I
K I N G S
CHAP. II.
In
this chapter we have David setting and Solomon at the same time rising. I. The
conclusion of David's reign with his life. 1. The charge he gives to Solomon
upon his death-bed, in general, to serve God (ver. 1-4), in particular,
concerning Joab, Barzillai, and Shimei, ver. 5-9. 2. His death and burial, and
the years of his reign, ver. 10, 11. II. The beginning of Solomon's reign,
ver. 12. Though he was to be a prince of peace, he began his reign with some
remarkable acts of justice, 1. Upon Adonijah, whom he put to death for his
aspiring pretensions, ver. 13-25. 2. Upon Abiathar, whom he deposed from the
high priesthood for siding with Adonijah, ver. 26, 27. 3. Upon Joab, who he
put to death for his late treasons and former murders, ver. 28-35. 4. Upon
Shimei, whom, for cursing David, he confined to Jerusalem (ver. 36-38), and
three years after, for transgressing the rules, put to death, ver. 39-46.
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David's
Dying Charge; David's Death and Burial.
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B.
C. 1015.
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1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he
should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 I go the way
of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man;
3 And keep the charge of the LORD
thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and
his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that
thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest
thyself: 4 That the LORD
may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children
take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and
with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne
of Israel. 5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of
Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of
Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he
slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his
girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on
his feet. 6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his
hoar head go down to the grave in peace. 7 But show kindness unto
the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy
table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy
brother. 8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son
of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the
day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I
sware to him by the LORD,
saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. 9 Now
therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest
what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the
grave with blood. 10 So David slept with his fathers, and was
buried in the city of David. 11 And the days that David reigned
over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and
thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
David, that great and good man, is here a dying man (v. 1), and a dead
man, v. 10. It is well there is another life after this, for death
stains all the glory of this, and lays it in the dust. We have here,
I. The charge and instructions which David, when he was dying, gave to
Solomon, his son and declared successor. He feels himself declining, and is
not backward to own it, nor afraid to hear or speak of dying: I go the way
of all the earth, v. 2. Heb. I am walking in it. Note, Death
is a way; not only a period of this life, but a passage to a better. It is the
way of all the earth, of all mankind who dwell on earth, and are
themselves earth, and therefore must return to their earth. Even the sons and
heirs of heaven must go the way of all the earth, they must needs die;
but they walk with pleasure in this way, through the valley of the shadow
of death, Ps. xxiii. 4. Prophets, and even kings, must go this way to
brighter light and honour than prophecy or sovereignty. David is going this
way, and therefore gives Solomon directions what to do.
1. He charges him, in general, to keep God's commandments and to make
conscience of his duty, v. 2-4. He prescribes to him, (1.) A good rule
to act by--the divine will: "Govern thyself by that." David's charge
to him is to keep the charge of the Lord his God. The authority
of a dying father is much, but nothing to that of a living God. There are
great trusts which we are charged with by the Lord our God--let us keep them
carefully, as those that must give account; and excellent statutes, which we
must be ruled by--let us also keep them. The written word is our rule. Solomon
must himself do as was written in the law of Moses. (2.) A good spirit
to act with: Be strong and show thyself a man, though in years but a
child. Those that would keep the charge of the Lord their God must put on
resolution. (3.) Good reasons for all this. This would effectually conduce,
[1.] To the prosperity of his kingdom. It is the way to prosper in all thou
doest, and to succeed with honour and satisfaction in every undertaking.
[2.] To the perpetuity of it: That the Lord may continue and so confirm
his word which he spoke concerning me. Those that rightly value the
treasure of the promise, that sacred depositum, cannot but be
solicitous to preserve the entail of it, and very desirous that those who come
after them may do nothing to cut it off. Let each, in his own age,
successively, keep God's charge, and then God will be sure to continue his
word. We never let fall the promise till we let fall the precept. God had
promised David that the Messiah should come from his loins, and that promise
was absolute: but the promise that there should not fail him a man on the
throne of Israel was conditional--if his seed behave themselves as they
should. If Solomon, in his day, fulfil the condition, he does his part towards
the perpetuating of the promise. The condition is that he walk before God in
all his institutions, in sincerity, with zeal and resolution; and, in order
hereunto, that he take heed to his way. In order to our constancy in
religion, nothing is more necessary than caution and circumspection.
