I Kings 2
Dear RTB’ers,
Adonijah, Joab, Shimei – three men, three executions, in every case Solomon taking a measure of revenge against men who in one way or another had turned against his father. In so doing, he strengthened his own kingdom against internal struggles. Although David could have taken more severe action against these three men, he did not choose to do so. I wondered about that. David seemed weak in disciplining his sons Amnon and Absalom, both of whom could have deserved to be executed for their actions. So I wondered…
If we go far forward in our readings to I Chronicles 22 we see more words from David to Solomon than the few paragraphs we read today. Specifically, David charges Solomon to build a temple: David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood before Me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. … He shall build a house for My name. (I Chronicles 22:7-10; see also I Chr. 28:3) We don’t see these words from God back in II Samuel 7, where David first broached the idea of building a house for God, but evidently the notion that he had shed much blood must have stuck with David. Maybe that’s why he could not command capital punishment against men who fully deserved it? Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah, Joab, Shimei – all dead, but none by David’s hand or by his order. Was that because he was tired of shedding blood? Or was it that his shedding blood had prevented him from building that house for God? Any thoughts from you all, or am I just rambling?
Blessings.
See also: April 19 (2023) / I Kings 1-2.
Does anyone else feel confused about some of I Kings 1-2?
I also wonder at why David did not assert his authority earlier against evil men. Certainly they deserved death. It seems his lack of decisive action when Tamar was raped by her half brother eventually led to Absalom’s rebellion. And he never confronted Joab about killing two warriors in peacetime.
Did he see his own guilt and feel reluctant to act against Shimei? Did he feel the need to stay quiet because Joab was leader of the army? Surely he trusted God to keep protecting him?
But when Adonijah claims the throne without his father’s consent or blessing, David finally takes decisive action and makes sure Solomon is crowned king.
Solomon does the dirty work and sees that justice is finally done against Joab and Shimei. When Adonijah asks for a favor that would undermine Solomon’s reign, he acts decisively again.
So his reign has blood on it too. Yet David is the one described as “a man after God’s own heart” even though he was not allowed to build the temple because of his life of bloodshed.
(Guess we can discuss this on Sunday when we meet…)