Our reading today begins with the end of King David’s reign and the beginning of his son Solomon’s. What struck me as I read it this time is how mundane so much of this seems, with palace intrigue and political maneuverings. Yet when this history is recalled, what is quite clear is that God’s hand is in it all. Today we often have the notion that, if something is political, then it cannot be of God. Yet, if God is the God of history, then that means he is actively involved in political things.
It would be a mistake to think of America as the new Israel, somehow supplanting his promises to his chosen people. Even so, God works all things for the good of those who love him. He has protected his people and made a place for them even in the most hostile of kingdoms. Just today, I was watching a report on the state of Christians in the Sudan. God has been faithful.
And if God is faithful, then we should be, too. Solomon, in his first chapter of Proverbs, reminds us that it is never wise to give in to evildoers, or to join our hands with them in doing of evil. It doesn’t matter how common or rational it is. Don’t do it. We are called to be extremists for righteousness. The only way to figure out what that looks like is to do what you’re doing right now: reading your bible. Keep it up!
1 Kings 1
Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.
So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”
Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.
The girl was unsurpassed in beauty; she cared for the king and served him, but he had no relations with her.
At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.
(His father had never once reprimanded him by saying, “Why do you act this way?” Adonijah was also very handsome, born next after Absalom.)
So Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, who supported him.
But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.
And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah who were servants of the king.
But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.
Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?
Now please, come and let me advise you. Save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’
Then, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”
So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was serving him.
And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”
“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’
But now, behold, Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, did not know it.
And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he did not invite your servant Solomon.
And as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as criminals.”
And just then, while Bathsheba was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.
So the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the king.
“My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne’?
For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
But me your servant he did not invite, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon.
Has my lord the king let this happen without informing your servant who should sit on the throne after my lord the king?”
Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.
And the king swore an oath, saying, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,
I will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”
Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
Then King David said, “Call in for me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.
“Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.
There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
Then you shall go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. For I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”
“Amen,” replied Benaiah son of Jehoiada. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it.
Just as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne even greater than that of my lord King David.”
Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.
Zadok the priest 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!”
All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.
Now Adonijah and all his guests were finishing their feast when they heard the sound of the ram’s horn. “Why is the city in such a loud uproar?” asked Joab.
As he was speaking, suddenly Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” said Adonijah, “for you are a man of valor. You must be bringing good news.”
“Not at all,” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king.
And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king’s mule.
Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there with rejoicing that rings out in the city. That is the noise you hear.
Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.
The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than your own name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’
And the king has bowed in worship on his bed,
saying, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne, and my eyes have seen it.’ ”
At this, all the guests of Adonijah arose in terror and scattered. But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.
It was reported to Solomon: “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me not to put his servant to the sword.’ ”
And Solomon replied, “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 will die.”
So King Solomon summoned Adonijah down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your home.”
1 Kings 2
As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man.
And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,
and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
But show loving devotion to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’
Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”
Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?”
“Yes, in peace,” he replied.
Then he said, “I have something to tell you.”
“Say it,” she answered.
“You know that the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the LORD.
So now I have just one request of you; do not deny me.”
“State your request,” she told him.
Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
“Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.
“I have just one small request of you,” she said. “Do not deny me.”
“Make your request, my mother,” the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”
So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”
King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”
Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.
And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!”
So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”
So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.
When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.
It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the altar.”
So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down!”
And Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’ ”
But Joab replied, “No, I will die here.”
So Benaiah relayed the message to the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.”
And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.
The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.
Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”
So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.
And the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army, and he appointed Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.
Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.
On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”
“The sentence is fair,” Shimei replied. “Your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
After three years, however, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”
So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.
When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,
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 and go elsewhere, know for sure that you will die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will comply.’
So why have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the command that I gave you?”
The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head.
But King Solomon will be blessed and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”
Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.
1 Kings 3
Later, Solomon formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. Solomon brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his palace and the house of the LORD, as well as the wall around Jerusalem.
The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places because a house for the Name of the LORD had not yet been built.
And Solomon loved the LORD and walked in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for it was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.
One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
Solomon replied, “You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.
Your servant is here among the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to count or number.
Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request.
So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this instead of requesting long life or wealth for yourself or death for your enemies—but you have asked for discernment to administer justice—
behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has never been nor will ever be another like you.
Moreover, I will give you what you did not request—both riches and honor—so that during all your days no man in any kingdom will be your equal.
So if you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments, just as your father David did, I will prolong your days.”
Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream. So he returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.
At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house.
On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also had a baby. We were alone, with no one in the house but the two of us.
During the night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on him.
So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him in her bosom and put her dead son at my bosom.
The next morning, when I got up to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. But when I examined him, I realized that he was not the son I had borne.”
“No,” said the other woman, “the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.”
But the first woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” So they argued before the king.
Then the king replied, “This woman says, ‘My son is alive and yours is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ”
The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought him a sword, and the king declared, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not kill him!”
But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”
Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother.”
When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
1 Kings 4
So King Solomon ruled over Israel, and these were his chief officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;
Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the army;
Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors;
Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;
Ahishar was in charge of the palace;
and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year, and these were their names:
Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim;
Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;
Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him);
Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);
Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;
Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);
Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;
Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);
Baana son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;
Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar;
Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;
Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, including the territories of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan.
There was also one governor in the land of Judah.
The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.
And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
Solomon’s provisions for a single day were thirty cors of fine flour, sixty cors of meal,
ten fat oxen, twenty range oxen, and a hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened poultry.
For Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates —over all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides.
Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.
Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.
Each month the governors in turn provided food for King Solomon and all who came to his table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.
Each one also brought to the required place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and other horses.
And God gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore.
Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.
He was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations.
Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
So men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
1 Kings 5
Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
And Solomon relayed this message to Hiram:
“As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet.
But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis.
So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’
Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”
When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!”
Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying:
“I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber.
My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”
So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,
and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.
And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.
Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.
He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.
Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers.
And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.
So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.
Proverbs 1
These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David,
king of Israel,
for gaining wisdom and discipline,
for comprehending words of insight,
and for receiving instruction in wise living
and in righteousness, justice, and equity.
To impart prudence to the simple
and knowledge and discretion to the young,
let the wise listen and gain instruction,
and the discerning acquire wise counsel
by understanding the proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,
and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
For they are a garland of grace on your head
and a pendant around your neck.
My son, if sinners entice you,
do not yield to them.
If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood,
let us ambush the innocent without cause,
let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
and whole like those descending into the Pit.
We will find all manner of precious goods;
we will fill our houses with plunder.
Throw in your lot with us;
let us all share one purse”—
my son, do not walk the road with them
or set foot upon their path.
For their feet run to evil,
and they are swift to shed blood.
How futile it is to spread the net
where any bird can see it!
But they lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush their own lives.
Such is the fate of all who are greedy,
whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.
Wisdom calls out in the street,
she lifts her voice in the square;
in the main concourse she cries aloud,
at the city gates she makes her speech:
“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways?
How long will scoffers delight in their scorn
and fools hate knowledge?
If you had repented at my rebuke,
then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you;
I would have made my words known to you.
Because you refused my call,
and no one took my outstretched hand,
because you neglected all my counsel,
and wanted none of my correction,
in turn I will mock your calamity;
I will sneer when terror strikes you,
when your dread comes like a storm,
and your destruction like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish overwhelm you.
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.
For they hated knowledge
and chose not to fear the LORD.
They accepted none of my counsel;
they despised all my reproof.
So they will eat the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices.
For the waywardness of the simple will slay them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
But whoever listens to me will dwell in safety,
secure from the fear of evil.”
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