Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / Solomon Avenging the Righteous - The Book of 1 Kings

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Solomon Avenging the Righteous - The Book of 1 Kings · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And King Solomon shall be blessed, and
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  Speaker 1: the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.
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  Speaker 1: 1 Kings 2.45 Dear Lord, thank you for the truth
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  Speaker 1: spoken over Solomon by his father David, because they still
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  Speaker 1: ring true to this day. As you promote me and
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  Speaker 1: increase in my life, I will not forsake your presence.
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  Speaker 1: I will continually keep your words written in my Bible
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  Speaker 1: before me day and night. Before I look at anything
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  Speaker 1: else in my day, I will first seek your face
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  Speaker 1: and get your advice on any matters that come before me.
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  Speaker 1: Through 1 Kings 2, I see that you give me
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  Speaker 1: the cheat codes to a long and fulfilling life filled
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  Speaker 1: with your goodness, protection, favor, and guidance. I declare that
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  Speaker 1: I am a child of God, and no matter how
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  Speaker 1: high you elevate me, Lord, I will never be too
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  Speaker 1: high to bow down in humility in the presence of
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  Speaker 1: my Savior. I declare that I walk in godly wisdom
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  Speaker 1: and that my steps are ordered and secured by your word, Lord.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for making prayer a priority
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  Speaker 1: in your life. To hear the Bible come to life,
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  Speaker 1: stay tuned for the Bible in a Year. Brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Solomon, avenging the righteous. In our last story, Adonijah exalted
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  Speaker 2: himself as the king, but David made sure to anoint
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  Speaker 2: Solomon as king. In this story, David will give instructions
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  Speaker 2: to Solomon as he begins to rule as king and
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  Speaker 2: he will carry them out, inspired by first kings.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, Pastor Jack Graham here once again with today's episode
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  Speaker 3: of the Bible in a Year. In our previous episode,
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  Speaker 3: we learned how Solomon became king of Israel. Despite the
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  Speaker 3: attempts of his older brother Adonijah to seize power, Solomon
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  Speaker 3: was anointed and appointed king according to David's promise to
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  Speaker 3: Bathsheba and the Lord's will for all of the people.
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  Speaker 3: Solomon spared Adonijah's life but warned him that if he
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  Speaker 3: proved wicked, he would surely be put to death. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear David's final instructions to his son Solomon and
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  Speaker 3: witness the young king acting wisely and righteously as he
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  Speaker 3: follows the guidance of God and the example of his father.
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  Speaker 3: Let's listen now to today's word.
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  Speaker 2: The air was crisper than normal, and the midday sun
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  Speaker 2: was beginning its descent towards the horizon. A gentle late
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  Speaker 2: summer breeze trickled in through David's window. David watched a
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  Speaker 2: few blue jays prance over his windowsill from his bed.
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  Speaker 2: He knew that his time on earth was nearly over.
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  Speaker 2: He turned to one of his servants at the entrance
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  Speaker 2: of his bedroom and said, Bring me Solomon. The servant
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  Speaker 2: nodded and left for a short while. David continued to
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  Speaker 2: stare at the birds, reflecting on his life. The door
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  Speaker 2: creaked open and David saw Solomon walking in with his
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  Speaker 2: kingly robes. They looked too big on Solomon, just as
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  Speaker 2: Saul's armor once did on him. Solomon bowed before him
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  Speaker 2: and David placed his hand on his head. Death is inevitable,
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  Speaker 2: David said. I am going where every man goes. There
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  Speaker 2: is no escaping it. Take courage, my son, and be
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  Speaker 2: a man. Look to God and follow his way. David
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  Speaker 2: held back tears. Keep the laws and commandments of Moses
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  Speaker 2: close to your heart. Favor and success will follow you
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  Speaker 2: if you do. God promised me that if my descendants
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  Speaker 2: keep his ways, he will bless them, which is why
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  Speaker 2: I have made you king. Solomon's eyes glistened as he
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  Speaker 2: listened to his father. He could feel his hand shaking
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  Speaker 2: on his head. His father was once known as the
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  Speaker 2: mightiest man in all the East. Every nation feared his sword.
