SOLOMON IS KING OF YISHARAL. DAVID IS STILL ALIVE BUT IS WEAK AND BEDRIDDEN. IT HAS TAKEN A SOMEWHAT CONTRIVED AND SELF-SERVING MEETING (ARRANGED BY NATHAN BUT BETWEEN BATHSHEBA AND DAVID) TO GET SOLOMON OFFICIALLY CROWNED AS KING BECAUSE APPARENTLY DAVID HAD DECIDED THAT HE JUST DIDN’T HAVE THE HEART TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE SON WHO WAS FIRST-IN-LINE BY BIRTHRIGHT FOR THE THRONE (ADONIJAH) AND SOLOMON (BATHSHEBA’S SON) WHO WAS YAHUAH’S CHOICE.
WE FIND THAT IT IS NOT UNUSUAL AS YAHUAH DEALS WITH HUMANKIND THAT (IN THIS STRANGE INEXPLICABLE WAY) HE IS ABLE TO ACHIEVE HIS WILL EVEN WHEN THOSE WHO ARE BRINGING IT ABOUT DON’T REALISE IT, OR THEY EVEN ACTIVELY OPPOSE IT. DAVID IS STILL REGARDED AS PERHAPS SECOND ONLY TO MESSIAH YAHUSHA (OR MAYBE TO MOSES) AS NEAREST TO THE FATHER’S HEART. YET DAVID, WHO KNOWS THAT SOLOMON IS YAHUAH’S ANOINTED, TRIES TO AVOID NAMING HIM KING ... BUT IT HAPPENS ANYWAY !
SOLOMON (1 KINGS 2)
The time came for David to die, so he gave these commands to Solomon, “My son I am about to die, like all men must. But you are growing stronger and must show yourself to be a man now. So, carefully obey all the commands of YAHUAH your Alahim. Carefully walk in His ways, obeying all His Laws, Commands, His Right-Rulings and His witnesses, as it is written in the Instructions of Moses. If you do this, you will be successful and wise with whatever you do and wherever you turn, so that YAHUAH keeps His promise about me and establishes His Word in our family. For He said, ‘If your sons carefully guard the way I tell them, sincerely, with all their heart and being, the King of Yisharal will always be a man from your family-line.’”
ALL KINGS WERE INSTRUCTED TO WRITE A COPY OF MOSES' LAWS IN A BOOK, READ IT, MEDITATE ON IT AND OBEY IT IN ORDER TO PROLONG THEIR LIFE IN THE LAND AND TO KEEP THEIR SEED ON THE THRONE.
SO HERE WE HAVE DAVID’S DEATHBED INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS SON AND SUCCESSOR, WHO CAN BE NO MORE THAN 20 YEARS OLD (PROBABLY IS IN HIS LATE TEENS). COMPARE THIS WITH DAVID WHO DIDN’T BECOME A KING UNTIL HE WAS AROUND 30 AND WAS MORE MATURE AND BETTER PREPARED. SO WHEN DAVID TELLS SOLOMON TO “SHOW YOURSELF A MAN”, IT IS TRULY ABOUT TELLING THIS TEENAGER THAT IT WAS VITAL FOR HIM TO GROW UP AND PUT BEHIND HIM THE WAYS OF YOUTH NOW THAT HE HAD THE FATE OF A NATION RESTING SQUARELY ON HIS SHOULDERS. BUT BECAUSE THIS WAS NO ORDINARY NATION BUT THE EARTHLY KINGDOM OF YAHUAH, AND BECAUSE SOLOMON WAS YAHUAH’S ANOINTED ONE, DIVINELY APPOINTED TO LEAD YAHUAH’S KINGDOM, THEN DAVID REMINDS YOUNG SOLOMON THAT SPIRITUAL AWARENESS, LOYALTY TO YAHUAH AND OBEDIENCE TO HIS TORAH WAS TO BE AT THE CORE OF HIS ADMINISTRATION. AND THAT IT WAS BY MEANS OF WALKING THIS PATH THAT SOLOMON WOULD ACHIEVE SUCCESS.
David also said, “You remember what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me. He killed two of the Commanders of Yisharal’s Army, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. Remember, it was during a time of peace when he spilled the blood that splattered onto his sword-belt and army boots. I should have punished him right there and then. So use your wisdom in this matter, but definitely don’t let him die peacefully of old age.
Also, be kind to the children of Barzillai from Gilead. Be friends with them, and let them eat at your table, because they helped me when I ran away from your brother Absalom.
And remember, Shimei son of Gera is still lurking around too. He is the Benjamite from Bahurim who cursed me when I ran away to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I made a promise to him before YAHUAH that I would not kill him, and I didn’t! But now, you shouldn’t leave him unpunished. You are a wise man. You will know what you must do, but don’t let him die peacefully of old age either and let him get away with everything he did!”
IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL IF DAVID’S SPEECH TO SOLOMON HAD ENDED AFTER THE FIRST BIT; BUT SADLY IT DOES NOT. THE SCRIPTURE DOES NOT HIDE FROM US THE UGLIER SIDE OF EVEN YAHUAH’S GREATEST HEROES. WE ARE WITNESSES TO ANOTHER SET OF INSTRUCTIONS THAT AREN’T SO HIGH-MINDED AND SET-APART, BUT THEY ARE FROM THE SINCERE AND LOVING CONCERN OF A FATHER TOWARDS HIS SON. THERE WERE GREAT POLITICAL DANGERS LURKING ALL AROUND SOLOMON AND DAVID DOUBTED THAT THIS YOUTHFUL MAN WHO STOOD AT HIS BEDSIDE WAS FULLY AWARE OF THEM OR KNEW HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM. SO NOW WE'VE JUST SEEN DAVID GIVE SOLOMON 2 ACTS OF REVENGE AND 1 ACT OF BLESSING UPON SOME MEN WHO WERE VERY CLOSE TO THE THRONE, OR REPRESENTED A THREAT TO THE THRONE, DURING DAVID’S REIGN.
One day Adonijah, the son of David (with Haggith) went to Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba. She asked him,
“Do you come in peace?”
“Yes, this is a peaceful visit. I've something to ask you.”
“Then speak.”
“You know that at one time the Kingdom was mine. All the people of Yisharal wanted me to be their King. But things have changed, and now my brother is the King. YAHUAH chose him to be King. But now I have one thing to ask you. Please don’t refuse me.”
“What do you want?”
“I know that King Solomon will do whatever you ask. So please ask him to let me marry Abishag, the woman from Shunem.”
“Very well, I will speak to the King.”
So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk with him. When the King saw her, he stood up, bowed before her, and then sat back down. He told some servants to bring another Throne for his mother, and she sat down at his right side. Bathsheba said to him,
“I have one small thing to ask you my son. Please don’t refuse me.”
“Ask whatever you want, Mum. I won’t refuse you.”
“Let your brother Adonijah marry Abishag, the woman from Shunem.”
Then David slept alongside his fathers (died) and was buried in the City of David. King David ruled Yisharal 40 years. He ruled seven years in Hebron and 33 years in Yerushalim. Now Solomon sat on the Throne of His Father David, as King, establishing complete and firm control of his Kingdom.
('SLEEPING ALONGSIDE ONES FATHERS' IS A HANG-OVER FROM ANCESTOR WORSHIP) ...
WHY WOULD SHE ASK IF HE'D COME IN PEACE? BECAUSE THE RIVALRY BETWEEN ADONIJAH’S MOTHER’S FAMILY AND BATHSHEBA’S FAMILY WAS ONGOING EVEN IF IT HAD ONLY BEEN SIMMERING JUST UNDER THE SURFACE. BECAUSE OF THE LIBERAL ACQUISITION OF WIVES AND CONCUBINES, THE SONS BORN TO A KING WERE ACTUALLY MOSTLY LOYAL TO THEIR MOTHER’S FAMILIES. IN OTHER WORDS, WHILE THEY ALL HAD THE SAME FATHER (THE KING) WHAT DIVIDED THEM WAS THAT THEY WERE BORN TO A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT MOTHERS. SO THEY WERE INVARIABLY FAR MORE CLOSELY TIED TO THEIR MOTHER’S SIDE OF THE FAMILY THAN TO THEIR FATHER’S.
DAVID HAD NOT ADDED HIS NURSE ABISHAG TO HIS HAREM SO IN SOME RESPECTS THIS VIRGIN WAS STILL FAIR GAME, AND ANY KIND OF PROHIBITION AGAINST MARRYING THE FORMER WIFE OR CONCUBINE OF A KING DIDN’T APPLY. BATHSHEBA OBVIOUSLY SAW NO HARM IN IT AND PERHAPS THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A WAY TO MEND A SERIOUS RIFT BETWEEN SOLOMON AND HIS HALF-BROTHER - SOMETHING THAT WAS DANGEROUS FOR BOTH SIDES. BUT THIS WAS CLEARLY A CLUMSY ATTEMPT TO UNBLOCK WHAT HAD BEEN A CLOSED ROAD TO THE THRONE. SOLOMON LOVED HIS MOTHER; BUT HE WASN’T GOING TO GRANT HER REQUEST SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THAT FACT.
