1 Kings 2: 1 – 46
The Teflon Don
2 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.’ 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.” 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. 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!” 25 So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died. 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. 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.” 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. 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. 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.
John Joseph Gotti Jr. (October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an Italian-American gangster who became boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. Gotti and his brothers grew up in poverty and turned to a life of crime at an early age. Gotti quickly rose to prominence, becoming one of the crime family's biggest earners and a protégé of Gambino family underboss Aniello Dellacroce, operating out of the Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens.
Early in his crime career, following the FBI's indictment of members of Gotti's crew for selling narcotics, Gotti began to fear that he and his brother would be killed by Gambino boss Paul Castellano for selling drugs. As this fear continued to grow, and amidst growing dissent over the leadership of the crime family, Gotti organized the murder of Castellano in December 1985 and took over the family shortly thereafter, leaving Gotti as the boss of what has been described as America's most powerful crime syndicate, and one that made hundreds of millions of dollars a year from criminal activities.
At his peak, Gotti was one of the most powerful and dangerous crime bosses in the country. During his era, he became widely known for his outspoken personality and flamboyant style, which gained him favor with some of the public. While his peers avoided attracting attention, especially from the media, Gotti became known as "The Dapper Don" for his expensive clothes and personality in front of news cameras. He was later given the nickname "The Teflon Don" after three high-profile trials in the 1980s resulted in his acquittal, though it was later revealed that the trials had been tainted by jury tampering, juror misconduct, and witness intimidation. Law enforcement authorities continued gathering evidence against Gotti that helped lead to his downfall.
Gotti's underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano is credited with the FBI's success in finally convicting Gotti. In 1991, Gravano agreed to turn state's evidence and testify for the prosecution against Gotti after hearing the boss making several disparaging remarks about Gravano on a wiretap that implicated them both in several murders. In 1992, Gotti was convicted of five murders, conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, illegal gambling, extortion, and loansharking. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole and was transferred to United States Penitentiary, Marion in southern Illinois. While in prison, Gotti died of throat cancer on June 10, 2002, at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
Today we are going to read about the original ‘Teflon Don’. He also had avoided three attempts to convict him for murder and other capital crimes. By the way his name was Joab.
He had murdered a guy by the name of Abner. However, due to an old technicality of ‘The avenger of blood’ rule he could not be prosecuted.
Joab’s second crime of murder in which he was not prosecuted was when he killed David’s treasonous son Absalom. In a failed coup attempt Joab couldn’t be convicted in the slaying of David’s son because it happened during the civil war which Absalom imitated.
Then we come across the third capital crime of murder of the newly appointed General of Israel under the rule of David. His name was Amasa. Having been notified that the person who killed his son was Joab. David appointed his rebellious son’s military general to be his new general in replacement of Joab.
Right away there was another attempted coup, this time by a man name Sheba. David instructed his new military commander to gather the troops and squash the uprising. Due to unknown reasons Amasa did not follow the king’s orders. So, Joab took matters into his own hands and killed his competition. Again because of the potential of not having enough proof to convict Joab of murder since he was acting in squelching a rebellion there was no adequate way to convict Joab of the crime of murder.
However, like the situation with John Gotti, Joab came finally to be called to account for all his past crimes when he naively joined in another attempted coup by another one of David’s sons by the name of Adonijah.
For this act he was sentenced to death for treason.
In his final charge to Solomon David was concerned firstly that Solomon walk fully in accordance to with the commands and statutes of Yahweh as laid out in the Law of Moses, and linked this with the covenant promise concerning the permanence of his dynasty as given in 2 Samuel 7. Both now formed part of the covenant of YHWH. Faithfulness to Yahweh and His promises was to be paramount. He then followed this advice up with further advice in respect of Joab and Shimei on the one hand, and the sons of Barzillai on the other. Joab and Shimei were to be watched because they would ever pose a danger to the throne, while the loyalty of the sons of Barzillai was being confirmed and should be rewarded. Having given his final charge David then died, and the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.
