1 Kings 1-2 is about the transition of power from King David to his son Solomon, highlighting the importance of wisdom, obedience, and God’s appointed leadership.
1 Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm.
2 So his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.”
3 So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.
5 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6 His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?”
7 He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him.
8 But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David’s mighty men were not with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent’s Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah.
10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother.
11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it?
12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
13 Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’
14 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it?
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king).
16 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’
18 And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it.
19 He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited.
20 And my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.”
22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.
23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!
24 And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?
25 For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
26 But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited.
27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28 Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.
29 And the king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity,
30 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
32 King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.
33 The king also said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.
34 There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place.
36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so.
37 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon.
39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”
40 And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.
41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?”
42 While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.”
43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king.
44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they had him ride on the king’s mule.
45 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard.
46 And besides, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.
47 Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king bowed himself on the bed.
48 And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day in my own eyes.’
49 Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way.
50 And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
51 Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”
52 And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.”
53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
1 When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying,
2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man,”
3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,
4 that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.”
6 Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
7 But deal loyally with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
8 And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
9 Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”
10 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.
11 And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
12 So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.”
14 Then he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
15 And he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.
16 And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.”
17 He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.
20 Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother, and on his side are Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.”
23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!
24 Now therefore as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.”
25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.
26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because you shared in all my father’s affliction.”
27 So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 When the news came to Joab—for Joab had supported Adonijah although he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar.
29 When it was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar, Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.”
30 Then Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”
31 Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
32 The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.
33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But for David, and for his descendants, and for his house, and for his throne, there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.
34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.
36 Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever.
37 For on the day you go out and cross the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. Your blood shall be on your own head.”
38 And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
39 But three years later, two of Shimei’s servants ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,”
40 So Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath.
41 But the king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”
42 the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.’
43 Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I commanded you?”
44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will bring back your harm on your own head.
45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”
46 Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
Setting the Scene for 1 Kings 1-2
The scene in 1 Kings 1-2 is set in the royal court of King David in Jerusalem. As King David is aging and becoming frail, his son Adonijah decides to declare himself king without his father’s knowledge. Adonijah gathers his supporters, including Joab the commander of the army and Abiathar the priest, to hold a coronation feast for himself. However, Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, are not present at this feast.
Meanwhile, Nathan and Bathsheba realize the danger Adonijah’s actions pose to Solomon’s claim to the throne, as David had promised Bathsheba that Solomon would succeed him as king. They quickly inform David of Adonijah’s actions, prompting David to officially declare Solomon as his successor. Nathan and Bathsheba then work together to ensure Solomon’s safety and secure his position as the rightful king of Israel. The tension and political intrigue in the royal court are palpable as the power struggle unfolds, ultimately leading to Solomon’s eventual reign as king.
What is 1 Kings 1-2 about?
We witness a significant moment in the history of Israel as power transitions from David to Solomon. David, the renowned king and warrior, passes the mantle of leadership to his son Solomon, ensuring the continuity and stability of the kingdom. This transition showcases the importance of succession planning and the passing of wisdom from one generation to the next. We see David’s final instructions, where he imparts his knowledge and experience to Solomon, preparing him for the challenges that lie ahead. We witness a new era unfolding in Israel as Solomon consolidates his reign. He demonstrates his wisdom and leadership skills, solidifying his position as a capable ruler. This transition of power symbolizes the cyclical nature of leadership and the importance of maintaining continuity in governance. It also highlights the significance of mentorship and guidance in preparing the next generation of leaders. Through this verse, we are reminded of the importance of passing down knowledge and values to ensure a smooth transition of power and the continued prosperity of a kingdom.
Understanding what 1 Kings 1-2 really means
In 1 Kings 1-2, we witness the poignant transition of power from King David to his son Solomon. As David’s strength wanes with age, a struggle for succession ensues, with Adonijah, David’s son, attempting to seize the throne. However, Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba intervene, ensuring that Solomon, the chosen successor, is anointed as king. This narrative underscores the themes of humility, godly counsel, and the fulfillment of God’s promises.
The phrase “Adonijah exalted himself” serves as a cautionary tale against pride and self-promotion. Adonijah’s disregard for God’s plan and his father’s authority leads to his downfall. Conversely, Nathan the prophet’s pivotal role highlights the importance of seeking godly counsel in times of transition and decision-making. Through Solomon’s ascension to the throne, we witness the fulfillment of God’s covenant with David, emphasizing the sovereignty of God’s plan over human ambitions.
Drawing parallels from related biblical passages, such as Proverbs 16:18 and 1 Samuel 16:7, we are reminded of the consequences of pride and the significance of God’s discernment of the heart. The promise made to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 finds its realization in Solomon, showcasing the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His word through successive generations.
The timeless relevance of this passage resonates in contemporary contexts of leadership and succession. It underscores the importance of honoring established processes and seeking wise counsel in decision-making. Adonijah’s failed usurpation serves as a stark reminder of the perils of pride and the necessity of humility in fulfilling God’s purposes.
Illustrating this lesson with a modern example of a family business succession, we see the contrast between self-promotion and humility in leadership. Just as Solomon’s humility and obedience led to prosperity, choosing to honor God’s timing and seek wise counsel can bring unity and success in our endeavors.
As we reflect on this passage, let us examine our own attitudes towards leadership and succession. Are we seeking to exalt ourselves, or are we humbly submitting to God’s plan? Let us pray for a heart of humility and the wisdom to seek and follow God’s guidance in all aspects of our lives.
What does it mean to honor our elders?
Honoring our elders means showing respect, reverence, and consideration for their wisdom, experience, and contributions. It involves acknowledging the valuable role they play in our families, communities, and society as a whole. We show gratitude for their guidance, teachings, and the legacy they have passed down to us by honoring our elders. Treating our elders with honor and respect in the context of the verse highlights a way to show appreciation for their authority and leadership. It emphasizes the importance of upholding their dignity and listening to their advice, recognizing the value of their years of experience and knowledge. Honoring our elders cultivates a culture of respect and humility and creates a sense of unity and continuity within our communities.
Application
Now is the time to embrace the wisdom of 1 Kings 1-2 and commit to honoring our leaders with unwavering loyalty and obedience. Let us stand firm in our faith and show support to those entrusted with authority. Like a family supporting its head, let us uphold the teachings of Scripture with sincerity and respect. How will you exemplify your dedication to God’s chosen leaders and diligently follow His teachings?
Reverend Michael Johnson is an experienced Church Minister with a profound expertise in spirituality and guidance. With a serene presence and a compassionate heart, he has faithfully served his congregation for over 20 years, leading them on a spiritual journey towards inner peace and enlightenment. Reverend Johnson’s extensive knowledge of religious philosophies and profound understanding of human nature have made him a trusted confidant and mentor to many, as he seamlessly weaves his profound wisdom into life teachings. Reverend Johnson’s calming demeanor and empathetic nature continue to uplift and heal souls, nurturing a sense of unity and tranquility within his community.