DAVID’S INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS SON SOLOMON The last moments in David’s life revealed what he bore in his heart; having been only preoccupied with fulfilling God’s will concerning setting Solomon a king; and realizing the divine justice concerning those who did wrong to the law, and those who gave work of love. It is the custom of parents, when they feel the closeness of their departure from this world, to give farewell instructions, with blessings, to their children, particularly to the firstborn. The Lord Christ, Himself, just before His crucifixion, gave us His magnificent farewell talk, as well as a farewell prayer. David’s ordainments to establish the throne of his son Solomon, as they came in 1 Chronicles 28, 29, are summarized as follows: 1- He introduced his son to men of the royal court, as his successor, chosen by God. 2- He charged them to obey the divine commandments. 3- He exhorted Solomon and the people to build the temple, and provided them with a model of the building, together with the material he dedicated to realize that goal. 4- He exhorted the elite of the people to partake of that work. 5- He raised praise and thanksgiving to God, and set a religious celebration. 6- He anointed Solomon in the presence of the Lord before the people (1 Chronicles 29: 22) for the second time; as it happened with Saul (1 Samuel 11), and David (2 Samuel 2: 4; 5: 3); to make sure that no rebellion would ever happen against Solomon after his death. https://coptic-treasures.com/ The farewell instructions reveal the longing of David the prophet, that his successors would fear the Lord, and be faithful to the covenant, so that the divine promise for the continuation of David’s royal dynasty would be realized. For that would be the only guarantee for their success in every work they do. 1- Spiritual instructions 1 - 4 2- An instruction concerning Joab 5 - 6 3- An instruction concerning the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite 7 4- An instruction concerning Shimei the son of Gira 8 - 9 5- Solomon’s kingdom firmly established 10 - 12 6- Adonijah “speaks against his own life” 13 - 25 7- Abiathar removed from priesthood 26 - 27 8- Joab killed 28 - 35 9- Shimei punished 36 – 46 1- SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTIONS: (1 – 4) With great reverence and seriousness, king David, while on his deathbed, provided his instructions to his son Solomon; which came as an example for what parents should provide their children. a- Looking at death as a setting forth of the soul along a collective procession, together with the souls of his fathers toward their ultimate home: “Then the days of David drew near that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying: ‘I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man’” (1, 2) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Not fearing to hear or to talk about death, David expressed it in a magnificent way; counting it as the way of all the earth;… that humanity which came out of the earth, is committed to return to it; … That death is a setting forth from the valley of tears (Psalm 23: 4), as though in a procession that gathers all, even prophets, elites, righteous believers, and kings; yet with the spirit of hope, crossing over to beyond time. + To those who truly understand it, death is eternity; Whereas to the foolish who do not, it entails an ultimate obliteration. We should not fear death, but fear the perdition of the soul, namely, not knowing God. That is truly what the soul should fear. + Being aware that it is impossible to escape from death, and that it implies the liberation from the ailments to which man submits in this life, the men of reason practice virtues, love God, and confront death without sighs, fear, nor tears. (St. Anthony the Great) b- An exhortation to the new generation to work with the spirit of strength, commitment, and feeling of responsibility: “Be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man” (2). Such a fatherly charge bears a reflection of the divine commandment to every leader, even to every believer; For God wishes all His children to be leaders, trust in the divine presence, an in the enjoyment of the divine promises and the heavenly strength. However old we may be, we feel like children; but by the Lord, we become mature, carrying the spirit of strength. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you; He will not leave you, nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31: 6). “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them” (Joshua 1: 6). “Only be strong and courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand, nor to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go” *Joshua 1: 7). “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1: 9). “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage; and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27: 14). “Be of good courage; and He shall strengthen your heart; all you hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31: 24). “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16: 13). Endure like a man the fire that purifies your desires; and with courage, that which purifies your heart. Do not assume that what you still do not have, you will not have; ; And do not fall into despair, as long as you meditate in the words: “Wait on the Lord”. https://coptic-treasures.com/ c- A commitment to faithfulness to the divine covenant, and to keeping His statutes: “And keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn; that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, He said, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel” (3, 4) What is walking in the way of the Lord, but the enjoyment of the divine presence, leaning upon the divine arm, and keeping the divine commandment, instead of