Solomon must first tie up some loose ends left by his father. Then he must face his own collection of problems, for his arrogant half brother is not finished intriguing to take the crown, as well as others. Holding the throne required keeping a strong measure of political support. There were numerous elements in maintaining legitimacy, and each one could become a political football.
1 Kings 2:1-12 -- As David saw the gathering gloom of his death, he charged his son Solomon to carry out the things he never quite had the heart to do himself. Solomon is clearly wiser about justice, and sets the tone for balanced and passionless judging. David indicated manhood was marked by a strong commitment to obey God. The first order of business was executing Joab for his numerous crimes. The exact fate of Shimei, who had cursed David when fleeing Absalom's revolt, was left to Solomon. The family who supported David in Gilead, House of Barzillai, was elevated to the highest level of peerage. This position would include being tax exempt. We are then given another epitaph for David, paralleling 1 Chronicles 29. The rest of the story appears to be within the same day or the next from Solomon's ascension to the throne.
2:13-18 -- Bathsheba was now the Queen Mother in effect, a position far more than merely honorary. Even more than this, she had actively participated in Solomon's coronation against Adonijah's attempted soft coup. If there was anyone to whom Solomon might listen, it was his mother. Given the recent battle of wits and timing, Adonijah could be expected to harbor hostility. The dust had hardly settled when he came to her quarters as a supplicant for some favor. He lied in claiming his intent was peaceable. While not openly hostile, he was still after the throne.
He talked Bathsheba into making intervention on his behalf for the hand of Abishag, the maiden who had been David's bed-warmer. Recall that her place was honorable, serving as a nurse and not a sex partner. Still, she was officially a part of the harem. Having her as wife would increase Adonijah's claim to the throne. Once again, his actions echo those of his elder brother, Absalom. While Bathsheba appears to have taken this as merely a case of love and longing, it was an audacious maneuver, incredibly arrogant. While Abishag may have been a virgin, it was like asking for a key to Solomon's harem. This after being spared from a just execution.
2:19-25 -- Solomon's response to his mother's entrance was a generous outpouring of honor. Setting her on a throne in his presence was a de facto announcement that she had no equal in his realm. When she got around to discussing the reason for her visit, he promised nothing was too great for her. When Solomon heard it, he saw straight to the heart of the matter. Why didn't she just ask to have the crown handed over to Adonijah? That was clearly what he was after. And while at it, why not a full pardon for all the other conspirators? He was making it obvious her request was impossible, even for the King.
He swore an oath before God, to drive home the point that her request was against His will. With the customary shaking of his robes -- "May God to this to me if me if I don't..." -- he vowed to repeal the pardon he offered his half-brother. The insult was more against the divine order than against Solomon, and his life was forfeit that very day. He ordered his Chief of Police, Benaiah to carry it out immediately.
2:26-27 -- On a roll, Solomon deposed Abiathar from office and sent him home in shame. The office of High Priest was supposed to be for life; to lose it while still able to serve was a grave dishonor. Of course, this set a bad precedent, with the kings interfering in the office for political purposes later. His reprieve from death was because of his eager service to David when it was most dangerous.
2:28-35 -- As soon as Joab got wind of his doom, he fled to the Tabernacle. Solomon was notified Joab was gripping the horns of the Altar. Benaiah was dispatched again for an execution. When Joab refused to leave the sacred court of the Tabernacle claiming they would have to kill him there, Benaiah asked Solomon how to respond. Since the crimes of Joab had brought ritual desecration upon the throne, his execution would most surely be honoring to Jehovah. In this case, to shed his blood in the Tabernacle was not a sin. Thus, the order was to do what Joab had said. Once the office of Commanding General was vacant, Benaiah was promoted to it. Oddly, the body of Joab was buried on his own property, a mark of honor. At the same time, we are reminded that Zadok was made High Priest.
2:36-38 -- Solomon decided to place Shimei under house arrest inside Jerusalem. In his keen insight, he probably knew the man would not honor the conditions. As far as we can determine, Shimei would have been next in line for the throne, had not the scepter been taken from Benjamin. At any rate, Solomon was clearly showing a regal hesitance to execute capital judgment. The real threat here was that as long as Shimei was with his Benjamite supporters, there remained a risk of revolt over the shift of royalty from them to the Tribe of Judah. Some of the symbolism is lost here unless we realize that the Kidron Valley was the border between Judah and Benjamin. Shimei could gaze upon his homeland east from the city, but could not go there.
