Solomon Establishes His Rule
Introduction:
King David has died, and Solomon is now king. He has some housekeeping issues to deal with in order to secure the throne.
1 Kings 2:12-25 NLT
Solomon Establishes His Rule
12 Solomon became king and sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
13 One day Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, came to see Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. “Have you come with peaceful intentions?” she asked him.
“Yes,” he said, “I come in peace. 14 In fact, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?” she asked.
15 He replied, “As you know, the kingdom was rightfully mine; all Israel wanted me to be the next king. But the tables were turned, and the kingdom went to my brother instead; for that is the way the Lord wanted it. 16 So now I have just one favor to ask of you. Please don’t turn me down.”
“What is it?” she asked.
17 He replied, “Speak to King Solomon on my behalf, for I know he will do anything you request. Ask him to let me marry Abishag, the girl from Shunem.”
18 “All right,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak on Adonijah’s behalf. The king rose from his throne to meet her, and he bowed down before her. When he sat down on his throne again, the king ordered that a throne be brought for his mother, and she sat at his right hand.
20 “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “I hope you won’t turn me down.”
“What is it, my mother?” he asked. “You know I won’t refuse you.”
21 “Then let your brother Adonijah marry Abishag, the girl from Shunem,” she replied.
22 “How can you possibly ask me to give Abishag to Adonijah?” King Solomon demanded. “You might as well ask me to give him the kingdom! You know that he is my older brother, and that he has Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah on his side.”
23 Then King Solomon made a vow before the Lord: “May God strike me and even kill me if Adonijah has not sealed his fate with this request. 24 The Lord has confirmed me and placed me on the throne of my father, David; he has established my dynasty as he promised. So as surely as the Lord lives, Adonijah will die this very day!” 25 So King Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada to execute him, and Adonijah was put to death.
Examine the Scriptures
1 Kings 2:12-25 NLT
Solomon Establishes His Rule
12 Solomon became king and sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
Read the first half of 1 Kings 2:24 (part of today’s lesson)
24 The Lord has confirmed me and placed me on the throne of my father, David; he has established my dynasty as he promised.
1 Chronicles 22:9-10 NLT
9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace with his enemies in all the surrounding lands. His name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
- Solomon’s kingdom is firmly established.
Firmly established implies:
Divine approval
Political stability
Daniel 2:21 NLT
21 He (God) controls the course of world events;
he removes kings and sets up other kings.
To establish a firm foundation for his reign Solomon had to deal with his and his father’s enemies.
These actions were considered essential for stabilizing the new regime and ensuring that past injustices were settled.
- Solomon had some “political” housekeeping issues to deal with in order to secure the throne.
13 One day Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith,
Haggith was one of David’s wives.
Adonijah was the fourth son of David, and had previously declared himself king without David’s knowledge.
came to see Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. “Have you come with peaceful intentions?” she asked him.
“Have you come with peaceful intentions?”
Bathsheba had good reasons to ask this question.
1 Kings 1:5 NLT
Adonijah Claims the Throne
5 About that time David’s son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, “I will make myself king.” So he provided himself with chariots and charioteers and recruited fifty men to run in front of him.
Bathsheba would have known about this.
1 Kings 1:11 NLT
11 Then Nathan went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and asked her, “Haven’t you heard that Haggith’s son, Adonijah, has made himself king, and our lord David doesn’t even know about it?
“Yes,” he said, “I come in peace. 14 In fact, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?” she asked.
- Adonijah wants Bathsheba to do a favor for him.
15 He replied, “As you know, the kingdom was rightfully mine;
Adonijah contradicted his supposed peaceful intentions when he declared that the kingdom was rightfully his.
As the oldest living son, some may have thought Adonijah had a legitimate claim to the throne.
all Israel wanted me to be the next king.
A gross exaggeration.
1 Kings 1:7-8 NLT
7 Adonijah took Joab son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest into his confidence, and they agreed to help him become king. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s personal bodyguard refused to support Adonijah.
But the tables were turned, and the kingdom went to my brother instead; for that is the way the Lord wanted it.
- Adonijah knew that it was God’s will for Solomon to become the king of Israel.
16 So now I have just one favor to ask of you. Please don’t turn me down.”
“What is it?” she asked.
