1 Kings 1
I Kings 1: 1 – 4 In the last days of David’s reign as king, his age kept him bed bound. It must have been during a season of colder weather as the king could not stay warm. With this, we probably picture an elderly David, rather thin, with not much meat on his bones to keep himself warm. In order to help him keep warm, his servants sought a young virgin to stay with him. In the scriptures here, we see where his servants found a lovely young Shunammite woman to keep David warm by lying with him.
Most scholars agree that Shunem (F7) and Shulam are synonymous. This is noted here when Solomon calls his beloved his Shulammite.
5 – 10 Some of David’s most loyal and mighty men, were not involved when David’s son Adonijah, through his wife Haggith, self-proclaimed himself as king. Both Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah accompanied Adonijah. Though Abiathar and Zadok were both high priests under David, only Abiathar chose to involve himself with Adonijah. We saw earlier in II Samuel 3:26-27, that Joab scuffled with his brothers and killed his brother Abner, who David loved. When David heard of the killing of Abner, he held his kingdom guiltless before the Lord and rested the entire act on the family and generations of Joab. Joab’s family was not to go unpunished and leprosy and similar issues were to occur throughout their generations.
Zadok the priest was David’s personal assigned priest with David from the beginning of David’s reign. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, was one of David’s mightiest of mighty men. The prophet Nathan was the prominent prophets during David’s reign. God spoke to David through Nathan on several occasions. These were David’s close confidants and had no involvement with Adonijah.
11 – 14 When Nathan had heard about Adonijah, he spoke with Bathsheba and told her what had occurred. II Samuel 7 God spoke to Nathan and told him that Solomon would build the temple. I Chronicles 22:12-16 David told Solomon that God was going to bless him abundantly with wisdom and prosperity. I Chronicles 23 David was very old and now made Solomon king over Israel and anointed by Nathan. Nathan had derived a plan with Bathsheba to bring to the king.
15 – 27 Bathsheba then went in to see the king. It didn’t matter that Bathsheba was David’s wife, all had to pay homage to the king. When David requested her to come near, he asked her what her wish was. David loved Bathsheba very much. She proceeded to describe all of the hoopla that was going on concerning his son Adonijah declaring himself as king, when David took an oath before God that Solomon would reign after him. She told him of how Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army had sided with Adonijah. Adonijah had sacrificed an abundant number of oxen, cattle and sheep. She then proceeded to tell him that during all of this, Solomon was not invited to participate. All of this was going on behind David’s back. She pointed out to David that Adonijah’ s scheme could ultimately bring the demise to both Bathsheba and Solomon.
But just as Nathan had planned it with Bathsheba, he then entered the room and was introduced and proceeded to tell David basically the same thing Bathsheba had just told him, reinforcing the issue. Nathan also added how the people were praising and yelling, “Long live [1] king Adonijah”.
28 – 31 David summoned Bathsheba into his presence and she stood before him. David took a vow in front of Bathsheba and his servants that Solomon would take his place as king, but David just did not turn over the crown. David’s oath was to God. In the presence of all there, he blessed God and honored God by revealing to all that it was God that preserved David to this point. It was God who had redeemed him. David also made it a point to tell Bathsheba that her son, not Adonijah the son of Haggith, would be king.
32 – 35 David summoned Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah before him. Just as our Lord Jesus Christ was lead into Jerusalem on a mule, they were to bring Solomon to the pool of Gihon to be anointed as king. It was there that David wanted Zadok and Nathan to anoint Solomon as king over Israel. As they were to return, the trumpets were to be blown and say, “God save [2] king Solomon”. NKJV has, “long live King Solomon”.
36 – 38 All of David’s men gathered with him all agreed. Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah have been with David since the beginning of his reign and were witness to how God had worked through David and gave him the strength and prosperity he had. They made recognition to David how God had provided for him and prayed that God would make Solomon even greater. They, minus David, then journeyed to Gihon, with Solomon on David’s personal mule.
39 – 40 Zadok the priest had taken with him a horn from the tabernacle with oil. He anointed Solomon king over Israel and Judah. The trumpet was sounded and all the people said, “God save king Solomon.” All the people followed behind as they returned to the king, sounding their instruments with great joy that the earth shook. The same word for the earth shook, the earth ‘rent’ with a sound, is the same word used to describe how the earth shook when the veil was torn when Jesus committed His life to us.