“Mum! Why are you asking me to give Abishag to Adonijah? Why don’t you just ask me to give him the whole damn kingdom! After all, he’s my older brother, and both Abiathar the High-Priest and Joab support him! By YAHUAH, I swear I’ll make Adonijah pay for this with his life! YAHUAH made me the King of Yisharal, not him! He gave me the Throne of my father David. YAHUAH kept his promise and gave the Kingdom to me and my family. Now, as surely as YAHUAH lives, I swear Adonijah will die today!”
So King Solomon gave the command to Benaiah, and he went out and killed Adonijah right then and there.
SOLOMON INSTANTLY UNDERSTOOD THE MOTIVATION BEHIND ADONIJAH’S WANT OF ABISHAG, SOMETHING HIS MOTHER APPARENTLY DID NOT. ADONIJAH ONLY WANTED TO MARRY ABISHAG TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR CLAIMING THE THRONE AGAIN. WHILE THE INNER CIRCLE OF DAVID’S COURT KNEW THAT ABISHAG WAS BUT A SPECIAL SERVANT FOR DAVID TO HELP HIM THROUGH HIS LAST DAYS, THE CITIZENS OF YISHARAl WOULD NOT HAVE SEEN IT THAT WAY. FOR THEM SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN A DE FACTO WIFE OR CONCUBINE AND THEREFORE PART OF DAVID’S HAREM. IT WAS USUAL FOR A NEW KING TO INHERIT SOME OR ALL OF THE FORMER KING’S HAREM; BUT TO MARRY THE WOMAN THAT (TO MANY WOULD HAVE SEEMED CLOSEST TO DAVID’S HEART) WOULD HAVE BEEN ALL BUT PROOF THAT ADONIJAH HAD A RIGHT TO THE THRONE; FOR OTHERS IT WOULD HAVE INDICATED AN OUTRIGHT CLAIM TO POWER. SUCH A REQUEST TO MARRY ABISHAG COULD ONLY BE TO DIVIDE THE LOYALTIES OF THE PEOPLE AND THUS START A CIVIL WAR.
Then King Solomon said to Abiathar the High-Priest, “I should kill you too, but I’ll let you go back to your home in Anathoth. I won’t kill you now because you helped carry the Ark of the Master YAHUAH while marching with my father David. And I know that you shared in the hard times with my father also.” So Solomon told Abiathar that he could not continue to serve as a High-Priest of YAHUAH anymore. (HE WAS OF THE WRONG LINE ANYWAY) This happened as YAHUAH said it would when he told Eli the priest what would happen to him and his family.
(THEY WERE FROM THE LINE OF AARON’S YOUNGEST SON, NOT THE OLDEST AS COMMANDED).
So Benaiah went back to the King and told him what Joab had said. So the King commanded Benaiah, “Then do as he says! Kill him right there and take him out to bury him. Then my family and I will be free of Joab’s guilt from killing innocent people. Joab killed two men who were much better than he was. He killed Abner son of Ner, the Commander of the Army of Yisharal, and Amasa son of Jether, the commander of the Army of Judah. And he did this without my father’s knowledge. But now YAHUAH will punish Joab for the men he killed. He and his family will always be guilty for their deaths. But YAHUAH will bring peace to David, his descendants, his family of Kings, and his Kingdom forever.” So Benaiah son of Jehoiada killed Joab, and he was buried near his home in the desert. Solomon then made Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) the Commander of the Army in Joab’s place. Solomon also made Zadok the new High-Priest in Abiathar’s place.
Joab had supported Adonijah, but not Absalom. But when Joab heard what happened to Abiathar, he was frightened and ran to the Praise Tent of YAHUAH that David had built, to hold onto the horns of the Altar. Someone told King Solomon that Joab was at the Altar in YAHUAH’s Tent. So Solomon ordered Benaiah to go and kill him. Benaiah went into YAHUAH’s Tent and said to Joab, “The King says, ‘Come out now!’” But Joab answered, “No, I will die right here.”
MURDER IS AN ESPECIALLY SERIOUS CRIME. UNPUNISHED MURDER DEFILES THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND OF THE COMMUNITY IT OCCURS IN. IN FACT THE CONGREGATION OF YAHUAH (THE COMMUNITY) IS RESPONSIBLE TO YAHUAH TO SEE TO IT THAT RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE (ACCOMPLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF MOSES) IS CARRIED OUT. HOWEVER SINCE THE ADMINISTRATION OF YISHARAL'S GOVERNMENT CHANGED FROM THE DAYS OF MOSES AND THEN OF THE JUDGES (SINCE SAUL WAS MADE KING), AND THE GOVERNMENT OF YISHARAL BECAME A MONARCHY, THEN IT FALLS UPON THE SHOULDERS OF THE KING OF YISHARAL TO ENSURE THAT JUSTICE IS ADMINISTERED ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF YAHUAH. SO SOLOMON SAYS THAT BY BENAIAH KILLING JOAB (EVEN AS HE IS HOLDING ONTO THE HORNS OF THE MOST SACRED ALTAR OF SACRIFICE) THEN DAVID, DAVID’S OFFSPRING AND HIS HOUSE (HIS FAMIL & HIS DYNASTY) SHALL BE AT PEACE WITH YAHUAH, MEANING THAT THE BLOOD-GUILT THAT IS CURRENTLY LYING UPON DAVID’S FAMILY FOR NOT EXECUTING JUSTICE UPON JOAB WILL FINALLY BE LIFTED.