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  Speaker 2: Now his voice and chest trembled with each word. It
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  Speaker 2: was truly a sad sight for Solomon. However, he considered
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  Speaker 2: the poetic nature of life and death. No matter how rich, successful, righteous,
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  Speaker 2: or poor a man is, death is inevitable. David released
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  Speaker 2: his hand from Solomon's head and said, There is one
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  Speaker 2: more thing. Joab has a history of poor judgment. He
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  Speaker 2: once killed my two commanders, Abner and Amasa, but masked
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  Speaker 2: it as an act of war. His hands are stained
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  Speaker 2: red with the blood of allies. Do to him what
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  Speaker 2: you desire, just do not let him rest in peace
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  Speaker 2: of old age. David paused for a moment, trying to
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  Speaker 2: recollect more names he needed to consider. Be kind to
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  Speaker 2: those who helped me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
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  Speaker 2: Show them favor, for they showed me mercy. And remember Shammai,
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  Speaker 2: who cursed me when I was fleeing to Mahanaim. I
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  Speaker 2: swore I would not kill him, but I trust that
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  Speaker 2: you will deal with him justly. You are a wise man,
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  Speaker 2: and I trust you will know what to do. With
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  Speaker 2: these last words, David gestured for Solomon to rise to
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  Speaker 2: his feet. The two of them exchanged smiles. Solomon was
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  Speaker 2: the son of David and Bathsheba, a corrupt union that
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  Speaker 2: God used for good. This was how God worked in
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  Speaker 2: David's life. Whatever imperfection or shortcoming David had, God would
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  Speaker 2: make into something good. David breathed deeply with his head
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  Speaker 2: against his pillow, closed his eyes, and thought back to
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  Speaker 2: his time as a shepherd boy in Bethlehem. So after
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  Speaker 2: 40 years of reigning as king of Israel, David, the
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  Speaker 2: giant slayer, breathed his last David would be written into
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  Speaker 2: history as the anointed king of God and a man
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  Speaker 2: after God's own heart his story of faith and failure
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  Speaker 2: would empower countless souls to believe in God for great
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  Speaker 2: and mighty works through his seed another king would arise
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  Speaker 2: out of Bethlehem a king that would liberate God's people
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  Speaker 2: from their real enemy sin yet for a short time
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  Speaker 2: it would be Solomon who would take on the mantle
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  Speaker 2: of king A few days had passed, and Bathsheba was
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  Speaker 2: tending to a few things in her home. The door
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  Speaker 2: opened up behind her. She stood back defensively when she
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  Speaker 2: saw Adonijah standing in her doorway.' Have you come in peace?'
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  Speaker 2: she asked.' Yes,' he said.' I am here in peace.
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  Speaker 2: I actually have a favor to ask you.' Bathsheba still
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  Speaker 2: questioned Adonijah's intentions. He had once tried to kill her
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  Speaker 2: and Solomon.' What is it?' she asked. Adonijah paced the
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  Speaker 2: room and said, You very well know the throne was
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  Speaker 2: rightfully mine by birth, and the whole country of Israel
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  Speaker 2: was prepared to receive me as their king. However, it
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  Speaker 2: has become apparent that the Lord desired Solomon. I have
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  Speaker 2: conceded that, so please do not deny me this request.
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  Speaker 2: Go on, she said. Speak with Solomon and ask if
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  Speaker 2: I might have Abishag, David's caregiver, as my wife. All right,
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  Speaker 2: Bathsheba replied. I will speak to the king. And with that,
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  Speaker 2: Adonijah left, and Bathsheba sat before the king. She made
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  Speaker 2: the request known to Solomon. Solomon said nothing for a
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  Speaker 2: long while, and then replied, No. His answer surprised Bathsheba.
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  Speaker 2: He was forceful and adamant on not allowing this request
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  Speaker 2: to be granted. When pressed further, Solomon said, I might
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  Speaker 2: as well give him the kingdom if I give him Abishag.
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  Speaker 2: She was precious to my father, and technically one of
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  Speaker 2: his wives by law, even though they did not sleep together.
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  Speaker 2: It would be one step closer to the throne for Adonijah.
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  Speaker 2: Solomon stood from his throne and continued, saying, He is
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  Speaker 2: my older brother, therefore more entitled to the throne than I.