2 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;
David was now aware that his death was fast approaching. He urged Solomon in terms reminiscent of Scripture to be faithful to God’s Instruction. His opening words were based on Joshua 23.14, ‘and now I am about to go the way of all the earth’, and his following words were very reminiscent of those spoken to Joshua by God in Joshua 1.7, “Be strong and very courageous that you may observe to do according to all the Law which Moses commanded you --- that you may prosper wherever you go”. It is clear then that David had the injunctions in Joshua mainly in mind. He was well versed in the Scriptures. But the words are fashioned by him to suit the present situation, being altered and expanded on.
Solomon can therefore be seen as being called on to fulfil the requirements for the ideal king as outlined in Deuteronomy 17.18-20.
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.’
And what David had in mind was that by Solomon walking in the way that he had described Yahweh would establish the word that he had spoken concerning David and his house. It reflects the promise of the everlasting kingship.
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.
David then went on to give advice about individual matters where he felt that his experience could be a guide to his son. David was aware that Joab had supported Adonijah, and he knew perfectly well what Joab was capable of. He feared that a man who could catch out two experienced generals and kill them in cold blood would think little of doing the same to a less experienced king who was getting in the way of his ambitions. And he knew that while he had himself known that he could always count on Joab’s loyalty, because there had been a bond forged between them by the hardship which they had suffered together, he could not be so confident that Solomon would be able to do so, especially as Joab would know that by supporting Adonijah he had, as far as Solomon was concerned, almost certainly said goodbye to any ambitions for the future he might have had. David was also aware that Joab, found in that situation, would be a very dangerous man, a man who could stoop to anything.
Joab had had a good excuse in both cases. In the case of Abner he could justifiably claim that he was avenging the shedding of the blood of his brother. And that was unquestionably true. He was strictly within his rights to slay the killer of his brother when that killer had not sought ‘refuge’ and a fair trial. Especially when the killing had taken place in a civil war provoked by Abner.
In the case of Amasa he had no doubt claimed with some justification that Amasa had been acting treacherously. And there can be no doubt that Amasa’s failure to do his duty had merited severe punishment. But in both cases, as both he and David well knew, he had acted over and above what he had known David wanted him to do, and partly did it because the two men stood in the way of his ambition to continue as commander-in-chief of all Israel. Both men had come openly to make peace with David and Joab, and Joab’s response had been to strike them down. He had ‘shed the blood of war in peace’ without trial. Technically he had been but, as Joab had been aware, both men had been under David’s protection, and the result was that Joab’s actions had thus brought dishonor on David and had revealed what kind of a man Joab, was. And the result was that the girdle that held his sword was stained with blood that could never be washed off, as were the shoes on his feet. He was a man of blood. He was a man who shed blood and trod blood wherever he went, and that could not be good news for Solomon. Thus, the warning.
6 Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.
He therefore advised Solomon to act wisely in accordance with the situation as he knew it and, as soon as he reckoned that he had acceptable grounds, to ensure that Joab was executed. He was not to allow him to reach old age or die naturally for he was too dangerous an enemy to have around. He would need to be watched carefully and dealt with the moment he stepped out of line (an attitude that Joab himself had demonstrated towards others)
There is no good reason for doubting that David did give this advice. No one knew Joab like David did, and he was clearly fearful of what he knew Joab to be capable of, especially as, by siding with Adonijah without consulting the king, he had shown whose side he was on (that too had been a betrayal of David). And he wanted Solomon to know it as well. He was not going into details on the rights and wrongs of the matter. He was simply indicating what kind of a man Joab was. He wanted Solomon to be fully aware that Joab was a man of blood, and that now that he had revealed his hand as a supporter of Adonijah it could only act as a danger signal for Solomon. It indicated that Joab had no sense of loyalty towards Solomon, in contrast with his attitude towards David.
In view of Joab’s loyal, if somewhat stained, service to David these words of David might appear somewhat surprising. But we should note that David was not calling for his immediate execution. He was simply warning Solomon that here was a man who needed to be closely watched and executed when (as he had no doubt that he would) he stepped out of line. For we must remember that Joab had been commander-in-chief of the hosts of Israel for many years, and still was, and was thus a man of great influence and power in the kingdom. He was thus capable of doing great harm. He was the kind of man who, if he did not feel a sense of total loyalty, would be an ever-constant danger, able almost to stir up rebellion at will. That was why Solomon, while leaving him in his exalted position, was to be sure that he watched him carefully and acted decisively if he strayed out of line.