2. He gives him directions concerning some particular persons, what to do with
them, that he might make up his deficiencies in justice to some and kindness
to others. (1.) Concerning Joab, v. 5. David was now conscious to
himself that he had not done well to spare him, when he had made himself once
again obnoxious to the law, but the murder of Abner first and afterwards of
Amasa, both of them great men, captains of the hosts of Israel. He slew
them treacherously (shed the blood of war in peace), and injuriously to
David: Thou knowest what he did to me therein. The murder of a
subject is a wrong to the prince, it is a loss to him, and is against the
peace of our sovereign lord the king. These murders were particularly against
David, reflecting upon his reputation, he being, at that time, in treaty with
the victims, and hazarded his interest, which they were very capable of
serving. Magistrates are the avengers of the blood of those they have the
charge of. It aggravated Joab's crime that he was neither ashamed of the sin
nor afraid of the punishment, but daringly wore the girdle and shoes that were
stained with innocent blood, in defiance of the justice both of God and the
king. David refers him to Solomon's wisdom (v. 6), with an intimation
that he left him to his justice. Say not, "He has a hoary head; it is a
pity it should be cut off, for it will shortly fall of itself." No, let
it not go down to the grave in peace. Though he has been long
reprieved, he shall be reckoned with at last; time does not wear out the guilt
of any sin, particularly that of murder. (2.) Concerning Barzillai's family,
to whom he orders him to be kind for Barzillai's sake, who, we may suppose, by
this time, was dead, v. 7. When David, upon his death-bed, was
remembering the injuries that had been done, he could not forget the
kindnesses that had been shown, but leaves it as a charge upon his son to
return them. Note, the kindnesses we have received from our friends must not
be buried either in their graves or ours, but our children must return them to
theirs. Hence, perhaps, Solomon fetched that rule (Prov. xxvii. 10), Thy
own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not. Paul prays for the house
of Onesiphorus, who had often refreshed him. (3.) Concerning Shimei, v.
8, 9. [1.] His crime is remembered: He cursed me with a grievous curse;
the more grievous because he insulted him when he was in misery and poured
vinegar into his wounds. The Jews say that one thing which made this a
grievous curse was that, besides all that is mentioned (2 Sam. xvi.), Shimei
upbraided him with his descent from Ruth the Moabitess. [2.] His pardon is not
forgotten. David owned he had sworn to him that he would not himself put him
to death, because he seasonably submitted, and cried Peccavi--I have
sinned, and he was not willing, especially at that juncture, to use the
sword of public justice for the avenging of wrongs done to himself. But, [3.]
His case, as it now stands, is left with Solomon, as one that knew what was
fit to be done and would do as he found occasion. David intimates to him that
his pardon was not designed to be perpetual, but only a reprieve for David's
life: "Hold him not guiltless; do not think him any true friend to
thee or thy government, nor fit to be trusted. He has no less malice than he
had then, though he has more sense to conceal it. He is still a debtor to the
public justice for what he did then; and, though I promised him that I would
not put him to death, I never promised that my successor should not. His
turbulent spirit will soon give thee an occasion, which thou shouldst not fail
to take, for the bringing of his hoary head to the grave with blood."
This proceeded not from personal revenge, but a prudent zeal for the honour of
the government and the covenant God had made with his family, the contempt of
which ought not to go unpunished. Even a hoary head, if a guilty and forfeited
head, ought not to be any man's protection from justice. The sinner, being
a hundred years old, shall be accursed, Isa. lxv. 20.
