Who Put You in Charge. (1 Kings 2: 1-46)

Welcome back friends to the Bible Project Dearly Podcast. Today we begin a new chapter,

literally unfiguratively, because today we step into one King's chapter two and today's

episode I've made the title a question. A question that I actually believe every one of us

should ask ourselves whether we think of ourselves as leaders or not and that is who put you in charge.

Now you may not be president of a big company, you may not manage a team or sit in a boardroom

but almost all of us at one time or another have been put in charge of something or someone.

If you're a parent you're obviously in charge of raising children and if you're employed

you're responsible for your work and even if none of that applies to you you are always at the very

least in charge of yourself the choices you make the character you build and your direction in life.

So let me ask the question today what kind of virtues does it take to lead or to put it another way

if someone you knew was to step into a position of authority and ask your opinion as to what qualities

they needed what would you tell them because leadership whether in the home a workplace

or even ministry or even leading a community or a nation requires something deeper than just

talent or charisma it requires character and one King's chapter two gives us a front row seat

of a father passing on that truth to his son. Welcome to today's episode of the Bible project

Dealing Podcast.

Okay as we arrive today at the beginning of chapter two by the way it's a very long chapter

again I'm going to go through the whole thing it's going to be a pretty big episode but I hope

I can get it all done in one go but as we arrive today David is about to die his days are drawing

to a close and he calls Solomon his son through his bedside and remember Solomon is about to take

David's place he is about to become the King and in the final moments David gives him a set of

instructions instructions but reveal not only what it takes to rule a nation but what in fact it

takes to live a life faithfully before God so let's listen to the opening words of that charge he

gives him versus one and two now the days of David drew near that he should die and he charged Solomon

his son saying I go the way of all the earth be strong therefore and prove yourself a man

so this is actually David's farewell speech his final counsel and in the verses that follow he will

give Solomon four pieces of advice four virtues that every leader needs and frankly I would say

every single person every believer needs the first will be to be strong and do what is right

now when David says be strong he's not talking about physical strength he's not telling

Solomon to hit the gym or take up sword training he's talking about moral strength the courage to

do what is right even when it is hard and even when it is costly or unpopular you see leadership

requires backbone faithfulness requires resolve and David begins right there then secondly he says

be obedient walk in God's word he continues observe what the Lord your God requires walk in obedience

to him keep his degrees and commands his laws and regulations as written in the law of Moses

that's the beginning of verse three in other words obey the word of God my David in this verse

notice how he piles up terms decrees commandments laws regulations he's not doing that to confuse us

or Solomon but to emphasize the breadth of God's instruction and advice available to him whether

ceremonial moral or several the point is all is always the same here Solomon he's saying let the

word of God shape your life in the decisions you make and then David adds a promise continuing from

verse three into four do this that you may prosper and all you do and wherever you go and that the

Lord may keep his promise to me if you're descendants watch how they live and if they walk faithfully

with me but with all their heart and soul you will never feel to have a successor on the throne of

Israel so he's kind of saying here look obedience is the thing that brings blessing disobedience

will have consequences and of course Israel's history will prove that again and again thirdly

third piece of advice be wise apply justice with discernment so David then turns to a very specific

example joob the military commander he who shed innocent blood David says verse five and six now

you yourself know what joob son of Zeruhaia did to me and what he did to the two commanders of

Israel's army apner son of nir and amassas son of jethyr he killed them shedding their blood in

peacetime as if in battle and with that blood he stained the belt around his wastes and the sandals

on his feet deal with him according to your wisdom but do not let his gray hairs go down to the

grave in peace now this isn't personal revenge here it's talking about justice joob had committed

murder after all and he escaped accountability and David is telling Solomon be wise apply

justice justice and do what's right here even when it's difficult okay we've now had three

virtues given so far be strong do what is right be obedient follow God's word and be wise apply

justice but with discernment and those are the foundations of God the leadership here's the

fourth be kind show grace where grace is due so David isn't finished with those first three he

adds this one more instruction verses seven and nine but show kindness to the sons of barzalai

of giliad and let them be among those who eat at your table they stood by me when I fled from

your brother abselon and remember you have with you shimai son of gira the benjamin from Behrim

who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to mahaniam when he came down to meet me at the

Jordan I swore to him by the Lord I will not put you to death by the sword but now I do not consider

him innocent you are a man of wisdom you will know what to do with him bring his gray hair down to

the grave in the bud now years earlier it's true brazil he had barzalai had shown kindness to

