The start of the 40-year reign of King Solomon

1 Kings 1:28-48 and 1 Kings 2:10-46. King Solomon took over the kingdom from his father King David.

Solomon started out right when God said to Solomon, Ask anything of me and I will give it. Solomon answered that he wanted wisdom so he could rule God’s people with wisdom and justice.

Over the years, as King of Israel, Solomon through his own actions let slip his relationship with God.

He had only half a heart after God and was led away from God by his own actions.

Background Reading:

David Affirms Solomon as King starting of the 40 Year Reign of King Solomon

1:28 “Call Bathsheba for me,” King David replied. So she came in and stood in front of the king. 29 “As the LORD lives,” the king said with an oath, “who has redeemed me from all sorts of troubles, 30 I certainly did tell you in the name of the LORD God of Israel, ‘Your son Solomon will be king after me and will sit on my throne in my place.’ I’m certainly going to make this happen today!”

31 “King David,” Bathsheba said as she bowed low in front of the king with her face to the ground, “your majesty, may you live forever.”

32 “Get me Zadok the priest,” King David said, “along with Nathan the prophet, and Jehoiada’s son Benaiah.” So they were ushered into the king’s presence 33 and David addressed them. “Take your lord’s servants, have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34 Have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel. Then sound a trumpet and declare ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 After this, you are to follow him back here, and he is to come and sit on my throne and take my place as king, because I’ve appointed him to be Commander-in-Chief over Israel and Judah.”

36 “Amen!” replied Jehoiada’s son Benaiah to the king. “May the LORD God of your majesty make this happen! 37 As the LORD has been with your majesty the king, so may he be with Solomon. May he make his throne greater than the throne of your majesty, King David.”

Solomon is Anointed King

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, the special forces and mercenaries went out and had Solomon ride the king’s mule all the way to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest brought from his tent a horn filled with oil and anointed Solomon, a trumpet was sounded, and everybody yelled out, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 All the people followed after him, playing on wind pipes and so full of joy that the earth shook because of all the noise!

41 Right about then, Adonijah and all of his guests were just finishing their meal when they heard all the noise. “Why is the city in such an uproar?” Joab asked as he heard the trumpet sounds.

42 While he was still asking that question, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest arrived, so Adonijah told him, “Come on in, since you’re a worthy man and are bringing us good news!”

43 “No,” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has installed Solomon as king. 44 The king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, the special forces and mercenaries, along with Solomon, who is riding the king’s personal mule. 45 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him in Gihon, and they just left from there rejoicing, and that’s why the city is all in an uproar. That’s the noise that you’ve been hearing! 46 Solomon now sits on the royal throne. 47 In addition to all of this, the king’s servants have come along to congratulate our lord King David. They’ve been telling David ‘May your God make Solomon’s reputation even more famous than yours, and may he make his throne greater than yours!’ The king has himself bowed in worship on his own bed 48 and said ‘Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has provided someone to sit on my throne today. I’ve seen it with my own eyes!’”
1 Kings 1:28-48

and

the end of the 40 years reign of King David

2:10 After this, David died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. 11 David had reigned over Israel for 40 years. He reigned in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for 33 years. 12 Solomon then assumed his father David’s throne, and his kingdom was firmly established.

Adonijah asks for Abishag

13 Later, Haggith’s son Adonijah approached Solomon’s mother. “Are you here on a peaceful mission?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied. 14 “I have something to ask you about.”

“Talk,” she told him.

15 So he replied, “You know that the kingdom should have come to me, and that everyone in Israel intended to place me as the next king. However, the kingdom has turned around and now belongs to my brother, because it went to him from the LORD. 16 So now I’m asking one thing from you. Don’t refuse me.”

“Talk,” she told him.

17 Then he asked her, “Please talk to King Solomon for me, since he won’t refuse you. Ask him to give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.”

18 “Okay,” Bathsheba replied. “I’ll talk to the king for you.” 19 So Bathsheba went to talk to King Solomon for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. He ordered a throne be set in place for his mother. She sat on a throne to his right 20and told him, “I would like to make a minor request of you. Please don’t refuse me.”

“What is your request, mother?” the king asked her. “I won’t turn you down.”

21 So she asked him, “Give Abishag the Shunammite to your brother Adonijah as a wife.”

22 But King Solomon replied to his mother, “Why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Why not ask me to give up the kingdom for him, since he’s my older brother, and why not ask for Abiathar the priest, and for Zeruiah’s son Joab?”

23 Then King Solomon took this oath in the name of the LORD: “May God do so to me, and more besides, if Adonijah hasn’t endangered his life by bringing up this subject. 24 Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of my father David, and who has established a dynasty, just like he promised, Adonijah will surely be executed today.” 25 So King Solomon sent for Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, who attacked and killed Adonijah.

26 The king also told Abiathar the priest, “Go home to Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I won’t kill you today, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David and because you shared all the troubles that my father went through.” 27 So Solomon fired Abiathar as the LORD’s priest, thus fulfilling the promise that the LORD had spoken in Shiloh concerning Eli’s household.

Joab is Executed

28 When Joab learned what had happened, he ran to the LORD’s tent and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar, since Joab had supported Adonijah (though he had not supported Absalom). 29 Somebody informed King Solomon, “Joab just ran to the LORD’s tent and now he’s standing beside the altar!”

But Solomon ordered Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, “Go kill him!”

30 So Benaiah went into the LORD’s tent and told Joab, “The king orders you to come out!”

“No,” Joab said, “I’d rather die here!”

So Benaiah went and informed the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”

31 The king replied to him, “Do just what he asked. Kill him and bury him so that you may remove from me and from my father’s household the guilt that Joab shed needlessly. 32 The LORD will repay him for his bloodshed because, without my father David’s consent he attacked and murdered two men more righteous and better than he, Ner’s son Abner, the commander of Israel’s army and Jether’s son Amasa, commander of Judah’s army. 33 May their blood be repaid to Joab and to his descendants forever, and may there be peace shown from the LORD forever to David, to his descendants, to his household, and to his throne.”

34 Jehoiada’s son Benaiah then approached Joab, attacked him, killed him, and had him buried at Joab’s home in the wilderness. 35 The king appointed Jehoiada’s son Benaiah in charge of the army to replace Joab and also appointed Zadok the priest to replace Abiathar.

Shimei is Executed

36 The king sent for Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but don’t go anywhere from there. 37 If you ever leave and cross the Kidron Brook, you can be sure that you’ll die. You’ll be responsible for your own death.”

38 Shimei replied to the king, “What your majesty has decreed is acceptable to me. I’ll do what you’ve said.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for quite some time. 39 But three years later, two of Shimei’s servants escaped to Maacah’s son Achish, the king of Gath.

Somebody told Shimei, “Look! Your servants went to Gath!” 40 So Shimei got up, saddled a donkey, and traveled to Gath to find his servants. He found them and brought them back from Gath.

41 Later, Solomon found out that Shimei had left Jerusalem, gone to Gath, and had returned, 42 so the king sent for Shimei and asked him, “Didn’t I make a promise to the LORD and warn you, ‘The day you leave and go anywhere else, you can be sure you’ll die’? And you told me, ‘What your majesty has decreed is acceptable to me.’ 43 So why haven’t you kept the oath you made to the LORD, and why didn’t you obey my personal order to you?”

44 The king also reminded Shimei, “You know all the evil things that you admit you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD is going to repay you for all of your evil. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will be established in the presence of the LORD forever.” 46 So the king gave orders to Jehoiada’s son Benaiah to go out, attack Shimei, and kill him. That is how the kingdom was established under Solomon’s control.
1 Kings 2:10-46


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