41 – 43 When the crowd entered back into the city with loud music and praises, Adonijah and his guests were eating. Joab was David’s commander and a very valiant man. At the sound of all of this commotion, I would imagine his anger when stood up wondering what all of the noise was about. At this time, Abiathar’s son Jonathan came in and Joab asked him what was going on. The news Jonathan presented was not what they wanted to hear, “David had must made Solomon king”.
44 – 48 Jonathan went into great detail of what had transpired. This would lead one to believe that he was either there, left before they had sat down to eat, or had a spy or someone who participated in the coronation of king Solomon, that was able to provide such great detail.
49 – 51 After all had heard what Jonathan told them, they were deathly afraid of king Solomon and what may become of them. Adonijah proceeded to the alter and grabbed hold of the horns of the alter and waited there. Solomon was told that his brother had taken hold of the horns of the alter and waited there in hopes that Solomon would swear to spare his life. [Return]
52 – 53 Solomon told his servants to tell his brother that he would not harm him if he stayed away from wickedness, otherwise, he would die. Adonijah approached Solomon and fell before him and told to go home. When we turn our lives away from wickedness and towards God, we too will live. Turning away from God, denying Him, will result in death.
1 Kings 2
I Kings 2: 1 – 4 David was passing the baton over to Solomon. David knew his days here on earth were coming to an end and, in his words, he was going the way of the earth. David’s initial instructions to his son were to be strong and to prove himself to all Israel and Judah that he was a man who could be their king and rule as he did, as Solomon was only twenty when he became king. David was charging his son to be faithful to God and as king to keep his people committed to the Lord their God by keeping His commandments and judgements provided to them from God to Moses. This was the beginning of all kings charge to read the law of Moses to all of Israel and Judah to the people regularly. God’s promise to David was to all of his sons to prosper and lack nothing by keeping the statutes of God and providing godly leadership to everyone. The strong words that David relayed to his son from God were to walk in His ways before Him by keeping the truth imbedded in their hearts. This was not a onetime charge but a continuous command from God.
5 – 9 These verses indicate David’s intentions to carry out some unfinished business and personal promises that he had made to specific people who had proven loyalty to him or provided for David in his time of need.
Joab was a very complex individual. His loyalty to David in his command of David’s army was second to none but not hesitant to shed the blood of Abner and Amasa. It is important to note here that David did not mention Absalom’s death that Joab completed under David’s command nor did he mention Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba. Many scholars believe that David may have felt later on that Absalom did betray him and deserved his punishment. They also believed that David had a certain loyalty to Joab plus the fact that Joab was probably black mailing David knowing about David’s charge to kill Uriah. Whatever the case may be, David did not want Joab to go unpunished or, in David’s words, “do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.”
David told Solomon to protect Barzillai the Gileadite and his family for his loyalty to David is providing shelter for him when he fled Israel during a revolt by his son Absalom. To continue to provide for them.
When David was fleeing from Absalom he came upon Shimei. Shimei was an obnoxious man and hated David, cursed him and pelted him with rocks and stones as David was passing. Once David resumed his throne, Shimei became scared and then approached David by falling on his face and asking for forgiveness. David made an oath with him and promised that he would not kill him. David did not want him to go unpunished though. He also instructed Solomon to be sure that he did not go to his grave in peace but rather to go to his grave with blood. David told Solomon to use his wisdom and that he would know how to handle the situation.
10 – 12 During David’s lifespan, he was a shepherd, a soldier, a fugitive, a sinner like the rest of us, a king, and an usually gifted musician and poet. David’s total reign as king was forty years, where seven were in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. The common wording for the end of a king’s reign will now be seen throughout Kings, “So ‘David’ rested with his fathers.” The tomb of David was known throughout the New Testament with Jesus and the apostles. The tomb of David, which is now known in Jerusalem, is most likely not the genuine tomb known then.
Solomon thoroughly establishes the throne, fulfilling a promise made to David in II Samuel 7, “12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” Jesus ultimately fulfilled this promise, the Son of David.
13 – 18 Adonijah did not waste any time seeking Solomon once David was dead. He reached out to Solomon through his mother, Bathsheba. Adonijah was then in line to be David’s successor.
David’s first son, Amnon, was born in Hebron during his father’s reign in Judah. He was the heir apparent to the throne of Israel until he was assassinated by his half-brother Absalom to avenge the rape of their sister Tamar.