walking according to the human mind, and trusting in the military power, gold, silver, and outer appearances. If the believer wishes to be a true king, of https://coptic-treasures.com/ authority over his thoughts, feelings, words, and behavior; and to be able to trample over the hosts of darkness, he is committed to keep the statutes, commandments, judgments, and testimonies of the Lord. For by keeping them, they would keep him, and would grant him of their features, sanctification, wisdom, together with strength and joy. In our interpretation of the psalms, we gave a discernment between the statutes, commandments, judgments, and testimonies. Presenting to us His holy statutes, God wishes us to walk with the spirit of prudence and discipline, in order to bear in us His holy life; and that no confusion would find a place in us. By His commandments He wishes us to bear the spirit of obedience, to share with our Christ, obedient to the Father, His exalted features. By keeping His judgments, we would proclaim our trust in His compassionate and wise fatherhood; and our acceptance of His divine will, even in the moments of bitter chastisement. By holding fast to His testimonies, we testify before ourselves, as well as before our brethren, our surety of the divine truth, and our anticipation of what He has promised us of the eternal life. The prophet David, calls his son Solomon to commit himself to the following: If, as a king, he seeks the submission of all his subjects to the system he establishes for the sake of the peace of the country, he would be committed, on his part, to submit to the divine ordinance; and not to walk according to his personal desires. For, inside him, he has the kingdom of God that covers the whole heavens. By being committed to obey God and His statutes; his people would obey and accept his laws. By being committed to accept God’s just judgments; he would bear the spirit of justice in his own judgments that concern the nation. https://coptic-treasures.com/ By being committed to testify to God, who is faithful in His promises; he, himself, would become the place of trust by his people. By that, the prophet David presents to us a living practical concept of success; that, what we practice in our relationship with God, our Father, will come back on us, even in our relationship with our brethren. And as it is written: “As you have done, it shall be done to you” (Obadiah 15). If we come to be the object of God’s pleasure, we get grace even before our enemies. As to the divine promise to David that he shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel; the Lord gave it to him in 2 Samuel 7: 11-16; and confirmed it to his son Solomon in 1 kings 8: 5. Yet that promise came with a condition, which, unfortunately, was not fulfilled by the sons of David; and hence the kingdom was taken away from them through the Assyrian, then the Babylonian captivation. But the divine promise that the Messiah will come from his seeds, was not conditioned. Our Lord Jesus Christ came as the Son of David; and by His coming, the first promise was confirmed by a new spiritual concept, as talked about by the prophet Jeremiah (33: 14-18); As the Messiah came “The Lord our righteousness”, who granted us Himself righteousness before God the Father; and we came to be spiritual kings, sitting on the throne of the house of Israel, counted as sons of David the king, or rather of the Son of David, the King of kings. He probably refers here to the statutes concerning the king, as presented by the prophet Moses, saying: “But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ’You shall not return that way again’ . Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Also it shall be, when he https://coptic-treasures.com/ sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes; that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel” (Deuteronomy 17: 16-20). The king was not forbidden of riding a horse; even though the King of kings, in His humility entered into Jerusalem “sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Matthew 21: 5). But he was forbidden of using horses as a kind of vain glory; Or that, with the multitude of horses, some people would be honored beyond their own worthiness; as it is written: “I have seen servants on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants” (Ecclesiastes 10: 7). According to the scholar Origen, the horses, here, refer to the demons who fell from heaven because of their pride, those who followed him,, who said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14: 14). + It was written: “A horse is a vain hope for safety” (Psalm 33: 17); and, “The horse and its rider, He has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15: 1); And the king of Israel was commanded not to ride a horse (See Deuteronomy 17: 16). I think that the horses are the sinners, and their riders are the demons; … he who turned into a persecutor is a horse running wildly, ridden by a stirred up demon who pierces us with a spear. (St. Jerome) https://coptic-treasures.com/ + We can also take the horse as a symbol of any processions in this world, or any kind of honor, on which man trusts in pride…. If you count that the higher you rise, the more exalted and secure you get; Don not you know that the higher you go, the harder and heavier will be your fall?!