David when he fled from abselon David says Solomon honor that reward faithfulness and be kind

but then he meant since shimai the man who wants curse David neither itself was a crime worthy

of death under the mosaic law but David had spared him but now he's warning Solomon to keep an

eye on him and he's saying if shimai proves loyal show kindness but if he ever rebels again

apply justice in other words be kind but do not be naive be gracious but not foolish so in

just these opening verses of chapter two David has given Solomon a sort of for full charge be

strong be obedient be wise but also be kind and these for virtue still standous and good

stead on our relevant to this day just as they were three thousand years ago whether you're

leading a nation a family a ministry or simply stewardship over your own life these are the

qualities we are seeing here that God desires in his people these are the four virtues which will

become the backbone of what happens in this whole chapter these are the four virtues David lays

before his son but have to say that woven into these four virtues are some important nuances

that are teased out when you follow the narrative through the rest of the book now when David says

be obedient he of course means be obedient to the law of God but what does that look like it means

doing what is right and it means applying justice when justice is due it means letting God's word

shape your decisions rather than your own emotions but then David said be kind like kindness

must not be mistaken for weakness it's not softness it's a willingness to show grace where grace

is appropriate and then in the right in the middle of it David says be wise wisdom is the ability

to know when to apply justice and when to extend kindness wisdom if you like is the bridge

between righteousness and compassion and allows us to express both and enable us to know when

to express each one and then finally David says be strong because sometimes doing the right thing

whether it is expressing justice or whether it is showing kindness requires real courage

leadership you know is not for the faint-hearted spiritual maturity is not for people who want to

be passive strength is required to do what is right strength is required to do what is kind and

what is wise now it is a beautiful complete and balanced picture of what is required of godly

leadership here but then the narrative moves quickly verses 10 to 12 tell us this then David

rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David he had reigned 47 he had reigned 40

years over Israel seven and have brown and 33 in Jerusalem so Solomon sat on the throne of his

father David and his rule was firmly established so that's Jerusalem he's talking here the city he

conquered the city he also shaped on the city that still bears his name and verse 11 reminds us

that David reigned for 40 years seven and have browned 33 in Jerusalem he began his reign remember

fighting Philistines in every side but he ends it with Israel at peace secure and respected among

the other nations so David however is now gone Solomon is king and now comes the moment of truth

will Solomon put David's wise counsel into practice and the rest of the chapter answers that

question through a series of real life situations for it moments where Solomon must decide whether

to be strong whether to be obedient when to be wise and when to be kind all the nuances and all the

sheeds of advice are played out in these four situations so let's run through the rest of the

chapter and look at each one in turn situation one adonajah returns beginning in verse 13 now adonajah

son of haggith went to berth sheba Solomon's mother and berth sheba asked him do you come peacefully

he answered yes peacefully then he added i have something to say to you you may say it she

as you know he said the kingdom was mine all Israel looked to me as king but things changed and

the kingdom has gone to my brother for it has come to him from the Lord now I have one request to

make of you do not refuse me you may ask it she said so he continued please ask King Solomon he

will not refuse you to give me abyshag the shumanite as my wife very well berth sheba replied I will

speak to the king for you when berth sheba went to king Solomon to speak to him on behalf of adonajah

the king stood up to meet her bowed down to her and sat down on his throne he had a throne brought

for the king's mother and she sat down on his right hand I have one small request to make of you

she said do not refuse me the king replied make it my mother I will not refuse me so she said let

abyshag the shumanite be given in marriage to your brother adonajah

king Solomon answered his mother why do you request abyshag the shumanite for adonajah you might

as well request the kingdom for him after all he is my older brother yes for him and for abathad

the priest and joeb son of zirua then king Solomon swore by the Lord may god deal with me

ever so severely if adonajah does not pay with his life for this request and now as surely as

the Lord lives he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David has and has

founded a dynasty for me as he promised and adonajah shall now be put to death today so king Solomon

gave orders to beniah son of johoyada and he struck down adonajah and he died that's first 25

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so this passage 13 to 25 introduces us to his first test adonajah the same adonajah

who tried to seize the throne in chapter 1 which we looked at yesterday and he comes to birth sheba

remember Solomon's mother and immediately she's well i think she's a little suspicious she asked

do you come and place and he says yes i come and peace but but sheb of course knows his history

and she knows his ambition i suspect she knows he once tried to take the kingdom by manipulation

and by force so she says speak and he says i've something to say to you he wants a fever

so but sheba listens and adonajah begins with a quite remarkable statement he says

you know that the kingdom was mine now let me just say right away no it wasn't it was never his

this is how not only deception but self deception works he continues all his real expected

metery and another exaggeration another another falsity but then he acknowledges that kingdom has