2:39-46 -- We jump forward three years to find Shimei having lost two slaves, apparently returning to their home in Gath. If all we had to go on was the recorded words of Solomon, we might find a loophole, because pursuing his slaves meant Shimei went west, farther from his tribal homeland, and didn't cross the Kidron Valley. When he returned, he was summoned to Court. Solomon reminded him of the solemn vow Shimei had taken, and how it had allowed him to escape the death penalty called for by cursing the King. His arrogance and spite toward the new royal line dared him to curse David, and dared him to ignore the conditions of his pardon. Solomon had given him enough rope to hang by his own arrogance. All his spite at the House of David was for nothing, as God had nominated it, not man. All rival claims to the throne were now gone.
3:1-3 -- It is difficult to be sure of the order of events in the next few chapters. Very early we see Solomon's preference for worldly wisdom over godly wisdom. He is also far more the womanizer than his father. It is said he walked in the guidelines established by his father, but at the same time suffered compromise spiritually. We don't know which Pharaoh he made treaty with, but the issue was bringing a pagan woman into the City of David, soon to be the City of God. That sort of thinking led him to join in some pagan celebrations from time to time. We know from hints here and there the Nation of Israel continued suffering from falsely identifying Jehovah with some of the old Canaanite gods, due to ritual similarities. In many ways, they honestly thought they were honoring the Lord, but they were not obeying the Law of Moses. Thus, while the Tabernacle had lost its central place in the religious attention of the people, it was hoped by the prophetic scribes of Samuel-Kings that the Temple would help things. We are given a hint that Solomon had expanded his Temple plans to include a new palace, and a far more extensive wall around the whole Temple Mount. This would more than double the land occupied by Jerusalem.
3:4-15 -- We note here for a moment that Gibeon lay within Benjamin. We are reminded and it was the ancient capital of the Gibeonite Confederacy. The city was actually down off the peak on the west slope of the hill. The hilltop remained bare and became an early symbol of Jehovah's presence after Joshua's victory there. During Samuel's service, it had been in constant use as a place of worship for Jehovah, often called simply "the High Place," and it is here we should picture the Tabernacle standing during David's reign. This would be a natural move also because the Gibeonites were more or less enslaved for the purpose of providing wood and water for the Tabernacle in the first place.
The occasion of Solomon's visit there is uncertain, but early in his reign he brought a huge sacrifice train of 1000 animals. All of them were whole burnt offerings, so this was an extravagant gift to honor Jehovah. This would take place in front of a massive crowd, as we are told in 2 Chronicles 1 this was a solemn assembly with the whole nation. Though the Ark of Covenant was still in Jerusalem, it seems, the bronze altar of sacrifice was at the Tabernacle. Given the likelihood such an extensive offering would take more than a single day to execute, it's no surprise Solomon slept at the door of the place that night.
During a dream God asked him what he most wished. At about 20 years of age then, Solomon felt keenly his lack of experience and understanding. Just about anything Solomon could have said would have been completely justified, but would not be justice. The substance of what Solomon asked was the ability to discern in every case what was good and bad, to have a heart that listened to God. Thus, he asked to be able to understand well enough to judge with true justice. The path to justice is a sharp mind that misses nothing, and never fails to grasp what is the core issue on every question. This was the wisdom Solomon asked. Because it was precisely the thing God most wanted him to have, all the other stuff was thrown in for good measure. We also note here that Solomon declared God had fulfilled His Covenant promise to Abraham. To celebrate further, when he got back to Jerusalem, Solomon presented several kinds of offerings, including wave offerings, before the Ark of Covenant and feasted with everyone serving in the Royal Court.
3:16-28 -- The best demonstration that God did indeed give Solomon a just mind was the story of the two harlots arguing over whose child had survived a bad night. Each claimed the living newborn was theirs, and that the other had rolled over and suffocated her son in the night. When Solomon offered to divide the living child with a sword, he was testing for the mother instinct. The liar would obviously not care much either way, having already lost one son through carelessness. The woman who conceded the case to save the infant was the real mother, and so Solomon declared it. This story was oft repeated even beyond the borders.
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Ed Hurst
24 October 2004
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