Chileab is only named in the list of David’s sons and no further mention is made of him. Though being the second son, Chileab was not a contender for the throne of Israel, even after the death of the first-born Amnon, the third-born Absalom and fourth-born Adonijah. He may have died before his father. Later rabbinic traditions name him as one of four ancient Israelites who died without sin, the other three being Benjamin, Jesse and Amram.
Absalom, according to the Hebrew Bible, was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maacah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. 2 Samuel 14:25 describes him as the most handsome man in the kingdom. Absalom eventually rebelled against his father and was killed during the Battle of Ephraim’s Wood.
Hence, Adonijah. Without hesitation, he made himself king, and a few of David’s once loyal men, followed him. To say that, 15b ‘all Israel had set their expectations on me’, was a stretch. The bible says that he came ‘peaceably’ to Bathsheba, which is pertinent to note. In old testament times, when a king passed, his concubines were left to be passed to the next king. Adonijah made his petition to Bathsheba to take David’s concubine, Abishag the Shunammite as his wife. Bathsheba agreed to bring this petition to the king. Historians and many commentators agree that Adonijah desired more than just David’s concubine but a claim to Solomon’s throne.
19 – 21 Though Bathsheba agreed to take this the king, she was very aware that this was no small petition and Solomon would most likely be insulted by this request. She went before the king, probably sarcastically, and told Solomon she had a ‘small request’ from Adonijah. Bathsheba was smart enough to know what Adonijah was up to and only wanted to bring this to the attention of the king.
22 – 25 Solomon was a very wise man, though still very young. God had promised David great things for his son. The conversation between Bathsheba and Solomon was most likely very short and to the point. He knew pretty much what Adonijah had up his sleeve. [3] Solomon simply acted according to the “terms of parole” granted to Adonijah in 1 Kings 1:52. “If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” Adonijah made a wicked, treasonous request and is executed because of it.
26 – 27 Solomon was a very wise young man and king. There was some unfinished business that he needed to take care of when David passed, as David had instructed him on his death bed. Abiathar had betrayed Solomon and David by going over to Adonijah and supporting him to be that next king. Punishment was due to Abiathar but he spared him his life because of his past loyalty to king David. Abiathar was a descendant of the lineage of Eli and previously resided at Anathoth. Anathoth is a town which lay between Michmash and Jerusalem, in the territory of Benjamin, assigned to the Levites. It was the native place of Abiathar, and of the prophet Jeremiah. By dismissing Abiathar from the priesthood, Solomon was fulfilling the promised judgement against the house of Eli found in I Samuel 2:27-36 and I Samuel 3:11-14.
28 – 35 Joab was next. He also supported Adonijah’s attempt to dethrone David. In much the same manner as Adonijah had fled and grabbed hold of the horns of the alter, Joab imitated him. The wording of Spurgeon explains this very well, “The laying hold upon the literal horns of an altar, which can be handled, availed not Joab. There are many – oh, how many still! – That are hoping to be saved, because they lay hold, as they think, upon the horns of the altar by sacraments.” Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to get Joab and return with him. As Joab was ‘attached’ to the horns of the alter, he refused to return with Benaiah, and told him to tell the king that he’s rather die right there.
Needless to say, when Benaiah returned and told king Solomon what Joab had told him, Solomon instructed him to strike him dead right there. Joab’s blood would be returned to his head for the killing of both Abner, the commander of the army of Israel and Amasa, the commander of the army of Judah. Both of these kills were done unbeknownst to David. Their blood would return to the head of Joab and restore peace to the throne of David forever. Benaiah was placed commander over the army and Zadok was placed as high priest in place of Abiathar.
36 – 46 Shimei’s sentence was the last if David’s commands to his son to carry out. As we just read earlier, Shimei was an obnoxious man and resented king David. David’s reasons for not executing Shimei earlier for reasons that David believed the Lord had sent him to curse him, II Samuel 16:11-12, “11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjamite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord …”. Solomon was merciful to Shimei and did not kill him and told him to reside within Jerusalem but to never cross over the brook Kidron. David crossed this brook bare-foot and weeping, when fleeing from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:23, 2 Samuel 15:30), and it was frequently crossed by our Lord in his journeying’s to and fro (John 18:1). If he were to ever cross over the brook, he would be killed and the blood would be on his head not the kings.