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.
In contrast to his advice concerning Joab was his advice concerning the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, the man who had supplied him and his men with provisions when they had sought refuge from Absalom’s rebellion in Mahanaim (2 Samuel 17.27-28). It was Solomon’s solemn duty to show them kindness (literally ‘covenant love’) for David’s sake, by allowing them to continue having the privilege of sitting at the king’s table when David had gone, because of the loyalty and kindness that they had shown to David, a loyalty and kindness which had had no strings attached.
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.’
David’s thoughts then turned to another very dangerous man, and that was Shimei, the man who had cursed him when he was fleeing from Absalom (2 Samuel 16.5-14). He was clearly conscious that Shimei’s hatred still smoldered behind what might have appeared to be a compliant attitude, and that once he was gone Shimei would again become a danger to the kingdom. He knew full well the powerful influence that Shimei had among the Benjaminite’s (2 Samuel 19.16-17). Here was a man who would undoubtedly seek to take advantage of the young king’s inexperience, so that while he lived the Benjaminite’s as a whole would be constantly stirred against Solomon. He was another who had proved that he could not be trusted.
David’s own hands had been tied about him, by the oath that he had sworn when Shimei had come to meet him at the Jordan and had welcomed him back accompanied by a full unit of warriors. And he had not had any fear that he could control him, and had no doubt kept a watchful eye on him. But it was a very different matter for the young Solomon. He did not want Solomon to have to be watching his back all the time, and he was all too aware that Shimei was totally untrustworthy and unreliable. Furthermore, his own oath did not apply to Solomon.
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.”
Thus, Solomon was not to look on Shimei as an ‘innocent’, as though there was no guilt in him, for he was guilty through and through. And being a wise man Solomon would know what he ought to do to him whenever the opportunity arose, because he was a latent rebel who could never be trusted. It was true that he was already old (‘his hoar head’), but Solomon was not to make that an excuse for delay. He was to arrange for his execution as soon as he had legal reasons for doing it. It should be noted that in the case of both Joab and Shimei David did not order their immediate execution. He simply warned Solomon of what dangerous men they were, and advised him to watch them like a hawk, and if the time ever did come when it became necessary, to deal with them in his wisdom as soon as there was any sign of disloyalty.
10 So David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.
Shortly after giving this advice to his son David died. ‘Slept with his fathers’ simply means the same thing as ‘gathered to his fathers’ in Genesis. It indicated that he had ‘joined’ them in the grave.
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.
I find it quite interesting that the Holy Spirit divides up the reign of David to 33 and 7 years. The number 7 is known as ‘perfection’. The number 33 was the age of our Lord Jesus Christ when He gave His life for us on the cross.
12 Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.
One important lesson of this passage is that whatever we are appointed to do we should seek in it to serve God with all our being and ensure that we do it in a way that is pleasing to him.
A second lesson we learn from this is that we should ensure that we take the trouble to warn one another where there might be danger threatening of which someone might be unaware, in our case it refers especially to spiritual danger. Many a person could have been saved from grief if they had been duly warned of the dangers of sin and of the untrustworthiness of others.
This section commences with a planned rebellion against Solomon’s kingdom on behalf of three people and closes with two rebellions and a potential rebellion against Solomon’s kingdom.
.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.”
Adonijah’s approach to Solomon’s mother clearly indicated that he was wanting to obtain something that he knew that Solomon on his own would not grant. But he should have considered that such an approach could only antagonize Solomon and suggest to him that something nefarious was going on. Even Bathsheba was somewhat surprised at his approach and was not sure how peaceable his intentions in approaching her were. It is apparent that harmony had not yet been fully restored in the royal family.
14 Moreover he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Say it.”
Then he explained to her that he had a request to make, to which she replied that she was willing to hear what he had to say.
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.
