Solomon's Reign

If you were to look around at various commentaries on the monarchies of David and Solomon you would start to recognize comments like: "David's reign was like the noon of Israel's day and with Solomon the sun began to set."
I'm sure that they're making comment on the fact that Solomon was lead astray later in life by the religious practices of his foreign wives AND that the kingdom starts to crumble pretty rapidly after him.
But let's look at some simple facts:

1. The nation was in a bit of a mess starting after Joshua's generation that didn't have much chance at resolution until Saul took the throne.
2. Saul's reign was fraught with mishap even as they tried to consolidate their territory.
3. Most of David's reign is characterized by ongoing warfare...one of the reasons he is disqualified from building the temple.
4. As far as Solomon's reign goes scripture tells us his kingdom was not firmly established in his grasp until someone around his fourth year on the throne...after he had finished his fathers business. (see: http://cre8ive-yyyguy.blogspot.com/2009/05/solomon-ascending.html )
5. We're told that Solomon starts the temple in his fourth year...somewhere in that time, or just preceding it, he is married to his "true love" the woman who is the object of the Song of Solomon.
6. It takes seven years to build the temple and fourteen to build his palace...so his construction is finished sometime around his twentieth year on the throne.

Is this the point where we get to take a breath?

We're told that God "appears to Solomon a second time" after he had finished his building projects:

¹ When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, ² the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. ³ The LORD said to him:
"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

⁴ "As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, ⁵ I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'

⁶ "But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, ⁷ then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. ⁸ And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, 'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' ⁹ People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the LORD brought all this disaster on them.' "

...and because we've read the story before we know that this WILL happen.

On the one hand I find it incredibly discouraging that these guys who have been given wisdom and promises of generations of rulers and direct conversation with God could fail so quickly...indeed as quickly and as often as I seem to fail.

I confess I am discouraged by how quickly Israel crumbles as a nation once the kingdom is established.

But I suppose that rather than being a testament to failure it becomes a picture of how incredibly important the work of grace and Christ's sacrifice truly is in bringing us into relationship with God. The law, viewed from almost any perspective, is a failure when it comes to restoring relationship. Legalism, rules, regulations...failure.

Without Christ, without restored and right relationship, it is impossible to follow God.

That pretty much sums up Moses through Solomon, at least as I see it today.

Solomon ascending

1 Kings 2:15 - 3:28

As David's life is coming to a close he faces one last rebellious son. Adonijah aligns himself with Joab, incessant schemer and military commander, and Abiathar, the priest. Were told that he hires fifty men to run before his chariot...the same marketing campaign used by his older brother Absalom...and invites the royal officials and his various brothers to a feast in an attempt to portray himself as David's successor.
In a brilliant counter-move worthy of Hollywood David trots out Benaiah, military commander and captain of his personal bodyguard, Zadok the priest, AND Nathan the prophet...one-uping Adonijah's posse...and publicly cements Solomon's position as King.

This causes a bit of a stir amongst Adonijah's followers but as we'll see he doesn't give up easily.

Adonijah submits to Solomon's authority at first but then comes to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, with a seemingly innocent request:
"As you know, he said, "the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me." "You may make it", she said. "So he continued, "Please ask King Solomon - he will not refuse you- togive me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife."
(1Kings 2:15-17)
Abishag was the "beautiful virgin" that was brought in at the end of David's life to keep him warm and perhaps raise his spirits but scripture is clear that he did not sleep with her.
According to Jewish tradition Adonijah's request, to be given the King's concubine as wife...one with whom the king had not slept, would have provided him with a new level of royal legitimacy from which he could have attempted yet another coup!

Bathsheba brings this request to Solomon, in the throne room, no doubt in front of a host of royal courtiers in another adept strategic move...making the request in such a manner exposes Adonijah as someone continuing to scheme after the throne.

Solomon's reaction is swift a decisive. He removes the threat rather than allowing it to fester in secret. But this isn't his only move.