… Security and safety are not realized through power, authority, honor, glory, nor by the horse! (St, Augustine) 2- AN INSTRUCTION CONCERNING JOAB: (5 – 6) “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the army of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peace-time, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace” (5-6) Walking with the spirit of justice: Joab was worthy of death because he killed two great commanders of the army: Abner (2 Samuel 3: 27), and Amasa (2 Samuel 20: 10). Through envy and deception, for which David did not only grieve, but he was himself accused of killing Abner (2 Samuel 3: 28, 37). He shed blood of war in peace-time; for they were not his enemies fighting him. Saying, “He put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet”, reveal the spirit of guile and deception. In battle https://coptic-treasures.com/ the warriors confront one another for the sake of their countries, and their blood is shed on their own body and garment. But Joab, pretending to take Abner and Amasa to his bosom in friendship, he stabbed them in the stomach, and their blood flowed on his belt and sandals; as though their innocent blood attached to his body. According to David, killing those two great commanders was a serious loss for him personally; as though Joab did it to him; And it is not befitting of him as a responsible king of a nation that entered into a covenant with God, to let such crimes go without punishment, which he postponed until the proper time, after the end of wars in his days; to avoid any probability of disturbance in the army, where some may most probably have admiration for Joab.; to realize justice in the days of his son Solomon, whom he counseled to do it according to his wisdom. AN INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THE SONS OR BARZILLAI THE GILEADITE: (7) “And show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother” (7) It is to be noticed that Barzillai the Gileadite, alone, was mentioned in 1 Samuel 17: 27, who showed compassion toward David when he fled from his son Absalom, and gave him food. Yet having been 80 years old at the time, his sons must have helped him do it. Most probably Barzillai was already dead, for David did not refer to him but to his sons. By the same spirit, Paul the apostle prayed to the Lord “To grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain” (2 Timothy 1: 16-18). 3- AN INSTRUCTION CONCERING SHIMEI THE SON OF GERA: (8 – 9) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “And see, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious curse on the day when I went to Mahaneim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword”. Now, therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood” (8, 9) Shimei the Benjamite showed a kind of hatred toward David (2 Samuel 16: 5-8), having cursed him with a malicious curse. And when David returned to Jerusalem, he fell at his feet seeking forgiveness, and the king so promised him not to put him to death by the sword; on account of that at the time, David did not want to mix the joy of his people for his return with practicing any punishment (2 Samuel 19: 19-24). He forgave him on what concerned him as a person; but having so erred concerning the Lord’s anointed, and the king as a representative of God, he had no right to forgive; Hence his counsel to his son came as: “Do not hold him guiltless”, meaning, do not punish him according to a personal wish of avenging me, your father; but judge him as a just judge. … With his compassionate heart toward his adversaries, David refrained from doing Shemei any harm all the days of his life; Yet, he confirmed to his son, the new king, the seriousness of slothfulness, in holding the criminal guiltless; hence he sought from him to practice the divine judgment, By saying, “Do not hold him guiltless”, he meant, do not exonerate him, on account of that I swore to him not to put him to death by the sword, But, being a wise man, you know what you ought to do to him, for he probably represents danger on the kingdom; Being deceptive, he may, use your young age, to plot against you. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 4- SOLOMON’S KINGDOM FIRMLY ESTABLISED: (10-12) “So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David” (10) It was not allowed for the commoners to set burial places within the walls of the cities; yet Jerusalem was exempted for the sake of the royal household. David was buried in the city of David on Mount Zion; and his grave was there until the days of the Lord Christ (Acts 2: 29). According to the Historian Josephus, Solomon put many treasures together with his father’s body in his grave; which were preserved for 13 centuries until ‘Hyracanus’ the high priest opened it up, took away from it 3000 talents of gold, and gave them to Antiochus to lift the siege up from Jerusalem. And according to him, as well, Herod the great took from the grave a multitude of treasures. St. Jerome spoke of David’s grave as though still existed even in his days. “The period that David reigned over Israel was 40 years: Seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established” (11, 12) David’s life has been a continuous series of sufferings, particularly during the 40 years he reigned, during which he strove to establish the kingdom, not for the sake of his personal glory, but for the glory of God. Yet his sufferings were unceasingly mixed with joy and praise to God. Now his son receives the scepter of a kingdom, firmly established to a great extent, a fruit of the strife of his father David. 