March 10, 2020: Day 38 – I Kings 2

A bloodbath ensues once Solomon is placed in power.  It seems that each of these stories is given almost as excuses as to why Solomon had every right to kill the people that he killed.  Let’s start with his brother, Adonijah, who uses Solomon’s mother as part of his scheme to really get under the skin of Solomon.  I’m not sure why he would do this unless he had a death wish.  Solomon kills his brother because he asked for a woman who was Solomon’s.  

Solomon kills Joab even while he is holding onto the horns of the altar.  The King banishes Shimei to Jerusalem  to city arrest and Shimei agrees to it.  But then three years later he leaves to get his property and comes back and Solomon kills him  for it.  It is interesting that this chapter ends with the words: “So the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.”  Almost  as if as a result of this bloodshed Solomon was able to establish his kingdom.  By eliminating your enemies you establish your kingdom.  What a non-Christian approach to government that we would be careful not to follow.

Notice how the chapter begins as we find David giving advice to his son Solomon.  We can see a straight line between this chapter and Joshua chapter 1 where we hear the Lord tell Joshua: Be strong, be courageous.  We see these words given by David to Solomon in 2:1.  David tells Solomon to follow the way of the Lord, to follow his commandments, to follow his statutes so that you can prosper in all that you do.  Again, this is a similar command that Joshua receives when he takes over from Moses.  David dies and is buried in Jerusalem, which was, and is, the city of David.

This simple command to obey God, to follow his commandments, and to be strong and courageous is one that we need to obey.  It will not keep us from all evil, we will still be tested and things will not always go the way that we want or hope, but we will be in the will of God which will open up doors to opportunities that we never thought possible.