HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 671
1 KING S 2
page 301
rushed to the sacred tent and grabbed on to the
horns of the altar. 51 Word soon reached Solomon
that Adonijah had seized the horns of the altar
in fear, and that he was pleading, “Let King Solomon swear today that he will not kill me!”
52 Solomon replied, “If he proves himself to be
loyal, not a hair on his head will be touched. But
if he makes trouble, he will die.” 53 So King Solomon summoned Adonijah, and they brought
him down from the altar. He came and bowed
respectfully before King Solomon, who dismissed him, saying, “Go on home.”
David’s Final Instructions to Solomon
As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son
Solomon:
2 “I am going where everyone on earth must
someday go. Take courage and be a man. 3 Observe the requirements of the Lord your God,
and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law
of Moses so that you will be successful in all you
do and wherever you go. 4 If you do this, then the
Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He
told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should
and follow me faithfully with all their heart and
soul, one of them will always sit on the throne
of Israel.’
5 “And there is something else. You know
what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me when he
murdered my two army commanders, Abner son
of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He pretended
that it was an act of war, but it was done in a
time of peace,* staining his belt and sandals
with innocent blood.* 6 Do with him what you
think best, but don’t let him grow old and go to
his grave in peace.*
7 “Be kind to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead.
Make them permanent guests at your table,
for they took care of me when I fled from your
brother Absalom.
8 “And remember Shimei son of Gera, the man
from Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me with
a terrible curse as I was fleeing to Mahanaim.
When he came down to meet me at the Jordan
River, I swore by the Lord that I would not kill
him. 9 But that oath does not make him innocent. You are a wise man, and you will know
how to arrange a bloody death for him.*”
10 Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. 11 David had reigned
over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 Solomon
became king and sat on the throne of David his
father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
2
2:5a Or He murdered them during a time of peace as revenge
for deaths they had caused in time of war. 2:5b As in some
Greek and Old Latin manuscripts; Hebrew reads with the blood
of war. 2:6 Hebrew don’t let his white head go down to Sheol
in peace. 2:9 Hebrew how to bring his white head down to
Sheol in blood.
Solomon Establishes His Rule
13 One day Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, came to see Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother.
“Have you come with peaceful intentions?” she
asked him.
“Yes,” he said, “I come in peace. 14 In fact,
I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?” she asked.
15 He replied, “As you know, the kingdom was
rightfully mine; all Israel wanted me to be the
next king. But the tables were turned, and the
kingdom went to my brother instead; for that
is the way the Lord wanted it. 16 So now I have
just one favor to ask of you. Please don’t turn
me down.”
“What is it?” she asked.
17 He replied, “Speak to King Solomon on my
behalf, for I know he will do anything you request. Ask him to let me marry Abishag, the girl
from Shunem.”
18 “All right,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak
to the king for you.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to
speak on Adonijah’s behalf. The king rose from
his throne to meet her, and he bowed down before her. When he sat down on his throne again,
the king ordered that a throne be brought for his
mother, and she sat at his right hand.
20 “I have one small request to make of you,”
she said. “I hope you won’t turn me down.”
“What is it, my mother?” he asked. “You
know I won’t refuse you.”
• Success
1 K I N G S 2:3
David had appointed his son Solomon to
succeed him as king. Now David summarized how Solomon could be successful.
From David the strong military leader we
might expect military advice. From David
the musician and poet we might expect
an emphasis on enjoying life through
the arts. From David the king we might
expect the Five Principles of Effective
Leadership or an early version of How to
Win Friends and Influence People. But
instead, from David the spiritual leader
we hear the simple charge to follow all
of God’s ways.
When we are obedient, God helps us
with his wisdom, power, and resources.
But disobedience builds a wall between
a king—or anyone—and his true source
of success. Ultimately, our success
depends upon our willingness to submit
to the God who knows all and who loves
us completely.