Kings 5:18 So Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the temple’s construction.
using the peace
I was a G.I. Bill soldier. I joined the army during peacetime and only trained for war. By God’s grace I never engaged in it. One of the advantages of having a peace-time army is that the country has a good supply of men and women who can help those who experience crisis and disaster, and help bring order back to the chaos they are experiencing. A nation is wise to utilize its military in such a way.
Solomon drafted a peacetime army of men from Israel and hired thousands of others from elsewhere. There was no battle to fight. There was a house to build: a temple to the Lord. The entire project was an expression of worship. The God who had given peace was praised when his people used their peace to express their love for him. How are we using the peace that God has given us?
Lord, teach us how to use our peace to build a house for you.
Originally published in Maranatha Devotions, Saturday, October 29, 2016.
1 Kings 4:20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea; they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing. 1 Kings 4:21 Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt. They offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. 1 Kings 4:22 Solomon’s provisions for one day were 150 bushels of fine flour and 300 bushels of meal, 1 Kings 4:23 ten fattened cattle, twenty range cattle, and a hundred sheep and goats, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and pen-fed poultry, 1 Kings 4:24 for he had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza and over all the kings west of the Euphrates. He had peace on all his surrounding borders. 1 Kings 4:25 Throughout Solomon’s reign, Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beer-sheba, each person under his own vine and his own fig tree. 1 Kings 4:26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 1 Kings 4:27 Each of those deputies for a month in turn provided food for King Solomon and for everyone who came to King Solomon’s table. They neglected nothing. 1 Kings 4:28 Each man brought the barley and the straw for the chariot teams and the other horses to the required place according to his assignment. 1 Kings 4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom, very great insight, and understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore. 1 Kings 4:30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 1 Kings 4:31 He was wiser than anyone– wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol. His reputation extended to all the surrounding nations. 1 Kings 4:32 Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005. 1 Kings 4:33 He spoke about trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He also spoke about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 1 Kings 4:34 Emissaries of all peoples, sent by every king in the land who had heard of his wisdom, came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom.
a reputation
Solomon drew people to himself by his reputation. This would give him an opportunity to showcase God’s grace. A reputation itself may not be a good thing. But using that reputation to lead people to God can be.
1 Kings 4:1 King Solomon reigned over all Israel, 1 Kings 4:2 and these were his officials: Azariah son of Zadok, priest; 1 Kings 4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, court historian; 1 Kings 4:4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, in charge of the army; Zadok and Abiathar, priests; 1 Kings 4:5 Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the deputies; Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and adviser to the king; 1 Kings 4:6 Ahishar, in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda, in charge of forced labor. 1 Kings 4:7 Solomon had twelve deputies for all Israel. They provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month out of the year. 1 Kings 4:8 These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; 1 Kings 4:9 Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 1 Kings 4:10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (he had Socoh and the whole land of Hepher); 1 Kings 4:11 Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (Taphath daughter of Solomon was his wife); 1 Kings 4:12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam; 1 Kings 4:13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); 1 Kings 4:14 Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 1 Kings 4:15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also had married a daughter of Solomon– Basemath); 1 Kings 4:16 Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 1 Kings 4:17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar; 1 Kings 4:18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin; 1 Kings 4:19 Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of King Sihon of the Amorites and of King Og of Bashan. There was one deputy in the land of Judah.
he gave them jobs
Solomon inherited tremendous power, prominence, and prosperity – more than anyone else he knew. What he chose to do with that wealth showed great wisdom.
He employed people, giving them good jobs which provided for their needs and the needs of their extended families. He studied. He put his mind to work learning and teaching. He became well known for something besides his money. LORD, should you bless us with wealth, may we use it wisely.
1 Kings 3:16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 1 Kings 3:17 One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. 1 Kings 3:18 On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby, and we were alone. No one else was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. 1 Kings 3:19 During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 1 Kings 3:20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She laid him in her arms, and she put her dead son in my arms. 1 Kings 3:21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.” 1 Kings 3:22 “No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.” The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king. 1 Kings 3:23 The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.'” 1 Kings 3:24 The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king. 1 Kings 3:25 And the king said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.” 1 Kings 3:26 The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed!” But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!” 1 Kings 3:27 The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.” 1 Kings 3:28 All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they feared the king because they saw that God’s wisdom was in him to carry out justice.
gift of wisdom
Solomon’s great wisdom was a gift from the LORD because he asked for it. James tells us that if anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God – who gives to all freely. God does not reserve his gifts for the prominent and powerful.
An example of Solomon’s wisdom is recorded in this chapter. The famous story of the two women claiming the same child was probably told thousands of times by the people. They feared their king’s wisdom because they realized it was a supernatural gift.