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  Speaker 2: He also had Joab the commander and Abiathar the priest
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  Speaker 2: on his side. This would surely empower him more. Solomon
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  Speaker 2: smiled at his mother and kissed her hand. He sent
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  Speaker 2: her away to be alone with the Lord. He looked
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  Speaker 2: up to heaven and spoke clearly to God, saying,' May
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  Speaker 2: you strike me down if Adonijah has not sealed his
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  Speaker 2: fate with his request. He has shown his true colors,
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  Speaker 2: and it is clear to me that he still poses
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  Speaker 2: a threat to the throne.' He must die. So King
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  Speaker 2: Solomon ordered his guard to execute Adonijah. Swiftly and without spectacle,
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  Speaker 2: Solomon did away with his corrupted brother. Solomon knew he
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  Speaker 2: still had to deal with those loyal to Adonijah. His
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  Speaker 2: father had strictly warned him before he passed. So he
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  Speaker 2: took Abiathar, the priest, and said to him, Although you
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  Speaker 2: deserve to die for your rebellion, I know you are
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  Speaker 2: a man who loves the Lord. I will not kill you,
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  Speaker 2: but you are stripped of your title as priest. Solomon's
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  Speaker 2: mercy was well known and appreciated among the people. Just
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  Speaker 2: as his father David, he did not kill without reason.
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  Speaker 2: Then Solomon turned to Joab. He had joined Adonijah's rebellion
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  Speaker 2: and was seeking refuge at the altar of God, so
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  Speaker 2: Solomon would not kill him. He would not leave the altar.
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  Speaker 2: So Solomon sent men to remove him, saying, He is
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  Speaker 2: guilty of taking the lives of men more righteous than him.
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  Speaker 2: Their blood is on his hands, and he is the
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  Speaker 2: Lord's for revenge. So Joab was taken, killed, and buried
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  Speaker 2: in the wilderness. Solomon also sent for Shammai, the man
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  Speaker 2: who had cursed his father and shown him cruelty. Solomon
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  Speaker 2: did not want to kill Shammai, since he was not
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  Speaker 2: guilty of murder or rebellion. Instead, Solomon asked that he
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  Speaker 2: build a house in Jerusalem and stay close under house arrest.
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  Speaker 2: Solomon's sentence was fair. and well received by Shammai at first. However, eventually,
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  Speaker 2: Shammai disobeyed, and Solomon was forced to execute him. Slowly,
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  Speaker 2: Solomon's kingdom became more and more established under him. He
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  Speaker 2: was well known for his fairness, wisdom, and ability to
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  Speaker 2: discern between his emotions and the right decision. Solomon continued
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  Speaker 2: to govern well in his young age, but more hardship
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  Speaker 2: was ahead. There is no true peace for a king.
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  Speaker 3: Today's scripture begins with an ending. David's time on earth
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  Speaker 3: is drawing to a close, and he knows that soon
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  Speaker 3: he will be in the presence of God. Surely he
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  Speaker 3: was eager to rest in the arms of the Lord,
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  Speaker 3: the one who had sustained him, strengthened him, and walked
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  Speaker 3: with him through every valley and in every victory. But
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  Speaker 3: David also knew there was something that he needed to do.
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  Speaker 3: He needed to instruct Solomon and set him on the
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  Speaker 3: pathway of success. So he calls his son to his
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  Speaker 3: side for these very important words, final words. And he
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  Speaker 3: tells him he is near death. And in 1 Kings 2,
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  Speaker 3: verses 2 through 3, he says this. Be strong and
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  Speaker 3: show yourself a man and keep the charge of the
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  Speaker 3: Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes,
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  Speaker 3: his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is
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  Speaker 3: written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper
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  Speaker 3: in all that you do, and wherever you turn. Echoes
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  Speaker 3: of Moses' words to Joshua ring clear here. Be strong
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  Speaker 3: and courageous. Follow God and his commandments, that things may
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  Speaker 3: go well with you, that you will be successful. These
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  Speaker 3: are such wise words for a king to give to
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  Speaker 3: his successor and for a father to leave with his son.