Shimei lasted for over three years without crossing over. At the end of three years, one of Shimei’s servants told him that a couple of his slaves had fled to Achish at Gath. It is likely that the Brook Kidron split a part of Jerusalem where Solomon lived and Shimei was exiled to live. Remember, David had sought refuge in Gath. Shimei, most likely without thinking, went to Gath to buy back his slaves. When Solomon discovered that he was there he confronted Shimei for disobeying his command and had him executed.
I Kings 3: Solomon Requests Wisdom
Scripture verses (1)
1 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall all around Jerusalem.
1 Marriage between royalty was, and remains so today in some cultures, a common practice. Solomon also used his royalty to not only marry within royalty but between other nations in order to form an alliance with these other nations.
It is also important to note that God did not want Israel to marry outside of their culture. Scripture has nothing to say about interracial marriages. What it does talk about is interfaith. Deuteronomy 7:2-3 (KJV), “2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
To put this into content, God was addressing the Jews prior to delivering them into the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 7:1 (KJV) “When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou.”
God also addressed Joshua and they proceeded through Jericho, Joshua 23:11-13 (KJV), “11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God. 12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:” These interfaith marriages would cause disaster later on in Solomon’s life.
We also know that this was not Solomon’s first marriage. 1 Kings 14:21 (KJV), “And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.”
This would indicate that Rehoboam was born to another wife of Solomon, Naamah.
Scripture verses (2 – 4)
2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. 4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
2 – 4 Until the temple was completed, remember that David was not permitted to complete the temple and that He told David that his son Solomon would complete it. 1 Chronicles 17:2-4 (KJV), “2 Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee. 3 And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in:” 1 Chronicles 28:6 (KJV), “And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.”
When Solomon began his reign as king, he too loved the Lord with all of his heart. The interfaith marriages would later loom to destroy him. We also find in these verses the word except. More times than not, when we use or see the word except after something is stated that is good, it is usually followed by the opposite. “3…except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.” Leviticus 17:1-6 (KJV), “1 And the Lord spake (spoke) unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, saying, 3 What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, 4 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: [There would only be one centralized place for sacrifices and the Jews were not permitted to offer sacrifices anytime or anywhere they pleased]. 5 To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the Lord. 6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the Lord.” Only the priests (Levites) were permitted to make sacrifices.
The ark of the covenant was in Jerusalem but the tabernacle remained at Gibeon. David had returned the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem but the tabernacle was not.
Scripture verses (5 – 9)
5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” 6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
5 – 9 As a young boy, Solomon was most likely held in very high-esteem with his father David. To be a son of a king was honored and revered. Being by the king as he grew he saw and learned how his father had honored God and learned to walk in his ways. Solomon was not a young child when he became king, he was around twenty years old. When he said was but a little child, he was petitioning God as ‘a little child’, with great humility and inadequacies. Matthew 18:3 (KJV), “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus knew the scriptures and could have used Solomon’s response as an example of the innocence, humility, and inadequacies little children have.
Solomon asked God to give him an understanding heart. In the original Hebrew text, the word used here for understanding is šō·mê·a‘/shama, which means to hear. Solomon wanted all of what God had to offer to him embedded in his heart not just in mind. Solomon also had seen what his father endured with his people and wanted something more. David told Solomon that he was instructed to build the temple by God, I Chronicles 28, (reference verses 6 and 10). This was an immense responsibility for a lad of twenty and knew he would require much wisdom and discernment not only in the building of the temple but in overseeing such a tremendous undertaking and now taking on the responsibilities of leading all of Israel.
Scripture verses (10 – 15)
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15 Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
10 – 15 Solomon’s request to God was not of personal greed or riches. He wanted the deepest wisdom God had to offer to help him overcome the impending huge undertaking. The scriptures here say that the words of Solomon were pleasing to God. To interpret the possible meaning behind this word, let us look at the RHW being used here, way·yî·ṭaḇ/ yatab; which means to be good, well, glad, or pleasing. There is no indication of this in the scriptures but could it be that God was only pleased and not extremely happy? What Solomon requested was honorable but could he not have asked for a closer relationship with God than even his father had?
God did honor Solomon for his request by not only giving him wisdom, that had never been granted to anyone nor would ever be given to that esteem, but filled him with riches and honor and a promise of long life conditionally. It is a shame and probably the most disappointing scriptures we will find is what happened to Solomon life.