1 Kings 3:1 Solomon allied himself with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. Solomon brought her to the city of David until he finished building his palace, Yahveh’s temple, and the wall surrounding Jerusalem. 1 Kings 3:2 However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, because until that time a temple for Yahveh’s name had not been built. 1 Kings 3:3 Solomon loved Yahveh by walking in the statutes of his father David, except he also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 1 Kings 3:4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there because it was the most famous high place. He offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 1 Kings 3:5 At Gibeon Yahveh appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?” 1 Kings 3:6 And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. 1 Kings 3:7 “Lord my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. 1 Kings 3:8 Your servant is among your people you have chosen, a people too many to be numbered or counted. 1 Kings 3:9 So give your servant a receptive heart to judge your people and to discern between good and evil. For who can judge this great people of yours?” 1 Kings 3:10 Now it pleased Yahveh that Solomon had requested this. 1 Kings 3:11 So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the throat of your enemies, but you asked for yourself understanding to hear justice, 1 Kings 3:12 I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. 1 Kings 3:13 In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for – both riches and honor, so that no king will be your equal during your entire life. 1 Kings 3:14 If you walk in my ways and keep my statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.” 1 Kings 3:15 Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of Yahveh’s covenant, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.
faithful except
Solomon pleased God with what he asked for but did not always please God with how he managed his kingdom. Our God is gracious to us because we are not consistently faithful as he is. But we should learn a lesson from the whole life of Solomon. We should be careful not to allow alliances and compromises to ruin our witness.
1 Kings 2:12 Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his reign was firmly established. 1 Kings 2:13 Now Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come peacefully?” “Peacefully,” he replied, 1 Kings 2:14 and then asked, “May I talk with you?” “Go ahead,” she answered. 1 Kings 2:15 “You know the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected me to be king, but then the kingship was turned over to my brother, because Yahveh gave it to him. 1 Kings 2:16 So now I have just one request of you; don’t turn me down.” She said to him, “Go on.” 1 Kings 2:17 He replied, “Please speak to King Solomon since he won’t turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.” 1 Kings 2:18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.” 1 Kings 2:19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king’s mother. So, she sat down at his right hand. 1 Kings 2:20 Then she said, “I have just one small request of you. Don’t turn me down.” “Go ahead and ask, mother,” the king replied, “for I won’t turn you down.” 1 Kings 2:21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.” 1 Kings 2:22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why are you requesting Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my elder brother, you might as well ask the kingship for him, for the priest Abiathar, and for Joab son of Zeruiah.” 1 Kings 2:23 Then King Solomon took an oath by Yahveh: “May God punish me and do so severely if Adonijah has not made this request at the cost of his throat. 1 Kings 2:24 And now, as Yahveh lives — the one who established me, seated me on the throne of my father David, and made me a dynasty as he promised — I swear Adonijah will be put to death today!” 1 Kings 2:25 Then King Solomon dispatched Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died. 1 Kings 2:26 The king said to the priest Abiathar, “Go to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death today, since you carried the ark of Yahveh God in the presence of my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.” 1 Kings 2:27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from being Yahveh ‘s priest, and it fulfilled Yahveh ‘s prophecy he had spoken at Shiloh against Eli’s family. 1 Kings 2:28 The news reached Joab. Since he had supported Adonijah but not Absalom, Joab fled to Yahveh ‘s tabernacle and held strongly to the horns of the altar. 1 Kings 2:29 It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to Yahveh ‘s tabernacle and is now beside the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada and told him, “Go and strike him down!” 1 Kings 2:30 So Benaiah went to the tabernacle and said to Joab, “This is what the king says: ‘Come out! ‘” But Joab said, “No, for I will die here.” So, Benaiah took a message back to the king, “This is what Joab said, and this is how he answered me.” 1 Kings 2:31 The king said to him, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him to remove from me and from my father’s family the blood that Joab shed without just cause. 1 Kings 2:32 Yahveh will bring back his own blood on his head because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, without my father David’s knowledge. With his sword, Joab murdered Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 1 Kings 2:33 The responsibility for their deaths will come back to Joab and to his descendants forever, but for David, his descendants, his dynasty, and his throne, there will be peace from Yahveh forever.” 1 Kings 2:34 Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death. He was buried at his house in the wilderness. 1 Kings 2:35 Then the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army, and he appointed the priest Zadok in Abiathar’s place. 1 Kings 2:36 Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but don’t leave there and go anywhere else. 1 Kings 2:37 On the day you do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will certainly die. Your blood will be on your own head.” 1 Kings 2:38 Shimei said to the king, “The sentence is fair; your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. 1 Kings 2:39 But then, at the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. Shimei was informed, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.” 1 Kings 2:40 So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath to search for his slaves. He went and brought them back from Gath. 1 Kings 2:41 It was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. 1 Kings 2:42 So the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Didn’t I make you swear by Yahveh and warn you, saying, ‘On the day you leave and go anywhere else, know for sure that you will certainly die’? And you said to me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will obey.’ 1 Kings 2:43 So why have you not kept Yahveh ‘s oath and the command that I gave you?” 1 Kings 2:44 The king also said, “You yourself know all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore, Yahveh has brought back your evil on your head, 1 Kings 2:45 but King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain established before Yahveh forever.” 1 Kings 2:46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. So, the kingdom was established in Solomon’s hand.
problems before plans
The dark side of Solomon’s peaceful reign is shown in this chapter. Benaiah goes about executing the enemies of Solomon, thereby preventing more insurrection and civil war. But each enemy is given a chance to show himself honorable. Solomon is known for his wisdom and wealth. But there is a sharp stick close at hand if he needed it.
