1 Kings 1-2

1 Kings 1-2

I. Introduction

1. In the Hebrew Old Testament, 1 & 2 Kings was a single book that was a continuation of 1 & 2 Samuel.
   1. The focus of Kings is to follow the reign of the kings of Israel.
   2. 1 & 2 Samuel focused on the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.
   3. 1 & 2 Kings will survey the reigns of more than forty kings.
2. When 1-2 Kings was written.
   1. The author records Jehoiachin’s release from prison (560 BC) in 2 Kings 25 and seems to have been written before the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile (538 BC) as there is no mention of such a significant event.
   2. Authors who have been suggested for penning this book are Ezra, Ezekiel, or Jeremiah.
      
      “The statement in both 1 and 2 Kings that a nationwide lack of righteousness had existed ‘to this day’ (1 Kings 12:19; 2 Kings 17:23, 34, 41) suggests that most of the events of these books were recorded in the final years of the southern kingdom, c. 630-600 b.c.”^[1]
      
      
   3. 1 Kings deals with the period between 971-852 BC.
3. These books were written to explain and warn of the consequences of turning from the Lord as well as the blessings that come when God’s people obey.
   
   “The author probably made use of court records such as The Book of the Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41), The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel (1 Kings 14:19), and The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah (1 Kings 14:29).”^[2]
   
   
4. This book is most likely written during the Babylonian exile.
   1. As the exiles sat wondering about their homeland and the promises of God the book was penned.
   2. This would answer a couple question: Why are we here? What mistakes did our fathers make?
5. Chapters 1-2
   1. David is at the end of his life.
   2. In the first two chapters we see another couple attempts by David’s son Adonijah in place of David’s other son Solomon.
6. Chapter 3
   1. We see the installation of Solomon as King and the favor of the Lord upon Him.

II. Ch 1

1. vv. 1-4 David nears death.
   
   1 Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. ² Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.” ³ So they sought for a lovely 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 lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.^[3]
   
   1. David is about 70 years old at this time and is soon to pass from this life to the next.
   2. Abishag was taken as a concubine for David but for the purpose of bringing warmth to his body not pleasure.
      1. This practice, while strange to us, was considered by Josephus as a legitimate medical treatment.
      2. I am not sure why this virgin had to be beautiful or why David couldn’t have one of his wives or other concubines do this.
   3. David is a man whose involvement with women caused much pain in the family.
      1. This will be the case with Abishag as well.
2. vv. 5-11 Adonijah exalts himself to the throne of his father.
   
   ⁵ Then 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 (And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.) ⁷ Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed and helped Adonijah. ⁸ But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah. ⁹ And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. ¹⁰ But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.
   
   1. Adonijah, as the eldest, assumes that the throne is his and joins with Abiathar the priest and Joab David’s army commander.
      1. This would give both military and religious sanction of Adonijah along with being the eldest son.
      2. Evidently Adonijah was not familiar with the truth that position comes from God.
         
         Psalm 75:6 ⁶ For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south.
         
         
      3. While David failed in many ways in this regard, he is the model for all people.
   2. Adonijah was aware that his actions (vv. 8, 11) were not fully supported.
      1. God had made it clear that David’s son Solomon would be heir to the throne.
   3. So, we see that even at his death he was still experiencing turmoil in house.
3. vv. 11-21 Bathsheba petitions David to deal with Adonijah.
   
   ¹¹ So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? ¹² “Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. ¹³ “Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ ¹⁴ “Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.” ¹⁵ So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) ¹⁶ And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?” ¹⁷ Then she said to him, “My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your maidservant, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ ¹⁸ “So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know about it. ¹⁹ “He has sacrificed oxen and 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 as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹ “Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders.”
   
   1. Nathan encourages Bathsheba to inform David of Adonijah’s treachery.
   2. Bathsheba appeals in v. 17 to the promise he made that Solomon would reign.
   3. v. 21 Bathsheba is fearful that if Adonijah does become king that Solomon and her safety would be in jeopardy.
4. vv. 22-27 Nathan informs David of Adonijah’s action.
   