now been turned over to my brother for it was his from the lord well at least he gets that part

but then comes the request please speak to king Solomon that he may give me abashag the

humanite as a wife no if you remember and you were here yesterday in chapter 1 abashag was the young

woman who cared for David in his final days she was part of the king's household what we would

probably today call a harim but in the ancient world taking possession of a dead king's harim

or concubine or concubines was a symbolic claim to the throne so this is not romance here this is

politics this is another attempt to gain legitimacy to for a move on the throne but of course with

sheba didn't notice that and see it that way because in verse 18 she says very well i'll speak to

you for the king i think she's probably interpreting it as a simple request from this handsome

young man because we know that's what he is for the hand of what we've already worked of what

we were already told yesterday was an extremely beautiful attractive young woman she's missing the

political implications entirely so both sheba brings the request to Solomon and notice when she

arrives house Solomon initially honors her he rises to greet her he buys down he places her on his

right hand on a throne king who respects his mother and she says i desire one small petition of

you do not refuse me and Solomon like any good sun says asked and i will not refuse you

and then she makes her request let Abishag be given to Adona adonajah as a wife now just pause for

a moment there if you were Solomon what would you do you know the law here you know the politics of

this you know the danger and you know the symbolism of your father the king's concubines and of

course you know Adonajah's history do you show kindness do you apply justice do you act with

strength and how do you do that and at the same time express wisdom well this is exactly the kind

of situation David had tried to prepare for him this is where virtues meet real life and this of

course is where leadership can become extremely costly Solomon must decide let's be clear when

Bershiba had brought Adonajah's request to Solomon to Solomon she thinks he's just asking for

something small harmless something romantic even but Solomon sees straight through it and

Solomon asks her why has she done this because he's in effect asking for my kingdom and remember

he's my older brother in other words he's saying mother don't you see what's going on here

he's my older brother he's the one he already tried to take the throne once by force and manipulation

and now he's asking for a woman from my father's harry this is a symbolic claim for the throne

so Bershiba clearly didn't understand the political implications but Solomon does and he understood

them immediately there's no love story between two handsome and pretty young people going on here

this is treason round two and Solomon makes his decision and he responds with strength and clarity

and swap Solomon swearing by the Lord says Adonajah will pay with his life for this request

Solomon you see interprets a request exactly for what it is an open act of rebellion deserving of

death and as the Lord lives Adonajah shall be put to death today he says now this is not cruelty this

is justice there is also a wisdom to this in fact it's obedience to the law Adonajah remember

had already been shown grace Solomon at the close yesterday at the end of chapter one had spared

him but grace unreceived then becomes judgment and Solomon now knows that if he shows kindness here

again that Adonajah will try again and this problem won't go away and then it tells us so King

Solomon sent Baneer and he struck him down and he died now clearly that was a hard decision but

it was a necessary decision and a just decision now I just want to make sure you understand this is

the long standing historical interpretation of this chapter right from through the Jewish

historians and theologians right until the present day even the old commentators saw this way

keel and dill sheets very well respected classical 19th century scholars right that according to

ancient custom Solomon was perfectly justified in doing this in fact when they wrote this when they

wrote their commentary on this just a few hundred years ago they note that many parts of the world

even in their 19th century world this was still considered the right and wise counsel for the

action of a king when there was this type of treachery so Solomon has now applied David's counsel

given here he's been strong obedient wise and he's been kind but he's not being naive so that

was case one case two is Abath of the priest versus 26 and 27 says to Abath of the priest the king

said go back to your fields in aniloth you deserve to die but I will not put you to death now

because you carry the ark of the sovereign lord before my father David and shared in all my

father's hardships so Solomon removed Abathar from the priesthood of the lord fulfilling the word

of the lord that was spoken at Shiloh before the house of Eli okay we'll pause there Abathar

had indeed been loyal to his father David especially during Absalom's rebellion recorded for us

in Samuel but later recently he sided with Adonaj of course in that attempted coup

so Solomon has a difficult decision to make he says to him look you deserve death but I'm not

going to put you to death at the moment because you carried the ark and because before my father

you were loyal and you shared in all his afflictions do you see the balance here

justice is being declared and saying you know you deserve death but kindness is also bringing

expresses and says but you were faithful once and the wise response is there there after

is to remove him from office from influence but to spare his life and verse 27 and he tells us

Solomon removes him from the priesthood and in doing so he fulfilled that prophecy spoken all

the way back we heard it in one Samuel that the house of Eli would not continue his priests

and this is another perfect example this time of wisdom doing what is right and what is kind at

the same time so that's case two case three is that of Joab let's pick up the text in verse 28

when their news reads Joab who had conspired with Adonajah though not with Absalom he fled to the

tent of the lord and took hold of the horns of the altar King Solomon was told that Joab had

fled to the tent of the lord and was beside the altar then Solomon ordered Beniah the son of