His next words were hardly conciliatory. They revealed how bitterly he felt the situation. The suggestion that all Israel thought that he should have been king and had supported his cause (certainly an exaggeration) could hardly have been seen by him as likely to endear him to Bathsheba as it reflected on her son. Nor would the thought that Solomon had only become king because it was Yahweh’s will, and despite the people, have pleased her. Furthermore, we have not in the past gained the impression that Yahweh’s will was of first importance in Adonijah’s life, and Bathsheba would have known that. It would not therefore have been likely to impress her. It was not really the best way of gaining her sympathy.
His point was, that in his view, the kingdom was due to him because he was the oldest living son of the king, and secondly because the people themselves had accepted him as the natural and rightful heir, and that all had been going swimmingly, until it was all suddenly turned about by David’s action in putting Solomon forward as his heir. But he now wanted her to know that he humbly accepted that that was Yahweh’s will, and that it had been given to him by Yahweh.
16 Now I ask one petition of you; do not deny me.” And she said to him, “Say it.”
Having tried rather clumsily to arouse Bathsheba’s sympathy Adonijah now informed her that he had a favor to ask her and begged her not to deny him. It says much for Bathsheba that she was happy for him to continue. Please notice here the repeat of ‘say on’ which we see the slow, careful and long-winded way in which Adonijah was putting forward his request. It makes clear that he was playing on her kindness of heart but was uncertain as to what her response would be.
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.”
Then he put forward his request. It was that he might be given Abishag the Shunnamite to be his wife. This approach made clear that he was very uncertain that Solomon would approve of the suggestion and that he was depending on Bathsheba’s support to obtain his wish.
In ancient days, far more than today, marriage was seen as a means by which influence and status could be obtained, and to marry the former king’s wife would be seen by all as advancing the claim of the husband to be in line for the kingship (if not more), and especially so in the case where a new king had just been enthroned and might be thought of as vulnerable and still not secure, and where there were probably a number of areas in the land where dissatisfaction still reigned. For the harem of the old king always became the possession of the new king. Thus, for Israel to learn that Abishag was Adonijah’s wife could raise significant questions in people’s minds. It was made even more significant when the husband to be had already had a lot of public and official support revealed towards his claim for kingship, was the former king’s eldest son, and where the dynastic succession was not firmly regulated. Such a step could only have fomented trouble and might even have suggested to many that Solomon’s position was untenable. It indicated how desperate the conspirators had become that they were willing to take this huge risk in to try to achieve their ends.
While it is certain that he must have known that he was breaching convention and playing with fire, it is, however, possible that Adonijah did not consider that he was breaching the Law in what he was doing (marrying his dead father’s wife), simply because he knew that Abishag had not had sexual relations with David, for the Law forbade a son to marry his father’s wife (Leviticus 20.11).
Personally, I think that Adonijah was being played by Joab and Abiathar the priest. He was already warned by Solomon to be a good boy and he could have lived out his life in splendor as a royal son of David. However, he goes and makes a play which would bring about his death. In the background his two advisors thought that their evil advice would not stick to them. Boy were they also naive.
18 So Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak for you to the king.”
It is a sign of how little Bathsheba had become involved in politics that she did not immediately recognize the problems connected with his request, although perhaps that was due to the fact that as a woman she saw Abishag’s position as not having been strictly that of a wife. Whatever was the case she was clearly unaware that what she was handling was dynamite. So in her compassion for Adonijah (what older woman is not swayed by a handsome young man speaking of romance?) she promised him that she would see what she could do.
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.
Bathsheba therefore went to king Solomon to speak with him on Adonijah’s behalf. Being his mother, she would have had special access, and the good relationship that she had with her son comes out in the fact that he rose to meet her, and then arranged for a throne to be placed for her on his own right hand, the position of highest honor.
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.”
The queen mother approached her task carefully, preparing the way delicately. Without revealing what her request would be (we should always be wary of people who try to make us commit ourselves without knowing what it is that we are being committed to) she asked the king to grant it to her and received the assurance from Solomon that whatever it was he would not deny her. He had no perception of what was coming, and in the event would have to refuse her.
