1 Kings 1-2: Cleaning House

With so many wives and so many sons, King David sure has a hard time holding onto his kingship! When we open up to the beginning of 1 Kings, we see that David is ill and dying- but instead of being worried for his well-being, David's son Adonijah decides to take advantage of his father's weakened state. 

Adonijah basically decides to throw himself a party and name himself king- inviting only the people who either 1. don't know David or 2. aren't loyal to him. He didn't invite the prophet Nathan or David's named heir, Solomon. 

What is humorous is that Adonijah thought he could get away with taking the kingship. Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, heard of Adonijah's party/plot and alerted David, who then officially named Solomon king on the spot. I love David's last words to Solomon: 

I am about to go the way all earthly things go. Be strong; demonstrate your maturity. Honor the laws of the Eternal your God, and live by His truth. Be faithful to His laws, commands, judgements, and precepts-- the ones written for us in the instructions of Moses. If you follow this path, you will be successful in everything you do no matter where you are, for the Eternal will be faithful to His promise to me throughout your life. He promised me, "For as long as your sons are devoted to Me and live by My truth and embrace it with all their being, your offspring will always sit upon Israel's throne."

 1 Kings 2: 2-4 

Adonijah certainly wasn't expecting that, and when the news arrived at his party that a new king had been appointed and it certainly wasn't Adonijah, boy was it awkward! All the people left the party in a hurry- not wanting to be associated with a plot against the new King Solomon. 

Of course, Adonijah begged Solomon to spare his life, etc etc. What is surprising is that Solomon actually does spare his life! He tells him to stop plotting and be honorable and he will have nothing to fear. But the greed and pride of Adonijah cannot be quenched; he tries to manipulate Bathsheba and marry one of David's close acquaintances- an act that would give him significant legal claim to the throne. Solomon finds out and has Adonijah killed. 

It is interesting to see Solomon "cleaning house" in 1 Kings 1-2. This was a pretty normal custom of royalty even up into the 1700's AD. A new king takes the throne and surrounds himself only with people loyal to himself. Whereas most kings would just kill the people they know to be disloyal (and sometimes even kill entire families), Solomon doesn't seem to want to kill anyone. He gives them a second chance first- he banishes them, tells them to go and never come back, to stay out of trouble. Most of the people he banishes fail to keep their word, so he is bound to fulfill his promise to put them to death. 

Solomon's name means "peace" in Hebrew. It is a variant of "shalom"-- a peace that can only be given and sustained by God. Already, we can see this peace taking form in Solomon's reign in his reluctance to kill even proven insurrectionists. What kind of king will Solomon become?