Jehoyada go strike him down so Beniah entered the tent of the lord and said to Joab the king says

come out but the answer is no I will die here Beniah reported to the king this is how Joab answered

me then the king commanded Beniah due as he says strike him down and bury him and so clear me

and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed the lord will repay him for

the blood he shed because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them

with the sword both of them Abner son of Nure the commander of Israel's army and Amasa son of

Jehther the commander of Judah's army were better man and more upright than he made the guilt of

their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever but on David and his descendants

his house and his throne may there be the lord's peace forever so Beniah son of Jehoyada went up

and struck down Joab and killed him and he was buried at his home out in the country the king

put Beniah son of Jehoyada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abathir with Zadok the priest

okay this is the third test and this one is not really that complicated at all

Joab hears what happened to Adonajah and he panics he runs to the temple and grabs hold of the

horns of the altar just like Adonajah did in yesterday's episode in chapter one but there's

a problem the altar was a place of refuge for someone guilty of manslaughter it did not apply

when it came to out and out murder and Joab were told he was guilty of murder and murder twice

and the murder of significant important figures so when Solomon hears where Joab is hiding

he sends Beniah to bring him out Beniah you see is trying to avoid killing him inside the tabernacle

he doesn't want to potentially he feels defile the sacred space but Joab of course refuses to come

so Solomon says strike him down and bury him that you might remove him from my father's house

on the innocent blood for the innocent blood that he shared so this is just the inaction of justice

this is obedience to the law in fact this on this occasion is an expression of wisdom it's about

removing a dangerous man who if he remained alive would destabilize the kingdom but notice something

else in verse 34 he said he was buried in his own house in the wilderness so Solomon executes

justice here he has Joab put to death but there is also an element of it being tempered with kindness

in the sense that he allows Joab to be buried in his own land in his own territory so there's a

measure of dignity expressed there in high his grave can be marked on his place where he

his house was based can also be recognised and exactly what David told him to do he does and Beniah

as a result of that becomes commander of the army and Zeduck now becomes the priest so all of this

although it's difficult to hear in our modern ears all of this is actually helping the kingdom

to be stabilised the right people are being put in the right places and Solomon is leading

with righteousness he's obeying the law but with these elements of discernment as well so that's

case three complete case four begins in verse 36 to the end of the chapter and it is that of

Shemiah here we go then the king sent for Shemiah and said to him build yourself a house in

Jerusalem and live there but do not go anywhere else the day you leave and cross the Kidren valley

you can be sure you will die your blood will be on your own head Shemiah answered the king

what you say is good your servant will do as my lord the king has said and Shemiah stayed in

Jerusalem for a long time but three years later two of Shemiah slave slaves ran off to Akesh

son of Mechai king of Gath and Shemiah was told your slaves are in Gath at this he settled his

donkey and went to Akesh at Gath in search of his slaves so Shemiah went away and brought the

slaves back to Gath when Solomon was told that Shemiah gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned

the king summoned Shemiah and said to him did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn you

on the day you leave to go anywhere else that you would good surely die at that time you said to

me what you say is good and I will obey why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord

and obey the command I give you the king then also said to Shemiah you know in your heart all the

wrong you did to my father David now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing but King Solomon

will be blessed and David's throne will remain secure before the Lord forever then the king gave

the order to Bennyah the son of Jehoyada and he went out and he struck Shemiah died and he died

the kingdom was now established in Solomon's hand so now this is the final case in this chapter

Shemiah and now if you remember David had warned Solomon about this man back in the opening of these

and verses eight and nine of this chapter David essentially said keep your eye on this guy

his bath his past behavior tells you all you need to know it's probably only a matter of time

before he causes you trouble again and Solomon takes this kind so seriously he calls Shemiah in

and he pleases him under a sort of geographical it's not quite a house arrest but it's a he restricts

him to a particular area build yourself a house in Jerusalem he says and stay there do not go anywhere

else and Solomon adds a very clear boundary the area that you must stay within means that if you

cross the Kidren valley you've gone outside of that and you'll surely die in other words stay

pretty much in Jerusalem and if you do that you live but if you step outside the city then

you've broken the oath and the consequences will follow so there's a sort there is definitely

an act of mercy here Solomon is sparing his life there's also justice because he's at some level

holding him accountable and there is of course the wisdom being expressed because he's keeping

a potential threat close enough to him to be able to to monitor what he's doing and for three

years Shemiah obeys and there's three years of peace three years of restraint three years of