21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”
She then put her request plainly. “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother to wife.” The request must have shaken Solomon to the core. For young though he was, he knew precisely what lay behind it. He must have thought about the advice his dad David had just given him to beware of upcoming evil schemes.
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.”
Bathsheba was probably equally shaken by Solomon’s reply, for he had immediately seen all the implications behind the request. No doubt Solomon had already had reports about Adonijah, Joab and Abiathar getting together secretly, and now he recognized that his worst fears were being realized. There could be no doubt now that they were planning a coup. So, he pointed out to his mother that by asking for the hand of Abishag for Adonijah she was wanting him to grant to Adonijah the kingdom as well, both to him and his fellow-conspirators, Abiathar and Joab. Did she not realize that his status as Solomon’s eldest brother, and therefore the eldest son of David, combined with his being married to David’s newest wife, would be seen as giving him rights to the throne? It was clear to him now what the full significance of the plots that he had heard about was. And that being so it was clear that the kingdom would not be safe until the conspirators were permanently silenced.
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!”
Solomon had, as we know, previously warned Adonijah what would happen if he failed to live worthily and be loyal to Solomon (1.52). And now wickedness had been found in him. Thus, he would have to die. So, Solomon swore by Yahweh that the traitorous words that Adonijah had spoken would result in him losing his life. As surely as Solomon’s being established, and set on the throne of David his father, and being given a dynasty, was of Yahweh and according to His promises, so was it of Yahweh that such conspirators who were trying to supplant the Anointed of YHWH should die. For by it they were rebelling against The God of Israel.
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!”
King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to carry out Adonijah’s judicial execution. It was one of his responsibilities as commander of the king’s bodyguard. We should remember that Adonijah was on probation and had had a warning. No trial was therefore necessary.
Apart from the obvious lesson of the seriousness of going against Yahweh’s will, another important lesson that comes out of the whole incident is that before doing something we should carefully consider how our actions will be interpreted. We are wise to abstain from all appearance of evil.
In this passage judgment falls on Adonijah’s fellow-conspirators. That they were genuinely so comes out in that Abiathar is included in the judgment despite Solomon’s kindly feelings towards him. In his case judgment involved being removed from his influential position as High Priest and banished to live on his own estates. In the case of Joab, however, it involved the death penalty. This latter was no doubt because, as a powerful military figure and cold-blooded killer, he was adjudged the more dangerous. At the same time the verdict on Joab was used as a way of diverting blame from the house of David for the deaths of Abner and Amasa, the blame for the former emanating from the tribe of Benjamin, the blame for the latter from the tribe of Judah. The fact that in both cases Joab had had some justification for his actions, (even if they did also involve a lot of self-interest), was possibly not widely known. Such things are not usually judged on the facts but on local prejudice and tribal loyalty.
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.”
Anathoth was about three and a half miles north east of Jerusalem. It was a Levitical town in Benjaminite territory (Joshua 21.18). That Abiathar was known to be guilty of more than just attendance at Adonijah’s attempt to pre-empt the reception of the kingship comes out here. Solomon’s sympathy undoubtedly ran deep towards Abiathar because he recognized the loyalty that he had demonstrated towards his father, and clearly also took account of his ‘holy’ status. And yet he still selected him out for severe punishment and considered him worthy of death. Solomon apparently therefore had specific knowledge about his activities as a continuing conspirator. We note also that there was no protestation of innocence from Abiathar.
His punishment was removal from the office of High Priest, and banishment to live on his own estates where his influence would be limited. There was to be no possibility of his repeating his high treason.
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.
The writer draws our attention to the fact that this treatment of Abiathar was also a fulfilment of Yahweh’s prophecy concerning the house of Eli, the descendant of Ithamar, the son of Aaron (1 Samuel 2.27-36). According to that prophecy the High Priesthood was to be taken from that house and transferred to the house of Eliezer, Aaron’s other son. Zadok was descended from the house of Eliezer, a fact to which the Scriptures continually testify.
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.
