CROWNED | 1 Kings Chapter 2

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Week 1 / Day 2

Welcome back to day 2 of our Study.  Before we dive into today’s scripture reading, let’s meet the new characters you will be reading about.

• Joab: The commander of David’s army, whom Solomon ultimately has executed to make atonement for the murders of Abner and Amasa, for which he had not yet been held accountable.

• Benaiah: The head of Solomon’s personal guard who serves as Solomon’s primary executioner, carrying out the deaths of Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei, and replaces Joab as army commander.

• Shimei:  The son of Gera who famously cursed and threw rocks at David when David was fleeing Absalom (2 Samuel 16).  Solomon essentially puts Shimei on house arrest as punishment for his actions, but he is later executed after again undermining authority and going against the oath he had made with Solomon.

• Abiathar:  The high priest who supported Adonijah in his attempt to usurp the throne from Solomon and yet is offered grace in the form of exile in the place of execution.

• Zadok:  A faithful priest who supported Solomon, replacing Abiathar as the primary (or head) priest following Abiathar's banishment.

• Abishag the Shunammite:  A young woman who helped care for David in his old age, whom Adonijah attempted to use as a pawn in his plan to take the kingship from Solomon by working to try to convince David to take her as his wife.  Had David done so, it would have opened the door for Adonijah to attempt to take the throne via a covert political maneuver in which he, upon David’s passing, could have taken possession of the deceased king’s concubine as a public, symbolic declaration of his right to succeed to the kingdom, a tradition held in this region during this time in history.  Thankfully, Solomon did not fall for Adonijah’s trickery! 

• Barzillai the Gileadite:  An elderly man who faithfully supported and provided for David during Absalom’s rebellion against his father (2 Samuel 17).  This is why, in his final words before his passing, David specifically instructs Solomon to show kindness to Barzillai and his sons, honoring him for his faithful support and kindness.

• Abner and Amasa:  Former military commanders of Israel and Judah who were murdered by Joab in cold blood (2 Samuel 3 & 20).  Crimes that ultimately led to Joab’s execution under the direction of King Solomon.

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READ

Now, with all of that background information fresh on your mind, go ahead and pause here and take a moment to read 1 Kings chapter 2.

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REFLECT

Just for a quick recap:  1 Kings chapter 2 opens with David’s final words of wisdom for Solomon, in which he encourages him to lead with wisdom and to keep the Lord at the center of his leadership. (1 Kings 2:1-9)  Verses 10-12 tell of David’s passing.  And then, in verse 13, Solomon’s reign officially begins.  And if you thought his path to the throne was wrought with controversy, buckle up!  Because the throne room drama has only just begun!

Remember Solomon’s half-brother, Adonijah?  Well, he has not given up his attempt at usurping the throne and uses his mother, Bethsheba, as his mouthpiece as he continues to attempt to weasel his way in!  But Solomon, wise as he was, saw right through the seemingly innocent guise and put the issue to rest once and for all by having Adonijah executed.  (1 Kings 2:22-25)

The saga continues with the exile of Abiathar, one of Adonijah’s supporters who defied both King David and, ultimately, God’s will for the Kingdom. (1 Kings 2:26-27) This act of treason warranted a death sentence, but Solomon showed mercy, honoring and giving thanks for the many years he had faithfully served as chief priest and supporter of his father, David.  And, in doing so, he fulfilled the promise of judgment against the house of Eli made about 100 years before Solomon took the throne, which you can read about in 1 Samuel 2:27-36 and 1 Samuel 3:11-14.

Next up, the execution of Joab! (1 Kings 2:28-35)  Joab was also a supporter of Adonijah, who attempted to escape punishment by taking refuge in the temple.  However, his efforts were too little too late, and his execution came swiftly.  

And the chapter wraps up with the story of Shimei, a strong supporter of King Saul and staunch adversary to the House of David.  At first, Solomon showed Shemei a high level of mercy, placing him on a form of house arrest rather than calling for his execution.  But Shimei took advantage of Solomon’s generosity, broke the terms of his house arrest, and paid for it with his life.  

You may be wondering, what in the world does all of this have to do with me?  How can any of these accounts apply to my life?  Let me tell you, there is far more we can glean from this passage than we have time for.  For example:

• We can learn from Solomon the importance of dealing decisively with unresolved issues and that both strength and courage stem from obedience to the Lord.  

• We can learn from Abiathar that God’s promises are unfailing.  What He says He will do, HE WILL DO.

• We can learn from each account that boundaries are for our protection, not punishment.

But today we are going to focus on a key lesson we can learn from Joab - it is our MOTIVES, NOT OUR ACTIONS that matter most!  To get started, let’s take a closer look at Joab’s story in verses 28-35 of 1 Kings 2.

Upon hearing Solomon had officially taken the throne, Joab’s immediate response was to flee to the tent of the Lord and grab hold of the horns of the altar, which seems like an acceptable response.  After all, when is it ever a bad thing to run to the altar of the Lord?  However, Solomon’s response is a harsh one!  Verse 29 tells us that whenever he heard what Joab had done, he sent Benaiah (one of Solomon’s key military commanders) to “strike him down.”  In other words, he was sent to kill him.  

Why such a harsh response for a seemingly innocent action?  Especially after offering such a grace-filled response to others like Abiathar and Shimei?  To answer that, we have to look beyond the action itself and look deeper into the motive behind it.  I love the way the great Theologian Charles Spurgeon put it:

“He [Joab] did not know where to fly except he fled to the horns of the altar, which he had very seldom approached before.  As far as we can judge, he had shown little respect to religion during his lifetime.  He was a rough man of war, and cared little enough about God, or the tabernacle, or the priests, or the altar; but when he was in danger, he fled to that which he had avoided, and sought to make a refuge of that which he had neglected.” (Emphasis Added)

And this “rush to the altar” wasn’t a “Father, forgive me for I have sinned” type of moment.  It was absolutely an “Oh no!  I’m about to die, and I need to take refuge somewhere!” moment.  So why was his response to rush to the temple and grab hold of the altar, rather than to run away and take refuge in another city or province? 

In the Old Testament, clinging to the horns of the altar was a way for people to claim temporary asylum, appealing directly to GOD’S mercy and not man's.  (Exodus 21:13-14) However, this custom did not offer absolute immunity and was never intended to serve as a “get-out-of-jail-free card” for premeditated (or intentional) crimes.  In other words, Joab was making an attempt to manipulate custom and God’s grace in order to serve himself - no repentant heart was present.  

So, from the outside looking in, did his actions LOOK right?  For sure!  But without the right motives, the “right actions” mean nothing.  

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RESPOND

1. Solomon responded differently to Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab, and Shimei based on their hearts and motives.  What does this teach you about the importance of inward motives over outward appearances?

2. Joab ran to the altar of the Lord in fear, not repentance.  Seeking God more for rescue from consequences than from a genuine desire for Him.  In what ways have you (past or present) “looked spiritual” on the outside while still resisting true surrender on the inside?  How can you guard your heart against this?

3. What would it look like for your actions and your motives to align fully in your relationship with God right now?

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WORKS CITED

Enduring Word

Blueletter Bible

Jesusalive.cc