5- ADONIJAH “SPOKE AGAINST HIS OWN LIFE”: (13 -25) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Now, Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’, and he said, ‘peaceably’” (13) The question of Bathsheba whether Adonijah came peaceably, reveals her inner doubts of his evil intentions. “Moreover he said, I have something to say to you; and she said, ‘Say it’. Then he said, ‘You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel has set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However the kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord” (14) In his talk to Bathsheba, Adonijah revealed that, being the oldest of David’s living sons, he had the right for the kingdom, a fact anticipated by all the people, including Abiathar the high priest; but “it was his (Solomon’s) from the Lord” (15). He said to the king’s mother, what he already spread among the people and the elites; yet he must have omitted the part, saying that it is the Lord who has chosen Solomon. “Now I ask one petition of you, do not deny me, and she said to him, ‘Say it’. Then he said, ‘Please speak to king Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife’. So Bathsheba said, ‘Very well, I will speak for you to the king’.. Bathsheba, therefore, went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne, and had a throne set for the king’s mother; so she sat at his right hand” (14-19) https://coptic-treasures.com/ With the spirit of humility, on the entrance of his mother, Solomon rose up to meet her, and did not wait for her to reach him; bowed down to her, and let her sit at his right hand, as a sign of honoring her, according to what came in psalm 110: 1, and according to the custom of the Arabs, the Greeks, and the Roman kings. By doing that, Solomon consummated the fifth divine commandment received by the prophet Moses, concerning honoring the parents. And as his father had passed away, his mother represented the two parents together. Yet, despite honoring her in such a great way, Solomon took a firm position toward his brother and his helpers who were still planning to give him the kingdom. “Then she said, ‘I desire one small petition of you; do not refuse me’; And the king said to her, ‘Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you’. So she said, ‘Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife’” ((20, 21) Although Abishag was just a kind of nurse, yet, in the sight of the people, she was one of the king’s concubines; and, according to the Israelites, as well as the Persians, whoever acquire the deceased king’s women, would be worthy of inheriting his throne (2 Samuel 12: 8). Bathsheba’s request does not mean that she was not aware of that tradition; but probably because of Adonijah’s smooth talk; or on account of that she knew that abishag was only a nurse, and not a concubine. Although Adonijah’s lips were as smooth as oil, but his heart was ready for an inner bitter war; yet Bathsheba assumed that by responding to Adonijah’s request, she would probably appease his anger toward his younger brother, and he would forsake his violent intentions. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “And king Solomon answered and said to his mother, ‘Now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah; Ask for him the kingdom also – for he is my older brother – for him and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. Then king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, ‘May God do so to me, and more also; if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life! Now, therefore, as the Lord lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!’. So king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died” (22-25) Solomon referred to Abiathar the priest, and to Joab, on account of his belief that they were provoking Adonijah to take the throne, to reign through him. I do not think that Solomon broke his promise to respond to his mother’s request; As his care for the safety of the kingdom, in his sight, was more important than fulfilling his wrong promise to his mother. In the same way, according to some, it would not have been considered a break of promise, if Herod did not kill John the Baptist, to give his head to Hirodea; For a retreat to the right is far better than keeping a promise with destructive to himself or to others. 6- ABIATHAR REMOVED FROM PRIESTHOOD: (26 – 27) It so seems that Solomon knew for sure that Abiathar the priest and Joab were behind Adonijah’s request to have Abishag as a wife; and that they were still plotting a new movement of rebellion by Adonijah (22). Having been occupying prominent positions, and representing role models to the leaders and the people, Solomon was aware that what they were doing was a serious hidden treason. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “And to Abiathar the priest the king said, ‘Go to Anathoth to your own fields, for you are worthy of death, but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David, and because you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted. So Solomon removed Abiatthar from being priest to the Lord, that he might fulfill the word of the Lord which He spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh” (26-27) Solomon’s wise attitude toward Abiathar the priest reveals that he was free of any personal wish for revenge, nor of practicing violence. Although partaking of Adonijah’s conspiracy to take the throne was worthy of death, yet he only sent him to Anathoth where his fields were; for the sake of his honor as a high priest, of carrying the ark of God, and because he was afflicted together with his father David during his persecution by king Saul (1 Samuel 22: 20; 23: 8), and the rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 15: 24 etc.). What he did was a fulfillment of the word of the Lord which He spoke concerning the house of Eli (1 Samuel 2: 30-33). And by that the high priesthood moved from the house of Eli to Zadok of the house of Elizar; according to the early way. 7- JOAB KILLED: (28 – 35) “Then news came to Joab, for Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and took hold of the horns of the altar. And king Solomon was told, ‘Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord; there he is by the altar’. