Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / Solomon Avenging the Righteous

Transcript

Solomon Avenging the Righteous · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: David shall be established before the Lord forever. 1 Kings
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: 2.45 Dear Lord, thank you for the truth spoken over
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Solomon by his father David, because they still ring true
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: to this day. As you promote me and increase in
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: my life, I will not forsake your presence. I will
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: continually keep your words written in my Bible before me
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: day and night. Before I look at anything else in
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: my day, I will first seek your face and get
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: your advice on any matters that come before me. Through
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: 1 Kings 2, I see that you give me the
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: cheat codes to a long and fulfilling life filled with
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: your goodness, protection, favor, and guidance. I declare that I
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: am a child of God, and no matter how high
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: you elevate me, Lord, I will never be too high
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: to bow down in humility in the presence of my Savior.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: I declare that I walk in godly wisdom and that
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: my steps are ordered and secured by your word, Lord.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for making prayer a priority
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: in your life. To hear the Bible come to life,
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: stay tuned for The Bible in a Year, brought to
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: you by Bibleinayear.com.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: Solomon avenging the righteous. In our last story, Adonijah exalted
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: himself as the king. But David made sure to anoint
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Solomon as king. In this story, David will give instructions
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: to Solomon as he begins to rule as king and
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: he will carry them out, inspired by first kings.
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional, that will give you
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing Word,
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: That's JackGraham.org. JackGraham.org. In our previous episode, we learned how
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: Solomon became king of Israel. Despite the attempts of his
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: older brother Adonijah to seize power, Solomon was anointed and
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: appointed king according to David's promise to Bathsheba and the
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: Lord's will for all of the people. Solomon spared Adonijah's life,
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: but warned him that if he proved wicked, he would
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: surely be put to death. Today, we'll hear David's final
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: instructions to his son Solomon and witness the young king
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: acting wisely and righteously as he follows the guidance of
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: God and the example of his father. Let's listen now
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: to today's word.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: The air was crisper than normal. and the midday sun
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: was beginning its descent towards the horizon. A gentle late
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: summer breeze trickled in through David's window. David watched a
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: few blue jays prance over his windowsill from his bed.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: He knew that his time on earth was nearly over.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: He turned to one of his servants at the entrance
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: of his bedroom and said, Bring me Solomon. The servant
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: nodded and left for a short while. David continued to
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: stare at the birds, reflecting on his life. The door
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: creaked open and David saw Solomon walking in with his
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: kingly robes. They looked too big on Solomon, just as
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: Saul's armor once did on him. Solomon bowed before him
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: and David placed his hand on his head. Death is inevitable,
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: David said. I am going where every man goes. There
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: is no escaping it. Take courage, my son, and be
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: a man. Look to God and follow his way. David
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: held back tears. Keep the laws and commandments of Moses
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: close to your heart. Favor and success will follow you
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: if you do. God promised me that if my descendants
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: keep his ways, he will bless them, which is why
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: I have made you king. Solomon's eyes glistened as he
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: listened to his father. He could feel his hand shaking
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: on his head. His father was once known as the
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: mightiest man in all the East. Every nation feared his sword.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: Now his voice and chest trembled with each word. It
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: was truly a sad sight for Solomon. However, he considered
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: the poetic nature of life and death. No matter how rich, successful, righteous,
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: or poor a man is, death is inevitable. David released
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: his hand from Solomon's head and said, There is one
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: more thing. Joab has a history of poor judgment. He
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: once killed my two commanders, Abner and Amasa, but masked
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: it as an act of war. His hands are stained
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: red with the blood of allies. Do to him what
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: you desire, just do not let him rest in peace
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: of old age. David paused for a moment, trying to
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: recollect more names he needed to consider. Be kind to
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: those who helped me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: Show them favor, for they showed me mercy. And remember Shammai,
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: who cursed me when I was fleeing to Mahanaim. I
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: swore I would not kill him, but I trust that
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: you will deal with him justly. You are a wise man,
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: and I trust you will know what to do. With
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: these last words, David gestured for Solomon to rise to
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: his feet. The two of them exchanged smiles. Solomon was
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: the son of David and Bathsheba, a corrupt union that
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: God used for good. This was how God worked in
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: David's life. Whatever imperfection or shortcoming David had, God would
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: make into something good. David breathed deeply with his head
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: against his pillow, closed his eyes, and thought back to
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: his time as a shepherd boy in Bethlehem. So after
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: 40 years of reigning as king of Israel, David, the
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: giant slayer, breathed his last. David would be written into
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: history as the anointed king of God and a man
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: after God's own heart. His story of faith and failure
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: would empower countless souls to believe in God for great
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: and mighty works. Through his seed, another king would arise
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: out of Bethlehem, a king that would liberate God's people
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: from their real enemy, sin. Yet for a short time
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: it would be Solomon who would take on the mantle
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: of king. A few days had passed, and Bathsheba was
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: tending to a few things in her home. The door
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: opened up behind her. She stood back defensively when she
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: saw Adonijah standing in her doorway. Have you come in peace?