Solomon Solomon's wisdom working exactly in the way as was intended but then in verse 19 it tells

us two of Shemiah sleeves around away and without thinking or perhaps just without caring Shemiah

settles his donkey leaves Jerusalem and crosses the Kidren valley and goes after them he breaks that

one condition that Solomon gave him and word reaches Solomon and when he returns Solomon sums

him did I not make you swear by the Lord he says and what you said was that word and that oath

was good why then did you not keep your oath and then Solomon adds a little extra bit of detail

something deep revealing you know when you're hard all the wickedness you did to my father David's

in other words this isn't a misunderstanding this isn't an accident this is who you are and this is

who you always have been and you've proven it again so Solomon orders justice and in verse 46 we see

but now goes and strikes him down thus it says the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon

now don't miss that that's the key line here the kingdom thus the kingdom was established Solomon

isn't being vindictive here he's not being harsh for harshness sake he's not even being impulsive

he's doing exactly what David told him he set the boundaries in place and this guy stepped

outside of us he's done in all of these things across all of these four situations exactly what

David told him to do to be strong to be obedient to be wise and to be kind and in each of these

four cases that was Adonajah, Abathaya, Joab and now Shemiah Solomon applies these virtues with

remarkable clarity he shows justice where justice is needed he shows kindness where kindness was

appropriate and he shows wisdom in knowing the difference between those two things and went to

express those two different things one commentator I read put it beautifully he said in all of

Solomon's dealing with his political enemies man who conspired against the will of God during

David's reign the young kings mercy and wisdom stand out he was wise in handling these threats

and the kingdom in his hand another ads at this the very beginning of his reign Solomon gives us

evidence of being wise in the way he deals with his political enemies his decisions ultimately

result in peace and prosperity for Israel for the next 40 years and that's exactly what the text

isn't it Solomon's wise leadership and expressing these virtues brought peace and brought 40 years of

it and you know what the more you study the Bible the more you see of this the fact that God is

holy God is righteous and God is just but he's all of these things at the same time God is

love God is gracious God is kind as well as those other sides of the coins and those other

expressions of his virtue and his holy righteousness you see there are two sides to the great virtues

of God and they're woven throughout not just the Old Testament but the New and what that means

is that if we want to be Godly if we want to be Christ like even if we want to be spiritually

mature in our lives then we must also learn to hold these two virtues together Jesus himself was

described as being full of grace and truth not one of the other both together but to tie those

all those things together to bind them together to glue them together and allow them to cooperate

together scripture elevates again and again a fourth thing and that thing is wisdom in fact God

devotes an entire book to it and it's called the book of Proverbs and the message of Proverbs is

simple don't be foolish it says be wise and attain wisdom so if you were to try and summarize

the spiritual life if you wanted to boil down godliness into its three essential virtues that

would virtues that would be these be righteous and do what is right and you do that by being loving

showing grace and kindness and being wise and knowing how to apply both these things but if you want

the fourth thing that binds these other things together scripture tells us plainly what that is

on its wisdom gain wisdom and you can then be faithful in applying these virtues both the righteousness

and the justice of God and the loving and the grace and kindness of God you know what one

kings chapter two is the only chapter in the Bible that lays out the principles of God the

leadership and then immediately gives for real life illustrations to help us understand them

and see them applied many say this chapter is an absolute masterpiece of spiritual instructions

and I certainly would not disagree with that and the message of this chapter is as relevant today

as it was three thousand years ago we are to be righteous we are to be loving express both sides

of gods nature and to do that we have to be wise for that is what it means to be godly for that is

what it means to be Christ like and that is what it means to be spiritually mature and that's what

Solomon has modeled for us in this quite remarkable chapter today I hope you find it helpful

thanks for being with me today

okay my lovely friends that brings us to the end of today's episode it was a big chapter

a full chapter a chapter full of examples of strength obedience justice and kindness and the

wisdom it takes to hold all those things together Solomon's early decisions didn't just secure the

throne here they laid the foundation for a kingdom that will be marked by an era of peace but the

story is only beginning in the next episode tomorrow we're stepping into once kings chapter three

one of the most famous moments in Solomon's life the moment where God appears to him and says ask

for whatever you want from me to give to you so what do you think he asks or well to find out

you'll have to come back tomorrow so I hope you'll join me tomorrow as we explore what happens next

in the Bible project daily podcast but until then may you also walk in righteousness and holiness

but also in love and that God might give you the wisdom to express it not just today but every day

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