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoidah, https://coptic-treasures.com/ saying, ‘Go, strike him down’. So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him, ‘Thus says the king, ‘Come out’. And he said, ‘No, but I will die here’. And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, ‘Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me’. And the king said to him, ‘Do as he has said, strike him down, and bury him, that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed. So the Lord will return his blood on his head, because he struck down two men, more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword – Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah – though my father David did not know it. Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord’. So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him, and he was buried in his house in the wilderness. The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army; and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar” (28-35) Why did Joab flee to the tabernacle of the Lord, (not to the tabernacle of the meeting, but to the holy tabernacle at Zion), to take refuge in the altar? + Probably because he knew that Solomon was aware of that he and Abiathar the priest were behind Adonijah’s request for Abishag to become his wife. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + He probably heard from the state’s men around the king, of David’s charge to his son Solomon, concerning his person, and perceived that the time has come to put the verdict into effect. + He perceived the seriousness of his position after Adonijah was killed and Abiathar was removed to his fields. + By taking refuge in the tabernacle of the Lord, He probably intended to put Solomon in a tight corner; as in case he insist on killing him, he would be defiling the altar with his blood. + Probably feeling guilty, and perceiving that he is worthy of death; he took refuge in the tabernacle to die in the house of the Lord, as though seeking mercy under the wings of God. Although the Holy Book did not mention that Joab was the one who counseled Adonijah to seek Abishag as his wife, yet Solomon issued his verdict for the sake of his killing Abner and Amasa. Assuming that his two horrible crimes were forgotten with time; and that Solomon stir-up was for the sake of his request for Abishag as his wife, Joab sought refuge in the altar to prove that he did not provoke Adonijah to do so. But the fact is that the altar according to what came in Exodus 21: 13, 14, does not protect a killer who acts with premeditation and guile. By killing Joab, Solomon took away from his father and his house the innocent blood shed, and the defilement from the land, according to what is written: “So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it” (Numbers 35: 33); And, “But if a man acts with premeditation against his https://coptic-treasures.com/ neighbor, to kill him with guile, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die” (Exodus 21: 14). Not wishing to bear the responsibility of killing someone in the holy place, Benaiah went back to the king who gave him the command to apply the law, saying: “Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you” (Deuteronomy 19: 13). David’s house would not be well established unless his descendants practice the righteousness and justice according to the Lord’s command. However, Solomon commanded Benaiah to kill Joab, and to bury him; so that his corpse would not be left in disgrace and reproach; on account of that he has fought together with his father. He was buried in his house east of Bethlehem in the wilderness of Judah. Burying one in his land or house bears some kind of honor, as it happened in the case of Samuel the prophet (1 Samuel 25: 1), and others. Solomon, therefore, gave the command to kill, not to avenge himself, but in obedience to the charge of his father; and fulfilling the saying: “Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness” (Proverb 25: 5). 8- SHIMEI PUNISHED: (36 – 46) “Then the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, ‘Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere; for it shall be, on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die, your blood shall be on your own head.’. And Shimei said to the king, The saying https://coptic-treasures.com/ is good. As my Lord the king has said, so your servant will do’” (26- 38) Shimei was probably called from his town ‘Bahurim’, where his house was (2 Samuel 16: 5), and was ordered to build himself a house in Jerusalem, dwell in it, and on no circumstances, to go anywhere, lest he would be put to death; to which he swore by the Lord to obey. When he was called from his town, and knowing what happened to Adonijah, Joab, and Abiathar, and what king David charged his son Solomon to do, he must have thought that he was called to be put to death; But Solomon knew how to discern between the different crimes; his verdict upon Joab, the killer was different from his verdict upon Shimei. He called him and put him under confinement, not in a house but in a city; and not in any city, but in Jerusalem, the beautiful, the royal, and holy city, the source of joy of the whole world at that time. It is as though he was confined in an earthly paradise. Solomon’s intention was to keep Shimei away from dwelling among his tribe, lest he might plot something new against the king. Knowing how dangerous he is, he gave him some freedom, yet he put him under his sight, a just verdict to test the extent of Shimei’s obedience and his faithfulness to his promise. “Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to Achish the son of Maachah, king of Gath; and they told Shimei, saying, ‘Look, your slaves are in Gath’. So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. And Solomon was told that Shimei has gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, ‘Did I not make you swear by the Lord, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you https://coptic-treasures.com/ go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die?’, and you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good’. Why then, have you not kept the oath of the Lord and the commandment that I gave you?’