Scripture verses (16 – 22)
16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. 17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.” 22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one Is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
16 – 22 The word used in most translations is harlots. In the original Hebrew text, the word used is zō·nō·wṯ/zonoth, which means armour. These women may have been overseers of the king, inn-keepers, or the like. There is no mention of the time between God’s giving Solomon the wisdom and when these two women approached the king. It would be apparent though this was the first real test of the wisdom of Solomon, and what a test. It would seem that only God would have the answer to a problem which was not clear cut and one’s word against the other’s.
23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son Is the living one.’ ” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.” 27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
23 – 27 To all watching this, this action seemed either totally ridiculous or, ‘why on earth would the king want with his sword at this time?’ There is a possible theory, per Matthew Henry, that he may have remembered the law concerning the dividing of the living ox and a dead one, Exodus 21:35 (KJV), “And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.”; it never really got to this point. We are pretty certain that a certain period of time had lapsed since God have provided Solomon with the abundance of wisdom that no one would ever have. All in the land knew of this great gift that the king had. Solomon himself later had said, Ecclesiastes 1:18 (KJV), “For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” This could indicate that Solomon, even with all of the wisdom in the world, believed that sorrow could come to this if neither of the women stepped forward and admitted truth. Solomon used not only great wisdom[4] but discernment as well. Discernment is the still small voice inside that tells you when a course of action, which may appear wise, isn’t quite right or that it would be damaging to your morality.
1 Kings 19:11-13 (KJV), “11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”
Solomon was so wise, he must of seen, through both women’s eyes, the differing types of either grief, sorrow and possibly the deceitfulness in front of him. This gift of wisdom with discernment, he most likely knew the honest and most sorrowful woman would not want to see the child killed.
As soon as the child’s birth mother heard the demand from Solomon to cut the child in half with the sword, her compassion for the child’s life awakened to Solomon with grief as she told Solomon to give the live baby to the other woman to spare the child’s life; this is what Solomon expected to see. He knew then whom the baby belonged to. Why then would the other woman say, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.” It could be at that very moment she knew she had been found out by Solomon and was so bitter she thought that neither should have a living child. Solomon profoundly told the guards who had been instructed to being the king his sword, that it was now obvious whom the child belonged to.
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
28 Word and fear had spread very fast of the vast knowledge and wisdom that God had given to Solomon to administer judgement. All the land within Solomon’s reign and surrounding cities knew now that under the reign of Solomon, God’s righteous judgement was inevitable. [Return]
I Kings 4 Solomon’s Administration
Scripture verses (1 – 6)
1 So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud,[5] the recorder; 4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and Abiathar[6], the priests; 5 Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend; 6 Ahishar, over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.
1 – 6 Solomon displayed his wisdom by his selection of immediate reports, some of which served his father David with great loyalty. Solomon was still very young to make these types of decisions and surely his was pressured by the powers that be, and influenced by others, to make these decisions and assignments. Only with the wisdom that God had given Solomon could such a person be so gifted to know who was the right man for these positions. 1 Chronicles 29:12 (KJV), “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.” All things come and are appointed by God. Solomon’s godly wisdom enabled him to reveal what God had purposed for him.
Scripture verses (7 – 19)
7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. 8 These are their names: Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; 9 Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10 Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; 11 Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; 13 Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 16 Baanah the son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who wasin the land.
7 – 19 Solomon was king over all Israel. With all of his wisdom from God, not only was he king over two tribes, as his successors, but over all twelve. Some of his named administrators came directly from his father’s administration; Zadok, Jehoshaphat, Benaiah, and Shisha. Solomon had much respect for his father, he chose not to be wiser in this matter. He employed and trusted whom his father had trusted. The remaining members of his administration were the sons of priests. These faithful men served Solomon for years where two of them married Solomon’s daughters, Ben-Abinadab and Ahimaaz.
Scripture verses (20 – 21)
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. 21 Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
20 – 21 Solomon was not a warrior or lead great armies like his father David was. David had achieved all of the neighboring peace for Israel for Solomon. During Solomon’s reign, peace, joy, and the celebrating of great prosperity and growth was enjoyed.
Scripture verses (22 – 23)
22 Now Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.
Kor [Hebrew, כֹּר] An ancient Hebrew unit of liquid capacity, about 230 liters. It had the same volume as the homer, a dry measure. In the King James translation of the Bible, in Ezekiel 45:14 kor is translated “cor,” but in 1 Kings 5:11 the kor is translated “measure.”