Shimei answered, “Yes, my king. I will obey you.” So Shimei lived in Yerushalim for a long time. But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away. They went to King Achish of Gath, who was the son of Maacah. Shimei heard that his slaves were in Gath, so he saddled his donkey and went to King Achish at Gath to find them. He found them there and brought them back home.
But someone told King Solomon that Shimei had left Yerushalim and gone to Gath and back. So Solomon sent for him and said, “I made you promise in YAHUAH’s Name not to leave Yerushalim. And I warned you that if you went anywhere, you would die. And you agreed to what I said. You said that you would obey me. So why didn’t you obey me? Why did you break your promise to YAHUAH? You know all the bad things you did to my father David. Now YAHUAH will punish you for it. But YAHUAH will bless me and keep David’s Throne before him forever.” Then the King ordered Benaiah to kill Shimei, and he did. So Solomon had full and complete control of his Kingdom.
MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT SOLOMON CARRIED OUT THE DEATH-SENTENCE ON (WHILE A THREAT TO HIS FAMILY DYNASTY AND REIGN - AS WELL WHAT THEY DID TO HIS FATHER DAVID) ... HADN;R ACTUALLY COMMITED A CRIME WORTHY OF DEATH ACCORDING TO TORAH ... WHICH WOULD NOW MAKE SOLOMON BLOOD-GUILTY IF THIS WAS THE CASE? WE'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE WHAT YAHUAH THINKS OF THIS BEHAVIOUR DOWN THE TRACK, AND OBSERVE WHETHER THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES THAT WILL AFFECTS SOLOMON'S REIGN.
"And the reign was established in the hand of Shalomoh".
H E B R E W U N D E R S T A N D I N G :
Search results for "ESTABLISH":
539 to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse, to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; to go to the right hand:--hence, assurance, believe, bring up, establish, + fail, be faithful (of long continuance, steadfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified), nurse, put trust in, turn to the right.
553 to be alert, physically (on foot) or mentally (in courage):--confirm, be courageous (of good courage, stedfastly minded, strong, stronger), establish, fortify, harden, increase, prevail, strengthen (self), make strong (obstinate, speed).
3245 to set (literally or figuratively); intensively, to found; reflexively, to sit down together, i.e. settle, consult:--appoint, take counsel, establish, (lay the, lay for a) found(-ation), instruct, lay, ordain, set, sure.
3322 to place permanently:--establish, leave, make, present, put, set, stay.
3427 to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle), (down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry.
3559 to be erect (i.e. stand perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix, prepare, apply), or figurative (appoint, render sure, proper or prosperous):--certain(-ty), confirm, direct, faithfulness, fashion, fasten, firm, be fitted, be fixed, frame, be meet, ordain, order, perfect, (make) preparation, prepare (self), provide, make provision, (be, make) ready, right, set (aright, fast, forth), be stable, (e-)stablish, stand, tarry, very deed.
5324 to station, in various applications (literally or figuratively):--appointed, deputy, erect, establish, lay, officer, pillar, present, rear up, set (over, up), settle, sharpen, establish, (make to) stand(-ing, still, up, upright), best state.
5564 to prop (literally or figuratively); reflexively, to lean upon or take hold of (in a favorable or unfavorable sense):--bear up, establish, (up-)hold, lay, lean, lie hard, put, rest self, set self, stand fast, stay (self), sustain.
5582 to suport (mostly figurative):--comfort, establish, hold up, refresh self, strengthen, be upholden.
YAHUSHA WANTS TO ESTABLISH US FIRMLY IN HIM: IN HIS VOICE AND COUNCIL ONLY, PUTTING ALL ELSE ASIDE AND BEING NOT ONLY FULLY SATISFIED, BUT COMPLETELY BESOTTED AND IN LOVE WITH HIM ABOVE ALL ELSE IN OUR LIVES AS THE FOUNDATION, THE CORE AND THE SEED OF OUR EXISTENCE AND STRENGTH. HE WANTS OUR CONSTANT ATTENTION AND LOVE ... AND IF WE GIVE IT TO HIM ... WE TOO WILL HAVE HIS REIGN ESTABLISHED IN US !