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: she asked. Yes, he said. I am here in peace.
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: I actually have a favor to ask you. Bathsheba still
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: questioned Adonijah's intentions. He had once tried to kill her
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: and Solomon. What is it? she asked. Adonijah paced the
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: room and said, You very well know the throne was
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: rightfully mine by birth, and the whole country of Israel
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: was prepared to receive me as their king. However, it
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: has become apparent that the Lord desired Solomon. I have
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: conceded that, so please do not deny me this request.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: Go on, she said. Speak with Solomon and ask if
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: I might have Abishag, David's caregiver, as my wife. All right,
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: Bathsheba replied. I will speak to the king. And with that,
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: Adonijah left, and Bathsheba sat before the king. She made
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: the request known to Solomon. Solomon said nothing for a
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: long while, and then replied, No. His answer surprised Bathsheba.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: He was forceful and adamant on not allowing this request
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: to be granted. When pressed further, Solomon said, I might
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: as well give him the kingdom if I give him Abishag.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: She was precious to my father and technically one of
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: his wives by law, even though they did not sleep together.
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: It would be one step closer to the throne for Adonijah.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: Solomon stood from his throne and continued, saying, He is
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: my older brother, therefore more entitled to the throne than I.
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: He also had Joab the commander and Abiathar the priest
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: on his side. This would surely empower him more. Solomon
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: smiled at his mother and kissed her hand. He sent
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: her away to be alone with the Lord. He looked
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: up to heaven and spoke clearly to God, saying, May
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: you strike me down if Adonijah has not sealed his
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: fate with his request. He has shown his true colors,
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: and it is clear to me that he still poses
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: a threat to the throne. He must die. So King
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: Solomon ordered his guard to execute Adonijah. Swiftly and without spectacle,
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: Solomon did away with his corrupted brother. Solomon knew he
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: still had to deal with those loyal to Adonijah. His
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: father had strictly warned him before he passed. So he
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: took Abiathar, the priest, and said to him, Although you
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: deserve to die for your rebellion, I know you are
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: a man who loves the Lord. I will not kill you,
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: but you are stripped of your title as priest. Solomon's
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: mercy was well known and appreciated among the people. Just
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: as his father David he did not kill without reason.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: Then Solomon turned to Joab. He had joined Adonijah's rebellion
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: and was seeking refuge at the altar of God so
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: Solomon would not kill him. He would not leave the
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: altar so Solomon sent men to remove him saying he
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: is guilty of taking the lives of men more righteous
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: than him. Their blood is on his hands and he
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: is the Lord's for revenge. So Joab was taken, killed
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: and buried in the wilderness. Solomon also sent for Shammai,
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: the man who had cursed his father and shown him cruelty.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: Solomon did not want to kill Shammai since he was
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: not guilty of murder or rebellion. Instead, Solomon asked that
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: he build a house in Jerusalem and stay close under
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: house arrest. Solomon's sentence was fair and well received by
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: Shammai at first. However, eventually, Shammai disobeyed and Solomon was
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: forced to execute him. Slowly, Solomon's kingdom became more and
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: more established under him. He was well known for his fairness, wisdom,
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: and ability to discern between his emotions and the right decision.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: Solomon continued to govern well in his young age, but
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: more hardship was ahead. There is no true peace for
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: a king.
