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When David’s time to die drew near, he gave instructions to Solomon his son:
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“I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man.
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Keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,
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and that the LORD may fulfill his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before me faithfully with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.’
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Moreover, you know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of Israel, Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether. He killed them and shed blood in time of peace as though in war, and put the blood of war on his belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.
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Act therefore according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
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But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for they came to me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
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And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim. He cursed me with a grievous curse when I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
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Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”
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Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.
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The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years. In Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.
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So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
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Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she said, “Do you come peacefully?” He answered, “Peaceably.”
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Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.”
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Then he said, “You yourself know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel had set their hope on me to be king; but the kingdom has turned over to my brother, for it was his from the LORD.
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And now I make one request of you; do not refuse me.” She answered him, “Speak.”
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Then he said, “Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
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Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak to the king for you.”
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So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her, bowed down to her, and sat on his throne; then he had a seat brought for the king’s mother, and she sat at his right hand.
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Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” The king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
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She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”
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But King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask only Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask also the kingdom for him! Is he not my older brother, and are not Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah on his side?”
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Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life!
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Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised: Adonijah shall be put to death today.”
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So King Solomon gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.
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And to the priest Abiathar the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields, for you deserve death; but I will not put you to death today, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because you shared in all the hardships my father suffered.”
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So Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest of the LORD. Thus Solomon fulfilled the word of the LORD that he had spoken at Shiloh concerning the house of Eli.
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When the news reached Joab — for Joab had sided with Adonijah, though he had not sided with Absalom — Joab fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.
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Then it was told to Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD and was beside the altar. So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.”
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Benaiah went into the tent of the LORD and said to him, “Thus says the king: Come out.” But he answered, “No, for here I will die.” Then Benaiah brought the answer back to the king, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me.”
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The king said to him, “Do as he has said; strike him down and bury him, so that you may remove from me and from my house the guilt of the blood that Joab shed without cause.
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And the LORD will bring his blood upon his own head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword without my father David’s knowledge: Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah.
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So their blood shall come back upon Joab and upon his descendants forever; but for David and his descendants and his house and his throne there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”
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Then Benaiah son of Jehoiada went out and struck him down and killed Joab, and he was buried at his own house in the wilderness.
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The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s place, and the king put the priest Zadok in the place of Abiathar.
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Then the king sent and summoned Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, live there, and do not go out from there anywhere.
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For know for certain that on the day you go out and cross the brook Kidron, you shall surely die; your blood shall be upon your own head.”
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And Shimei said to the king, “It is good; as my lord the king has spoken, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
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But after three years it happened that two of Shimei’s servants fled to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And it was told to Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.”
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Then Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Gath, to Achish, to seek his servants. So Shimei went and brought them back from Gath.
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When it was told to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had now returned,
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the king sent and summoned 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 go anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you answered me, ‘It is good; I will obey.'”
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Why have you not kept the oath by the LORD, and also the command that I gave you?”
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Then the king said to Shimei, “You yourself know in your heart all the evil that you did to David my father; therefore the LORD has brought your evil back upon your own head.
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But may King Solomon be blessed, and may the throne of David be established before the LORD forever.”
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Then the king gave a command to Benaiah son of Jehoiada; and Benaiah went out and struck Shimei down, so that he died. Thus the kingdom was established in Solomon’s hand.
⚔️👑📜 Summary of 1 Kings 2 – David’s Final Charge & Solomon Establishing the Kingdom
1 Kings 2 is the continuation of the transition of power from David to Solomon. In this chapter, David gives his final charge to Solomon, advising him to walk in the fear of the LORD and rule with wisdom. After David’s death, Solomon acts decisively against political opponents, including Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei, in order to strengthen his kingdom. This is the opening stage of Solomon’s kingdom being established with justice and firmness.
📌 1. King David’s Final Charge (verses 1–9)
➡️ David told Solomon to:
- Live as a man
- Keep the law of God (the Law of Moses)
➡️ David also gave political instructions concerning: - Joab, because of the blood he had shed (Abner and Amasa)
- Barzillai, the Gileadite who had been loyal to him
- Shimei, who had once cursed David
🎯 Spiritual leadership must be accompanied by the courage to uphold justice.
📌 2. David Dies and Solomon Becomes King (verses 10–12)
➡️ David died after reigning 40 years
➡️ Solomon sat on his father’s throne, and his kingdom became firm
🎯 A wise leader continues the divine inheritance with obedience and strength.
📌 3. Adonijah Executed (verses 13–25)
➡️ Adonijah tried to seize the throne in a subtle way by asking Abishag (David’s attendant) to become his wife
➡️ Solomon saw this as a political move to gain legitimacy
➡️ Solomon immediately ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada to kill Adonijah
🎯 Tolerance of hidden rebellion is weakness — Solomon refused it.
📌 4. Abiathar the Priest Banished (verses 26–27)
➡️ Abiathar was punished because he had conspired with Adonijah
➡️ Solomon banished him to Anathoth, and this fulfilled the prophecy against Eli’s descendants
🎯 Spiritual leaders are not exempt from discipline when they turn aside from the truth.
📌 5. Joab Put to Death (verses 28–35)
➡️ Joab fled to the altar, but Solomon did not grant pardon
➡️ Benaiah killed him there
➡️ Solomon replaced Joab with Benaiah as commander, and Zadok became priest in place of Abiathar
🎯 Forgiveness does not mean allowing evil to go unpunished.
📌 6. Shimei Tested and Punished (verses 36–46)
➡️ Solomon gave Shimei a boundary: stay in Jerusalem and do not go out
➡️ After some time Shimei broke it
➡️ Because he broke his own oath, Shimei was put to death
🎯 A broken covenant is an insult to authority and truth.
📖 Main Teaching
- Spiritual and political leaders need to live in the fear of God and uphold justice
- The courage to make hard decisions is part of the calling of leadership
- Obedience to God’s law is the foundation of success and stability
- The past must be answered with wisdom — vengeance must not be repaid, but evil must not be ignored
- Forgiveness has limits if it is not followed by repentance and faithfulness
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“Share in suffering as a soldier of Christ… compete according to the rules.”
➡️ Solomon established the kingdom according to divine law and boundaries.
“The government is God’s servant… to punish the one who does evil.”
➡️ Solomon exercised authority firmly and justly.
“Be doers of the word and not only hearers.”
➡️ David’s charge to Solomon: do not merely know God’s law, but do it.
“Remove the evil person from among you.”
➡️ The cleansing of leadership is part of the divine plan for the purity of the people.
🕊️ “Show yourself to be a man.” – 1 Kings 2:2
🕊️ “Keep the law of the LORD… so that you may prosper.” – 1 Kings 2:3
🕊️ “Do not let the ambitious disturb God’s plan.”
🕊️ “So the kingdom was established in Solomon’s hand.” – 1 Kings 2:46