22 – 23 [7] Solomon’s table was spread with all the necessaries and delicacies which the house or the field could afford. But how immense must the number of men have been who were fed daily at the palace of the Israelitish king! Vilalpandus[8] computes the number to be not less than forty-eight thousand, six hundred; and Calvisius[9] makes, by estimation from the consumption of food, fifty-four thousand! These must have included all his guards, each of whom received a ration from the king’s store.
Scripture verses (24 – 28)
24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him. 25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. 28 They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.
24 – 28 ‘Each man under his vine and his fig tree’. This was an expression used during peace times in Israel. Isaiah 36:16 (KJV), “Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern.” Micah prophesied this in the last days, Micah 4:4 (KJV), “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.” And as Zechariah told of the last days as the Lord spoke to Joshua, Zechariah 3:10 (KJV), “In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.”
2 Chronicles 9:25 (KJV), “And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. For the most part, the books of Chronicles lines up with the books of Kings. Since Chronicles is primarily written by the scribes and census takers, this number of horses and chariots seems more reasonable and probably due to errors when translated or copied. Even with excessive number of horses, God spoke to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy regarding this, Deuteronomy 17:16 (KJV), “But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.”
“28b Each man according to his charge.” [10] “In Solomon’s court all his officers had a service to carry out, ‘every man according to his charge.’ It is exactly so in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we are truly his, he has called us to some work and office, and he wills us to discharge that office diligently. We are not to be gentlemen-at-ease, but men-at-arms; not loiterers, but laborers; not glittering spangles, but burning and shining lights.” (Spurgeon)
Scripture verses (29 – 34)
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men— than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. [Return to Songs of Solomon 1]
29 – 34 God used Solomon in a mighty way throughout the wonderful days of Solomon. But God warned Solomon, 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”. All during the reign of Solomon when kept God’s commandment, his says were wonderful. In Deuteronomy 28, God promises to provide richly to Israel and they would rule over all of the lands and become extremely prosperous.
Solomon’s great divinely inspired wisdom makes up most of the book of Proverbs. David was anointed by God as the sweet psalmist, 2 Samuel 23:1 (KJV), “Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel.” Some of Solomon’s songs, primarily in the Song of Solomon, were inspired through the book of Psalms. Solomon’s divinely inspired wisdom ranked him higher than contemporaries today in the world of literary and scientific achievement. [Return]
1 Kings 5
Scripture verses (1 – 3)
Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple
1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always loved David. 2 Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: 3 You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet.
1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always loved David. King Hiram had dealt previously with Solomon’s father, King David, and had built a close relationship. Upon the death of King David, Hiram immediately sent his servants to greet with the new king to express his sympathy’s in addition to continue his father’s relationship.
1 Kings 5:10 (KJV), “So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.”
1 Kings 5:18 (KJV), “And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.”
2 Chronicles 2:3 (KJV), “And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me.”
2 Samuel 5:11 (KJV), “And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.”
1 Chronicles 14:1 (KJV), “Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, with masons and carpenters, to build him an house.”
Scripture verse (2)
2 Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: In all aspects of life, Hiram was inferior to Solomon. Yet, Solomon knew that he would need help from Hiram with building of the temple and was returning his favor.
Even though we may be of a higher ranking or privilege of others, we should never look down on anyone; one never knows when situations could turn.
2 Chronicles 2:3 (KJV), “And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, even so deal with me.”
Scripture verse (3)
3 You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet.
God wants all of us all of the time, not just part of us some of the time.
Deuteronomy 6:15 (KJV), “(For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.”
The constant wars that David was involved with involved much expenses, time, and employment that he could not have built the temple as well as it should have been done. We must use this as an example in our lives to not clutter ourselves with outside matters that could be put in the way of our progress and relationships with our Father.
1 Chronicles 28:2 (KJV), “Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building.”
1 Chronicles 22:8 (KJV), “But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.”
[1] Note here that the NKJV has king capitalized
[2] NKJV capitalizes king
[3] David Guzik
[4] A deep understanding and realizing of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to choose or act to consistently produce the optimum results with a minimum of time and energy. Wisdom is the ability to optimally (effectively and efficiently) apply perceptions and knowledge and so produce the desired results.
[5] 2 Samuel 8:16 (KJV), “And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.”
[6] 1 Kings 2:35 (KJV), “And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.”
[7] Adam Clarke
[8] Was an ancient Geometrician
[9] The name comes from the Latin Calvisius, an ancient noble Roman and great gourmet.
[10] Charles Spurgeon
Grow in the Word of the Lord 