First Kings 1:49

The Bible says in First Kings 1:49-53, “And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.[50] And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.[51] And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword.[52] And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.[53] So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.” Solomon could have had Adonijah killed right here for trying to take over the kingdom. But when Adonijah asked for mercy, Solomon gave him mercy. Even though they were half-brothers, they were now rivals, and Adonijah would have killed Solomon and Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, and everyone who remained loyal to King David. Solomon gave Adonijah another chance. But it was his last chance. Life is like that: some people only get one chance and some get two. You had better take advantage of the opportunities that God gives you, or you also could lose everything.

The Bible says in First Kings 2:1-2, “Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
[2] I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;” David knew that he was not long for this world. Once you are old and frail and bed-ridden and fading fast, you know that you day is close. David said, “I go the way of all the earth.” David understood death in all its terrible reality. He was a warrior. He killed Goliath and many others on the battlefield. He saw family members and friends die. David knew death. He knew that death must be accepted as a part of life. David was a believer. It is important to be ready for death by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Once someone dies, then mourn their passing for an hour or a day or a week, but then get on with your life. You did not die, so live. Be strong and carry on. David told Solomon to be “a man.” The way to be a man is to believe in God and Christ and to learn from them about life and death. In the next verses David teaches Solomon something important about life.

The Bible says in First Kings 2:3-4, “And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:[4] That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.” In his dying words David tells Solomon the importance of obeying and following the Word of God. They only had “the law of Moses,” but we have the entire written Word of God. How blessed we are! Notice what the result will be if anyone puts the Word of God into effect in their lives: “that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself.” You will be a servant of God. You will fulfil God’s will for your life. You will become everything that God wants you to be. Of course, the opposite is also true. If you do not make the Word part of your life, you will fail miserably as a human being. You will not become what you should have been. You will not fulfill the Word of God. You will not serve God. You will throw away what might have been in your life.

This was true for Solomon and is true for everyone, and would be true for all of the kings who would come after Solomon. Notice the Word “if” in verse four. Sad that many of the kings who came after Solomon did not take this advice. Once Babylon conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC, there would be no more kings in Israel. But because of a promise made to David, Jesus the Messiah will rule as King in the lineage of David. Notice the phrase at the end of verse four that tells how to serve God: “with all their heart and with all their soul.” The word “all” is the key word. God does not want half-hearted servants. Give everything that you have inside of you to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible says in First Kings 2:5-9, “Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.[6] Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.[7] But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.[8] And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.[9] Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.” David’s last words involved giving Solomon advice about three people: Joab, Barzillai, and Shimei. Both Joab and Shimei were to be put to death. Joab certainly deserved it. He was a cold-blooded murderer. Shimei deserved it. He was a traitor. David wanted to make sure that Barzillai was protected because Barzillai helped David at a critical time. And so up to the end of his life, David was trying to make things right and do the right thing. How long do we keep serving God: until the very moment that we breathe our last, and then we will serve Him in heaven forever.

The Bible says in First Kings 2:10-12, “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.[11] And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.[12] Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.” David dies and goes to be with the Lord, but life on the earth goes on. Everyone has the time that God gives them to live, and then it is over. Be prepared in a spiritual way and be prepared as far as your affairs on earth are concerned. The way to be prepared spiritually is to know that you have accepted Christ as your Savior, and hopefully have grown in the knowledge of Jesus and served Him in your time on the earth. One of the ways to be prepared from a practical standpoint is to be a part of building up a ministry for Christ during the course of your life, and then to pass that ministry on to the next person who is qualified to take it over in your place after you are gone. It is sad that some people’s ministries die when they die. The best situation in life is when the Lord provides someone to take over what you have built. The Lord gave Solomon to take over the nation of Israel after King David. That was a great blessing. Solomon definitely built upon what David had started. Even if you have not started an organized ministry such as a church, or a mission, or a Christian school, you can still have all the lives that you have touched for Christ. That is why the Bible says, “He that winneth souls is wise.” And it says, “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that lead many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” Jesus said, “There is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents than over ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance.”

The Bible says in First Kings 2:13-25, “And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.[14] He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.[15] And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD.[16] And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.[17] And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.[18] And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.[19] Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.[20] Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.[21] And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.[22] And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.[23] Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.[24] Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.[25] And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.” This was a passage that shows once again the wisdom of King Solomon. What Adonijah was really doing was setting himself up to claim the throne. Bathsheba was being naïve and seemed to think that she was simply being a match-maker. Living in the days of the Old Testament, Solomon was doing what had to be done. Adonijah was given an extra chance already, and so the fact that he was scheming once again set his own doom. Solomon knew God’s will based upon what Solomon said in verse twenty-four, and so Solomon did the right thing for the age and the time and the circumstance in which he lived.

The Bible says in First Kings 2:26-27, “And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.[27] So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.” Abiathar the priest could have been killed and he should have been killed based upon the way things were done in that day. But he was removed from being priest. Notice the last part of verse twenty-seven: “that he might fulfil the word of the LORD.” The Word of the Lord is always fulfilled. And God is always at work in the affairs of men. God arranges circumstances for a reason. God touches hearts. God’s will is accomplished at all times. Make sure that you receive Jesus into your heart so that you can be a part of God’s eternal plan.

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