As soon as Joab learned what had happened to Abiathar, and to Adonijah, he revealed his guilt for his own part in the plots against Solomon by fleeing for sanctuary to the horns of the altar in the Tent of Yahweh. This was probably a reference to the Tent in Jerusalem. (While we ourselves have been told that he was listed with the conspirators, he would not necessarily have known of that fact had he not himself have been involved. Thus, this confirms that he recognized that their plot had been uncovered).
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.”
The news was brought to Solomon that Joab had sought sanctuary at the horns of the altar, and therefore he sent Benaiah to execute him. This was presumably because he argued to himself that sentence had already been passed on Joab by David, so that two justices (David and himself) had already made their decision based on the evidence. That then justified him in ignoring the sanctuary of the altar claiming in both their eyes Joab was guilty of shedding innocent blood, something that he will shortly attempt to argue.
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.”
When Benaiah approached the Tent of Yahweh and called on Joab to come out, Joab refused, and admitted his guilt, declaring that if he was to die, he would die at the altar. He was admitting that he knew that he would have to die and was wanting to do so in the place of atonement. Such men of violence often get superstitious ideas when they are facing their end. But it was also a challenge as to whether Solomon would have the nerve to do it.
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.
Solomon then told Benaiah to grant Joab’s request. If he wanted to die at the altar, he should die there. And he justified this on the grounds of Joab’s blood-guiltiness. After that he was to be buried. The aim of this was to remove the guilt of the blood which Joab had shed without cause (the blood of Abner and Amasa) from David and Solomon and his father’s house. The death, and burial of the guilty party before nightfall, was looked on as removing the guilt of the blood shed from the land (Deuteronomy 21.1-9, 22-23). It would also divert the blame for the deaths from Solomon himself and from his whole house, for the facts of the verdict would be publicly proclaimed so that all would know that Solomon and his house disassociated themselves from these deeds of Joab and were placing the guilt where it belonged. It would appear from this that there were still undercurrents of feeling in Judah and Benjamin about the way in which Abner and Amasa had died, and that the blame was being laid on David.
The truth appears to be that Solomon was taking Joab’s actual and definite guilt of high treason, something which undoubtedly deserved the death penalty in those days (as Solomon had already stated to Abiathar - verse 26), and was using the verdict on him as a means of removing the taint that still lay on the house of David for the deaths of Abner and Amasa.
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.
Solomon then resorted to special pleading to obtain his ends. It was not true to say that Abner and Amasa were necessarily better men than Joab, although it is seemingly true that Joab slew them without David’s knowledge or permission. Thus Joab certainly deserved to die for his act of high treason against Solomon, and that David did have some grounds for warning Solomon against him (especially as he knew, as turned out to be the case, that he might not be as loyal to Solomon as he was to David), the reasons for the verdict against him explained in this verse were lacking in accuracy.
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.”
Solomon’s hope by this was that, as a result of Joab’s execution, the blame and blood guilt for both these deaths should fall squarely on Joab, and on his descendants, and be fully removed from David and his descendants, with the consequence that David’s house would receive wellbeing from Yahweh. The house of Joab was to bear the guilt, relieving the house of David from all responsibility. He was clearly hoping by this means to quieten any feelings of resentment among Abner’s and Amasa’s sympathizers. And he may well have felt the blame that was being placed on the house of David to be a heavy burden.
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.
Benaiah then went, as Solomon had said, and slew Joab and arranged for him to be buried in ‘his own house’ Here too Solomon showed mercy. Joab’s body was disposed of with honor, and not treated like that of a traitor. Solomon was not being vengeful. He was simply doing what was necessary for the good of the kingdom.
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.
Benaiah was then given the position of commander-in-chief, while Zadok replaced Abiathar, moving from being joint High Priest to sole High Priest.
It was a sad day when these two loyal servants of David had to be swept aside because of their disloyalty to his son. It should be a reminder to us constantly that ‘he who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father Who has sent Him’ (John 5.23). Now that our Lord Jesus Christ has come and has taken His throne we must ensure that our total loyalty is to Him, and that we do not allow ourselves to be drawn aside to other things. And this warning especially applies when we are growing old in the service of God. We must ensure that we hold fast the confession and manifestation of our faith without wavering.