In narratives like this, it is sometimes difficult to see whether actions described are actually prescribed. In other words, it is hard to see what kind of behavior the stories are promoting. In any case, we can conclude that generally it is a good idea to take care of one’s problems before building one’s kingdom.
LORD, give us wisdom to deal shrewdly with our enemies.
1 Kings 2:1 As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon, 1 Kings 2:2 “As for me, I am going the way of all of the land. Be strong and be a man, 1 Kings 2:3 and keep your obligation to Yahveh your God to walk in his ways and to keep his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees. This is written in the law of Moses, so that you will have success in everything you do and wherever you turn, 1 Kings 2:4 and so that Yahveh will fulfill his promise that he made to me: ‘If your sons watch their way to walk faithfully before me with all their heart and all their throat, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ 1 Kings 2:5 “You also know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me and what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s army, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He murdered them in a time of peace to avenge blood shed in war. He spilled that blood on his own waistband and on the sandals of his feet. 1 Kings 2:6 Act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head descend to Sheol in peace. 1 Kings 2:7 “Show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite and let them be among those who eat at your table because they supported me when I fled from your brother Absalom. 1 Kings 2:8 “Keep an eye on Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim who is with you. He uttered malicious curses against me the day I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, and I swore to him by Yahveh: ‘I will never kill you with the sword.’ 1 Kings 2:9 So don’t let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man. You know how to deal with him to bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.” 1 Kings 2:10 Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. 1 Kings 2:11 The length of time David reigned over Israel was forty years: he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
unfinished business
Solomon had a rather peaceful reign, and that may be partly due to his willingness to listen to his father and take care of the problems David pointed out to him before they resulted in rebellion.
1 Kings 1:28 King David answered by saying, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So, she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 1 Kings 1:29 The king swore an oath and said, “As Yahveh lives, who has redeemed my throat from every difficulty, 1 Kings 1:30 just as I swore to you by Yahveh God of Israel: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne in my place. I will make that happen this very day.” 1 Kings 1:31 Bathsheba knelt low with her face to the ground, paying homage to the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!” 1 Kings 1:32 King David then said, “Call in the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada for me.” So, they came into the king’s presence. 1 Kings 1:33 The king said to them, “Take my servants with you, have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 1 Kings 1:34 There, the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan are to anoint him as king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon! ‘ 1 Kings 1:35 You are to come up after him, and he is to come in and sit on my throne. He is the one who is to become king in my place; he is the one I have charged to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 1 Kings 1:36 “Amen,” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied to the king. “May Yahveh, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it. 1 Kings 1:37 Just as Yahveh was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.” 1 Kings 1:38 Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down, had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. 1 Kings 1:39 The priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!” 1 Kings 1:40 All the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the land ripped open from the sound. 1 Kings 1:41 Adonijah and all the invited guests who were with him heard the noise as they finished eating. Joab heard the ram’s horn and said, “Why is the town in such an uproar?” 1 Kings 1:42 He was still speaking when Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest, suddenly arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, because you are an important man, and you must be bringing good news.” 1 Kings 1:43 “Unfortunately not,” Jonathan answered him. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 1 Kings 1:44 And with Solomon, the king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have had him ride on the king’s mule. 1 Kings 1:45 The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king in Gihon. They have gone up from there rejoicing. The town has been in an uproar; that’s the noise you heard. 1 Kings 1:46 Solomon has even taken his seat on the royal throne. 1 Kings 1:47 “The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more well known than your name, and may he make his throne greater than your throne.’ Then the king bowed in worship on his bed. 1 Kings 1:48 And the king went on to say this: ‘Blessed be Yahveh God of Israel! Today he has provided one to sit on my throne, and I am a witness.'” 1 Kings 1:49 Then all Adonijah’s guests got up shaking and went their separate ways. 1 Kings 1:50 Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up and went to hold strongly to the horns of the altar. 1 Kings 1:51 It was reported to Solomon: “Look, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me that he will not kill his servant with the sword.'” 1 Kings 1:52 Then Solomon said, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground, but if evil is found in him, he dies.” 1 Kings 1:53 So King Solomon sent for him, and they took him down from the altar. He came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your home.”
best outcome
David knew that if Adonijah was allowed to keep the throne he usurped, Solomon, Bathsheba and many others would soon see a violent death. He knew his own good name would be trashed because Adonijah — if beginning by rebellion, can only get worse. On the other hand, he knew Solomon was right for the throne, and would reign wisely and compassionately. We see an example of that wisdom showing itself in the way Solomon treats his brother. Adonijah could have been executed, and his followers might have become a thorn in Solomon’s side. Instead, Solomon’s compassion probably made him a few more supporters.
Because David chose wisely, he accomplished the best outcome. We should also pray for that kind of wisdom when making life decisions.
Devotions 