David's "final words" to Solomon include several requests that the son deal with some of the father's unfinished business. (1Kings 2:5-9) David hints that his son should do away with possible threats from Joab, the scheming commander who has shed innocent blood time and time again against the king's commands, and Shimei who cursed David and his household as they fled from Absalom.

Solomon dispatches Benaiah as executioner in each of these three cases Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei over the course of about a three year period. And it is at this point, following the thrid of three executions, that scripture says:
The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands.
(1Kings 2:46)

I find it interesting that David was not allowed to build God's temple because he was had "shed much blood on the earth" in God's sight. And yet Solomon's reign, Solomon whom God has chosen to be the builder of His temple, is established after three acts of bloodshed.

Is it just a quantity thing? David spilled a LOT but Solomon merely ordered the spilling of some?
That seems arbitrary.
Is it a justice thing? Solomon somehow only ordered the execution of those who deserved death?
Have to be careful there since God obviously blessed David's reign.

I think where I land on it is that the three instances of blood shed that bring about the beginning of Solomon's rule are all attributed to his finishing his father's business. Whether for personal or political reasons David had not dealt with these individuals in his time, passing that duty on to his son. Solomon, as king, dispenses God's justice but is not marked as being a man who has shed too much blood because he is carrying out his father's duties. Once he has finished the work of his father David his kingdom is "firmly established".

(If you understand baseball at all it is a lot like a relief pitcher coming into the game midway through. The starting pitcher owns responsibility for runners that are on base when the new guy comes in to the game.)

This is another one of those stories that takes up just a chapter or two in the text but from which it would be easy to craft a feature length film.
No doubt Solomon, and even Benaiah, will be amongst the fella's who have a long waiting list or people waiting to do interviews with them in heaven. Reserve your time now. The lines will be long but we'll have all the time we need.

The Life of King David

I need to get back to posting more regularly and as I read of the end of David's life this morning it felt like a milestone too significant to pass without comment.

When we first meet him he is overlooked by his father. When Samuel invites Jesse and sons to a feast and subsequently asks if Jesse has brought all of his sons we get:
"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."
That, along with other glimpses into his early home life, makes me wonder if David was seen as the runt of the litter. The good looking, poetic sheep tender of little substance and lesser value.

Through an interesting series of circumstances David finds himself at court. Knowing he has been anointed but not pressing the issue. His battle with Goliath, as I have pointed at previously, comes AFTER some time at court. But it is this event that thrusts him into the limelight and begins the animosity from Saul.

He is thrust into a life in the wilderness where God teaches him what it is to be a leader of men, preparing him to be king. How interesting that his preparation happens out there rather than in the palaces of kings.
His "rule" in marked in stark contrast to Saul's.
One of the hallmarks of David's time in the wilderness is his repeated command to his men that they must not take Saul's life, even when it appears God has given it to them, because he is "the Lord's anointed." All the while Saul is pursuing David, who IS "the Lord's anointed", in order to take his life.

As David comes into his own we see that he has a bit of an eye for the ladies. In the case of Abigail (1Sam 35:29) he waits until she is "available" but he manipulates the situation when it comes to Bathsheba (2Sam 11:16).

He is by no means perfect but through it all he is referred to as a "man after God's own heart"...which I love because it lets ME off the hook in terms of trying to perform at some sort of religiously perfect level.

We find him to be a loving father although one who has trouble ruling his own household.
I wonder if his inability to confront his sons rebellions...Absalom and and Adonijah...stems from the way his father treated him as a boy?

He appears to be quite politically adept, confronting when it is needed (outside of his family), and allowing things to go unaddressed when the time is not right. In this regard I find his interaction with Joab interesting. He obviously knows when Joab has crossed the line but chooses not to do anything...leaving that finally to his son Solomon.

Although he is one of the "heroes" of the bible I see him as a kind of "everyman" or perhaps better said as the kind of man that we can easily aspire to...a God-fearing warrior-poet who is far from perfect, willing to confess his own shortcomings, and strong enough to step up to the plate and do something about them from time to time.

I must confess I am sad to "see him go"...I almost want to suspend the journey through the bible here and go back and read "his-story" again.