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  Speaker 3: If Solomon listened to his father's words and lived by them,
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  Speaker 3: his reign would be even more successful than David's. Then
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  Speaker 3: David turned to more practical matters, people that Solomon needed
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  Speaker 3: to deal with. There was Joab, the general, who had
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  Speaker 3: shown poor judgment on many occasions and spilled the blood
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  Speaker 3: of Israelites under the guise of war. Then there were
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  Speaker 3: those who helped David when he was fleeing Absalom. David
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  Speaker 3: charged Solomon with treating them kindly, welcoming them to his table. Finally,
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  Speaker 3: there was Shimei, who cursed David as he fled Absalom.
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  Speaker 3: Though David had sworn not to kill him, Solomon was
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  Speaker 3: under no such oath, so Shammai could finally be dealt with.
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  Speaker 3: And so these are the final instructions from David to
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  Speaker 3: his son after he ruled for 40 years. He then
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  Speaker 3: died and rested with his fathers. He went to be
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  Speaker 3: with the Lord, leaving a life and a legacy of
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  Speaker 3: both triumph as well as failures that bear witness to
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  Speaker 3: this very day of a life lived in fellowship with God.
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  Speaker 3: of a God who is faithful and true to his promises.
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  Speaker 3: David was a great man because he served a great God.
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  Speaker 3: Not long after David died, Adonijah approached Bathsheba and asked
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  Speaker 3: if she'd make a request of Solomon for him. He
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  Speaker 3: wanted to marry David's concubine, Abishag. She agreed to speak
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  Speaker 3: to the king, but when Solomon heard the request, he
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  Speaker 3: saw right through Adonijah's ploy. Adonijah already had the loyalty
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  Speaker 3: of Abiathar, the priest, and Joab the commander, and if
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  Speaker 3: he married Abishag, technically David's wife in legal terms, it
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  Speaker 3: would lend him even more legitimacy in the people's eyes
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  Speaker 3: and empower him to try to seize control and power.
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  Speaker 3: So just as he promised he would do if Adonijah
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  Speaker 3: proved to be wicked, Solomon had his brother killed. He
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  Speaker 3: also dealt with Abiathar, sparing his life but removing him
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  Speaker 3: from the priesthood. When Joab learned what had happened, he
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  Speaker 3: knew he was about to be next, so he tried
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  Speaker 3: to seek refuge at the altar, refusing to come out
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  Speaker 3: to face his fate. He also was put to death. Finally,
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  Speaker 3: Solomon had Shammai, who was well within his right to
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  Speaker 3: kill for having cursed David, brought to him. He told
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  Speaker 3: him to build a home in Jerusalem and never leave town. Eventually, though,
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  Speaker 3: Shammai left town and paid with his life for his disobedience.
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  Speaker 3: These were all signs of a wise and strong king,
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  Speaker 3: slow to anger and thoughtful in his actions. Solomon was
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  Speaker 3: already establishing himself as a fair and merciful king, but
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  Speaker 3: also one who would not be trifled with. He would
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  Speaker 3: grow in power and strength over the coming years, and
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  Speaker 3: the next time we'll hear how his wisdom grew even greater.
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  Speaker 3: Dear God, as always, we thank you for your word,
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  Speaker 3: which is life to us. We thank you for the
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  Speaker 3: living scripture. because we know that all Scripture is inspired,
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  Speaker 3: breathed out by you. We thank you for the example
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  Speaker 3: of David and leaving a legacy that extended into Solomon's
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  Speaker 3: life who would be wise and discerning. Help us also
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  Speaker 3: to seek your wisdom and to walk in your ways
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  Speaker 3: and to show grace and mercy whenever it is possible.
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  Speaker 3: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you so very much for
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  Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. We are
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  Speaker 3: so very grateful for the millions of people who have
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  Speaker 3: downloaded this podcast. I'm Pastor Jack Graham. And when you
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: download the Pray.com app and make it a priority in
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  Speaker 3: your life to listen to God's Word, your life truly
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: will be changed. We are hearing reports from so many
• 15:59
  Speaker 3: of the power of God's Word in their lives. So
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: let me encourage you. to pass this podcast on to others,
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  Speaker 3: to share it with someone you know, someone you care about,
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  Speaker 3: because the Word of God truly will change lives. And
• 16:13
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  Speaker 3: power in your life, be sure to visit jackgram.org. We
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  Speaker 3: would love to connect with you and for you to
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  Speaker 3: connect with us. Again, that's jackgram.org. God bless you.