17 He replied, “Speak to King Solomon on my behalf, for I know he will do anything you request.
- Adonijah knows Solomon might refuse him directly, so he tries to make his request through Solomon’s mother.
Ask him to let me marry Abishag, the girl from Shunem.”
Background:
Abishag functioned as a nurse and attendant for David in his dying days.
Abishag was considered part of the royal household (like a concubine).
Even though there were no sexual relations, she was:
Assigned exclusively to the king.
Living in the king’s quarters.
Functionally part of his royal court and household.
In ancient Near Eastern culture, this gave her the legal and political status similar to a concubine, regardless of whether the relationship was consummated.
- Although Abishag was a virgin, she would have been regarded by the people as belonging to David’s harem.
- In the ancient Near East, taking a former king’s concubine or wife was a claim to the throne.
Marriage to Abishag would have greatly strengthened Adonijah’s claim to the throne.
Adonijah’s request was not romantic—it was political.
It was a subtle attempt to revive his claim to kingship.
18 “All right,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
Bathsheba initially expressed caution. However, Adonijah convinced Bathsheba that his intensions were peaceful. He persuaded Bathsheba to speak to King Solomon on his behalf.
“Speak to King Solomon on my behalf, for I know he will do anything you request. Ask him to let me marry Abishag, the girl from Shunem.”
- Adonijah persuaded Bathsheba to speak to King Solomon on his behalf.
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak on Adonijah’s behalf. The king rose from his throne to meet her, and he bowed down before her. When he sat down on his throne again, the king ordered that a throne be brought for his mother, and she sat at his right hand.
The position of honor.
Psalm 110:1 NLT
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.”
Solomon honors his mother:
He rises to meet her
Bows to her
Seats her at his right hand
This shows:
Respect for the queen mother
Her influential role in the royal court
20 “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “I hope you won’t turn me down.”
“What is it, my mother?” he asked. “You know I won’t refuse you.”
“You know I won’t refuse you.”
Solomon would not be able to live up to his initial response to Bathsheba’s “one small request”.
21 “Then let your brother Adonijah marry Abishag, the girl from Shunem,” she replied.
- It appears that Bathsheba does not understand the significance of Adonijah’s request.
22 “How can you possibly ask me to give Abishag to Adonijah?” King Solomon demanded. “You might as well ask me to give him the kingdom! You know that he is my older brother, and that he has Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah on his side.”
Solomon understood the intentions behind Adonijah’s request.
This request had far reaching consequences that would threaten Solomon’s throne.
Adonijah’s marriage to Abishag could have launched a claim to the throne, whether or not she was officially in David’s harem.
This request reveals lingering ambition.
- Solomon sees Adonijah’s request for what it really is, treason.
23 Then King Solomon made a vow before the Lord: “May God strike me and even kill me if Adonijah has not sealed his fate with this request.
Adonijah has violated his terms of submission to David.
1 Kings 1:52 NLT
52 Solomon replied, “If he (Adonijah) proves himself to be loyal, not a hair on his head will be touched. But if he makes trouble, he will die.”
24 The Lord has confirmed me and placed me on the throne of my father, David; he has established my dynasty as he promised.
1 Chronicles 22:9-10 NLT (Repeated)
9 But you (David) will have a son who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace with his enemies in all the surrounding lands. His name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
Solomon acknowledges:
God established him
God fulfilled His promise to David
His kingship is divinely ordained
This is crucial. Solomon is not acting out of personal insecurity but in defense of God’s established order.
1 Kings 11:42 NLT
42 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
1 Kings 14:21 NLT
21 Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah, an Ammonite woman.
So as surely as the Lord lives, Adonijah will die this very day!” 25 So King Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada to execute him, and Adonijah was put to death.
2 Samuel 20:23 NLT
23 Now Joab was the commander of the army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was captain of the king’s (David’s) bodyguard.
2 Samuel 23:20 NLT
20 There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
- Adonijah is executed
- God establishes His chosen king, and rebellion against His authority ultimately leads to judgment.
Solomon fulfilled one of David’s requests.
1 Kings 2:9 NLT
9 But that oath does not make him innocent. You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him.”