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.
In the case of Shimei Solomon had called for him (possibly not long after David had given his warning) and informed him that he was to build a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and not leave Jerusalem to go anywhere. It was a clear indication to him that he was ‘on probation’ and was being watched.
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.”
And he was warned that on the day that he left Jerusalem he ‘would surely die’. He could thus be in no doubt of the situation. As Solomon warned him, if he did so ‘his blood would be on his own head’. He was especially warned against crossing the Wadi Kidron, which would mean that he was going in the direction of Benjaminite territory. Remember that Shimei had a strong influence with the Benjamite’s and b=could possibly stir up this tribe to do some trouble.
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.
There was nothing unreasonable about this in view of Shimei’s reputation as he himself acknowledged. He might well have been relieved that he was being treated so mildly. And he agreed that as the king’s servant he would do what the king commanded. Thus, he dwelt in Jerusalem many days, no doubt being well provisioned by his family from his own lands. ‘The saying is good’ was an official acceptance of the covenant being made with him.
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.
But then after about three years news was brought to him that two of his bondsmen had run away to Achish, the king of Gath, no doubt seeking refugee status as David had before them. But unlike David they did not have six hundred mercenaries at their command. Thus, they were vulnerable to extradition.
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.
To be fair to Shimei he probably felt that it would require all his authority as head of his family (and possibly his clan) to influence Aachish. So, he saddled his donkey and set off himself for Gath in order to get back his bondservants, possibly thinking that as he did not intend to go near Benjaminite territory his action would be acceptable. Time can easily dim the seriousness of a requirement and he had been living in Jerusalem without harassment for three years. He may well have hoped that his absence would not be noted. And once he had obtained the return of his bondservants he no doubt felt that he had been justified. But his action was very foolish given the seriousness of his position.
41 And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back.
Meanwhile Solomon learned (possibly through his intelligence system) that Shimei had left Jerusalem, had visited Gath, and had then returned. We can immediately understand what effect that news would have on Solomon. A known and influential troublemaker had gone to visit the king of a country which in the past had only caused trouble for Israel. It was a recipe for disaster.
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.’
Consequently, king Solomon called for Shimei and reminded him of how he had adjured him in the name of Yahweh not to leave Jerusalem, and had declared that if he did so he would surely die. And furthermore, that Shimei had consented to this requirement as ‘good’, a formal way of accepting a covenant.
43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I gave you?”
Then he asked him why he had not kept the oath of Yahweh with which he had charged him, and the commandment that he had given him. Did he not realize that by breaking that oath and flagrantly disobeying the king’s commands he had committed the most serious of offences for which there could only be one penalty? It was high treason.
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.
He then reminded him of how in the wickedness of his heart he had cursed his father David and had wished him ill from Yahweh. Therefore, he prayed, let his wickedness now return on his own head. He was making quite clear that the penalty was cumulative. He was pointing out that as a previous transgressor he should have been more careful.
45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever.”
In contrast king Solomon and the throne of David, rather than being cursed would be especially blessed, and the throne established before Yahweh forever. For now, through Shimei’s death any remnants of the curse would die with him, because the house of David would be removing wickedness from the land.
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.
Once Shimei had left his presence, aware that he was sentenced to death, the king commanded that Benaiah once more act as executioner, and he went out and slew Shimei where he stood. In this way all the people about whom Solomon had been warned by David had been dealt with, having been given a fair opportunity to go straight, and having failed.
Shimei is the example of the person to whom every opportunity is given to truly serve the King, but who constantly fails to take advantage of the opportunity. In the end there can only be one result. Mercy comes to an end and judgment strikes. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
After a number of early hiccups the kingdom was now established in the hands of Solomon. All traces of uprising and rebellion had been sufficiently dealt with, and all appeared well. It was a regular feature of life in those days that when a new king came to the throne there would be initial unrest as rival claimants fought or maneuvered for the right to rule, often resulting in bitter civil wars that lasted for years. It was one of the penalties of polygamy. But Solomon had got off lightly, thanks largely to David’s wise, if delayed, intervention.