   ²² And just then, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. ²³ So they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. ²⁴ And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? ²⁵ “For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶ “But he has not invited me — me your servant — nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. ²⁷ “Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
   
   1. Nathan entered while Bathsheba was still present to inform David that trouble was underway.
   2. Now David was given the same report from at least two witnesses.
5. vv. 28-40 David has Solomon anointed as king.
   1. vv. 28-31 David assures Bathsheba that he will name Solomon as king.
      
      ²⁸ Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. ²⁹ And the king took an oath and said, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, ³⁰ “just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I certainly will do this day.” ³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, “Let my lord King David live forever!”
      
      
   2. vv. 32-39 David calls Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah to help in appointing Solomon as king.
      
      ³² And 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 take him down to Gihon. ³⁴ “There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵ “Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” ³⁶ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! May the LORD God of my lord the king say so too. 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, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. ³⁹ Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” ⁴⁰ And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.
      
      
   3. v. 40 The nation responds and acknowledges David’s appointment of Solomon as co-regent.
6. vv. 41-53 Adonijah’s coup falls apart.
   1. v. 41 Adonijah is informed by Jonathan that Solomon has been proclaimed and anointed king.
      
      ⁴¹ Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said, “Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?” ⁴² While he was still speaking, there came Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him, “Come in, for you are a prominent man, and bring good news.” ⁴³ Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴ “The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. ⁴⁵ “So 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 “Also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. ⁴⁷ “And moreover the king’s servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ Then the king bowed himself on the bed. ⁴⁸ “Also the king said thus, ‘Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!’ “
      
      
   2. v. 49 Adonijah’s foolish move backfires.
      
      ⁴⁹ So all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one went his way.
      
      1. In the beginning, these plans sounded solid but now the reality is you can’t fight and win against God.
         
         Proverbs 19:21 There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel — that will stand.
         
         Proverbs 21:30 (NLT) Human plans, no matter how wise or well advised, cannot stand against the LORD.
         
      2. Much better to follow the instruction of the Lord.
         
         Proverbs 3:5-7 ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. ⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
         
         
      3. When his guest came, they all knew that this was not right.
         1. If the plan and party were righteous why weren’t Solomon, Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah present.
         2. If you get invited to a meeting and it people are noticeably not present or not welcome that is your cue to inquire further.
   3. vv. 50-53 Solomon shows mercy to Adonijah.
      
      ⁵⁰ Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. ⁵¹ And it was told Solomon, saying, “Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ” ⁵² Then Solomon said, “If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” ⁵³ So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
      
      1. David had taught his son the importance of showing mercy.
      2. God loves to show mercy.
         
         Psalm 86:5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
         
         Micah 7:18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. 19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.
         
   4. How good it is to know that if we come to the Lord in repentance, He is ready to forgive, pardon, and show grace.
   5. We should be conduits for the mercy of God to flow to others.
      1. We often do this out of obedience, but God delights in showing mercy.

III. Ch 2

1. vv. 1-9 David’s parting counsel to Solomon.
   1. vv. 1-4 Personal exhortation to godliness.
      
      2:1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: ² “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. ³ “And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, 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 fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
      
      1. David lets his son know that the death he is facing all people will face.
      2. Be strong and act like a man.
         1. Don’t be afraid to make the hard and right decision in the new responsibilities you are taking on.
         2. Every Christian must be willing to fortify themselves spiritually, emotionally, and morally.
         3. We live in a fallen and broken world that thinks unrighteousness is righteousness.
      3. v. 3 Walk in obedience.
         1. God desires for His people to live in obedience to His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
         2. We express our love for the Lord through our obedience.
      4. v. 4 Enjoy the blessing of obedience.
         1. The path of blessing is before us.
         2. We can know the favor and kindness of the Lord by walking uprightly.
   2. vv. 5-9 instruction for dealing with certain people.
      
      ⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. ⁶ “Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace. ⁷ “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother. ⁸ “And see, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and 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 and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.” 
      