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: Today's scripture begins with an ending. David's time on earth
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: is drawing to a close. And he knows that soon
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: he will be in the presence of God. Surely he
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: was eager to rest in the arms of the Lord,
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: the one who had sustained him, strengthened him, and walked
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: with him through every valley and in every victory. But
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: David also knew there was something that he needed to do.
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: He needed to instruct Solomon and set him on the
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: pathway of success. So he calls his son to his
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: side for these very important words, final words. And he
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: tells him he is near death. And in 1 Kings 2,
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: verses 2 through 3, he says this. Be strong and
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: show yourself a man and keep the charge of the
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes,
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: in all that you do and wherever you turn. Echoes
• 12:42
  Speaker 3: of Moses' words to Joshua ring clear here. Be strong
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: and courageous. Follow God and his commandments, that things may
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: go well with you, that you will be successful. These
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: are such wise words for a king to give to
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: his successor and for a father to leave with his son.
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: If Solomon listened to his father's words and lived by them,
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: his reign would be even more successful than David's. Then
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: David turned to more practical matters. people that Solomon needed
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: to deal with. There was Joab, the general, who had
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: shown poor judgment on many occasions and spilled the blood
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: of Israelites under the guise of war. Then there were
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: those who helped David when he was fleeing Absalom. David
• 13:26
  Speaker 3: charged Solomon with treating them kindly, welcoming them to his table. Finally,
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: there was Shimei, who cursed David as he fled Absalom.
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: Though David had sworn not to kill him, Solomon was
• 13:38
  Speaker 3: under no such oath, so Shimei could finally be dealt with.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: And so these are the final instructions from David to
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: his son after he ruled for 40 years. He then
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: died and rested with his fathers. He went to be
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: with the Lord, leaving a life and a legacy of
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: both triumph as well as failures that bear witness to
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: this very day of a life lived in fellowship with God,
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: of a God who is faithful and true to his promises.
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: David was a great man because he served a great God.
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: Not long after David died, Adonijah approached Bathsheba and asked
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: if she'd make a request of Solomon for him. He
• 14:21
  Speaker 3: wanted to marry David's concubine, Abishag. She agreed to speak
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: to the king, but when Solomon heard the request, he
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: saw right through Adonijah's ploy. Adonijah already had the loyalty
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: of Abiathar, the priest, and Joab the commander, and if
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: he married Abishag, technically David's wife in legal terms, it
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: would lend him even more legitimacy in the people's eyes
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: and empower him to try to seize control and power.
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: So just as he promised he would do if Adonijah
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: proved to be wicked, Solomon had his brother killed. He
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: also dealt with Abiathar, sparing his life but removing him
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: from the priesthood. When Joab learned what had happened, he
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: knew he was about to be next, so he tried
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: to seek refuge at the altar, refusing to come out
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: to face his fate. He also was put to death. Finally,
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: Solomon had Shammai, who was well within his right to
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: kill for having cursed David, brought to him. He told
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: him to build a home in Jerusalem and never leave town. Eventually, though,
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: Shammai left town and paid with his life for his disobedience.
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: These were all signs of a wise and strong king,
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: slow to anger and thoughtful in his actions and Solomon
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: was already establishing himself as a fair and merciful king,
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: but also one who would not be trifled with. He
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: would grow in power and strength over the coming years,
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: and the next time we'll hear how his wisdom grew
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: even greater. Dear God, as always, we thank you for
• 15:53
  Speaker 3: your word, which is life to us. We thank you
• 15:56
  Speaker 3: for the living scripture, because we know that all scripture
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: is inspired, breathed out by you. We thank you for
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: the example of David, and leaving a legacy that extended
• 16:09
  Speaker 3: into Solomon's life who would be wise and discerning. Help
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: us also to seek your wisdom and to walk in
• 16:16
  Speaker 3: your ways and to show grace and mercy whenever it
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: is possible. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
• 16:29
  Speaker 3: from Dallas, Texas, and before we go, I want you
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: to know that I would love to send you my
• 16:34
  Speaker 3: daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement every single day.
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: So visit jackgram.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org.