. The king said moreover to Shimei, ‘You know as your heart acknowledges all the wickedness that you did to my father David. Therefore the Lord will return your wickedness on your own head. But king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever’. So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehuiada , and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon” (39-46) Having left the city to fetch his runaway slaves to Gath, Shimei was counted a breaker of the vow by the Lord, and was sentenced by Solomon to be put to death. Although some scholars consider Solomon’s verdict as too harsh; But, according to others, although Shimei had the right to have his slaves back, yet, having sworn by the Lord to obey, he should have informed Solomon of the situation, and waited for his instructions. He had no right to break the vow by the Lord, whatever the situation was. Now, Solomon’s kingdom was finally established after three years (39). Saying, “Shimei saddled his donkey”, and not let one of his servant saddle it for him, reveals that he went out by night without telling anyone, even his own household, He brought his slaves back, but he lost his life and everything he possessed, on account of breaking his vow by the Lord. That is how many do when they break the divine commandment for the sake of temporal goods https://coptic-treasures.com/ (considered as slaves to serve them), to lose their eternal life, and to have their souls perish. The reasons for Solomon’s verdict, uttered on Shemei, was that he knew the wickedness in Shemei’s heart since the days of his father David, when he reviled the Lord’s anointed, and cast stones at him. His curse on the Lord’s anointed, came back on him; But David and his descendants will have the blessing, and David’s throne will be established before the Lord and not before men. ------------------------ AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 Kings 2 LET YOUR KINGDOM BE ESTABLISHED IN MY DEPTHS + David presented his farewell charge to his son Solomon; And behold, You, the Son of David grants me Your farewell charge; Not to restrict my freedom, but to establish your kingdom in my depths; And to set me a king to unite with You, O King of kings; + Having been about to go the way of all the earth, David supported his son, saying, “Be strong, and prove yourself a man” I see You, O Son of David, walking on a unique road; I see You, for my sake, passing through the winepress alone; I hear You crying out to me, ‘Be strong, and be to me a son and a companion’; Who will grant me the strength and maturity, but Your Holy Spirit? Grant me Your Spirit, who raises from the dead; To bring forth in me the spirit of strength, conquest, and life. + By You, I become strong, and keep Your commandment; https://coptic-treasures.com/ By You, all the hosts of evil are destroyed; Let the charge of my father David sound high in my ears; “Be strong, and prove yourself a man”; “Keep the Lord’s statutes, to succeed in everything you do”. + Your Spirit leads me on the way of Your commandment; Keeping Your statutes, I will live by the rite of heaven; Bowing before Your judgments, I will perceive the secrets of Your plans; And I will rejoice in Your testimonies, testifying to Your exalted work with me. + Let Joab the blood-shedder, be killed; To keep defilement away from the land of my heart; Let every violence in my depths be taken away; So as not to bear the features of guile of the devil; But bear Your features of true love; Let any thought of guile in me be killed, the way Solomon killed Joab; He who shed innocent blood; I wish no guile finds a place in my depths; Nor take over the steering wheel of my will + Let me pay back the sons of Barzillai the good deed they did to me; So as not to be in debt to anyone; Except by love and consistent compassion; Instruct me not to abuse the love of my brethren; Nor to seek their services with selfishness; But to desire to give more than to take. + Destroy Shimei in me, he who cursed the Lord’s anointed; Lest I may run over together with him chasing the slaves, to lose my covenant with You; https://coptic-treasures.com/ Lest I may run chasing the world You created to serve me; And lose my soul You created to partake of Your glory forever; By Your Spirit, bridle the energies of Shimei, who stirs disturbance up, and threatens peace; Who can confine and destroy the energies of corruption, but You?! + Drive away Abiathar the priest, the formal in his worship; And replace him with Zadok, the spiritual in his worship; Take away from me every pretence, to live by the Spirit; Drive away every foreign thought, even if it seems holy to me; Drive it away together with Abiathar the priest from Jerusalem to Anathoth; That such a thought would never occupy a place in Your altar inside me + Behold, Adonijah moves to take my kingdom by force; He seeks Abishag a wife to take away my throne; By the spirit of wisdom, grant me to keep wisdom as my bride; By the spirit of firmness, grant me to destroy the deceptive devil; Let the devil be destroyed, and set Your throne in me. + Grant me not to be deceived by the tricks of Adonijah; For the devil utters smooth, yet deadly words; Grant me the wisdom, lest the devil would take Your throne away from my heart; Lest he denies me my kingdom, and destroys my soul + By Your Spirit, O Lord, I become strong, and will never fear; He is my keeper from Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab, and Shimei; My keeper from the thoughts intending to deceive me by their smoothness; Take way from me every deception and malice; For You are the destroyer of all the hosts of evil; https://coptic-treasures.com/ You are the Grantor of peace to Your kingdom in me.
Welcome