      1. vv. 5-6 Joab needs to be held accountable.
      2. v. 7 Show kindness to Barzillai’s sons.
      3. vv. 8 -9 Shimei cursed David and wanted to see Saul’s line reestablished on the throne at the time of Absalom’s rebellion.
2. vv. 10-12 David goes the way of the earth.
   
   ¹⁰ So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. ¹¹ The period that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. ¹² Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.
   
   1. Dear believer, don’t fret or fear the day you go to be with the Lord.
      
      2 Corinthians 5:8 ⁸ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
      
3. vv. 13-25 Adonijah’s folly continues.
   
   ¹³ Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably.” ¹⁴ Moreover he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Say it.” ¹⁵ Then he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from the LORD. ¹⁶ “Now I ask one petition of you; do not deny me.” And she said to him, “Say it.” ¹⁷ Then he said, “Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.” ¹⁸ So Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak for you to the king.” ¹⁹ Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set for the king’s mother; so she sat at his right hand. ²⁰ Then she said, “I desire one small petition of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.” ²¹ So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.” ²² And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also — for he is my older brother — for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.” ²³ Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life! ²⁴ “Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a house for me, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!” ²⁵So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.
   
   1. His request for Abishag was another attempt to declare some type of claim to the throne.
   2. v. 25 Adonijah is put to death.
      
      “Adonijah was the final payment of the fourfold debt David had incurred (2 Sam. 12:5-6). The baby died, Absalom killed Amnon, Joab killed Absalom, and Benaiah executed Adonijah. David paid for his sins fourfold.”^[4]
4. vv. 26-27 Abiathar is banished to Anathoth.
   
   ²⁶ And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields, for you are deserving of death; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and because you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted.”  ²⁷ So Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, that he might fulfill the word of the LORD which He spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.
   
   
5. vv. 28-33 Joab is put to death.
   
   ²⁸ Then news came to Joab, for Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the LORD, and took hold of the horns of the altar. ²⁹ And King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the LORD; there he is, by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” ³⁰ So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said to him, “Thus says the king, ‘Come out!’ ” And he said, “No, but I will die here.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” ³¹ Then the king said to him, “Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed. ³² “So the LORD will return his blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword — Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah — though my father David did not know it. ³³ “Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the LORD.”
   
   
6. v. 34 Benaiah becomes Solomon’s commander.
   
   ³⁴ So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
   
   
7. v. 35 Zadok replaces Abiathar as priest.
   
   ³⁵ The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.
   
   
8. vv. 36-46 Shimei is put to death.
   
   ³⁶ Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. ³⁷ “For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.” ³⁸ And Shimei said to the king, “The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. ³⁹ Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to Achish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Look, your slaves are in Gath!” ⁴⁰ So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. ⁴¹ And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. ⁴² Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ ⁴³ “Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I gave you?” ⁴⁴ The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know, as your heart acknowledges, all the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the LORD will return your wickedness on your own head. ⁴⁵ “But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever.” ⁴⁶ So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
   1. Both Shimei and Adonijah were shown mercy and tested to see what was in their heart.
   2. In both cases, their pride was revealed and led to their downfall.

IV. Conclusion

1. Pray to be strong and courageous fully following the commands of the Lord.
2. Thank the Lord for the hope of everlasting life.
3. Pray for those facing life-threatening sicknesses to be filled with faith in the hope of heaven.
4. Thank the Lord for the unity at CCL. Pray for continued unity.
5. Ask the Lord for wisdom and direction for your life/family.
6. Pray for the leadership of the Church to walk in the wisdom of the Lord.

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[1] Harold L. Willmington, ed., Willmington’s Bible Handbook, (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1997), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “1 Kings.”

[2] Paul R. House, New American Commentary – Volume 8: 1, 2 Kings, (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1995), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 109.

[3]  All Scripture quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

[4] Warren Wiersbe, Be Responsible, (Colorado Springs: Victor, 2002), 18.