II. David's death and burial (v. 10): He was buried in the city of
David, not in the burying place of his father, as Saul was, but in his own
city, which he was the founder of. There were set the thrones, and there the
tombs, of the house of David. Now David, after he had served his own
generation, by the will of God, fell asleep, and was laid to his fathers, and
saw corruption, Acts xiii. 36, and see Acts ii. 29. His epitaph may be
taken from 2 Sam. xxiii. 1. Here lies David the son of Jesse, the man who
was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet
psalmist of Israel, adding his own words (Ps. xvi. 9), My flesh also
shall rest in hope. Josephus says that, besides the usual magnificence
with which his son Solomon buried him, he put into his sepulchre a vast deal
of money; and that 1300 years after (so he reckons) it was opened by Hircanus
the high priest, in the time of Antiochus, and 3000 talents were taken out for
the public service. The years of his reign are here computed (v. 11) to
be forty years; the odd six months which he reigned above seven years in
Hebron are not reckoned, but the even sum only.
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Adonijah's
Impudent Request; Adonijah Put to Death.
B. C. 1015.
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12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David
his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. 13 And
Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she
said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. 14 He said
moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all
Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is
turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD.
16 And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say
on. 17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king,
(for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to
wife. 18 And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the
king. 19 Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto
him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto
her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's
mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, I desire
one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king
said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay. 21
And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to
wife. 22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And
why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom
also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the
priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 23 Then king Solomon
sware by the LORD,
saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word
against his own life. 24 Now therefore, as the LORD
liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my
father, and who hath made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to
death this day. 25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah
the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
Here is, I. Solomon's accession to the throne, v. 12. He came to it
much more easily and peaceably than David did, and much sooner saw his
government established. It is happy for a kingdom when the end of one good
reign is the beginning of another, as it was here.
II. His just and necessary removal of Adonijah his rival, in order to the
establishment of his throne. Adonijah had made some bold pretensions to the
crown, but was soon obliged to let them fail and throw himself upon Solomon's
mercy, who dismissed him upon his good behaviour, and, had he been easy, he
might have been safe. But here we have him betraying himself into the hands of
Solomon's justice, and falling by it, the righteous God leaving him to
himself, that he might be punished for his former treason and that Solomon's
throne might be established. Many thus ruin themselves, because they know not
when they are well off, or well done to; and sinners, by presuming on God's
patience, treasure up wrath to themselves. Now observe,
1. Adonijah's treasonable project, which was to marry Abishag, David's
concubine, not because he was in love with her, but because, by her, he hoped
to renew his claim to the crown, which might stand him in stead, or because it
was then looked upon as a branch of the government to have the wives of the
predecessor, 2 Sam. xii. 8. Absalom thought his pretensions much supported
by lying with his father's concubines. Adonijah flatters himself that if he
may succeed him in his bed, especially with the best of his wives, he may by
that means step up to succeed him in his throne. Restless and turbulent
spirits reach high. It was but a small game to play at, as it should seem, yet
he hoped to make it an after-game for the kingdom, and now to gain that by a
wife which he could not gain by force.
2. The means he used to compass this. He durst not make suit to Abishag
immediately (he knew she was at Solomon's disposal, and he would justly resent
it if his consent were not first obtained, as even Ishbosheth did, in a like
case, 2 Sam. iii. 7), nor durst he himself apply immediately to Solomon,
knowing that he lay under his displeasure; but he engaged Bathsheba to be his
friend in this matter, who would be forward to believe it a matter of love,
and not apt to suspect it a matter of policy. Bathsheba was surprised to see
Adonijah in her apartment, and asked him if he did not come with a design to
do her a mischief, because she had been instrumental to crush his late
attempt. "No," says he, "I come peaceably (v.
13), and to beg a favour" (v. 14), that she would use the great
interest she had in her son to gain his consent, that he might marry Abishag (v.
16, 17), and, if he may but obtain this, he will thankfully accept it, (1.) As
a compensation for his loss of the kingdom. He insinuates (v. 15),
"Thou knowest the kingdom was mine, as my father's eldest son, living at
the time of his death, and all Israel set their faces on me." This
was false; they were but a few that he had on his side; yet thus he would
represent himself as an object of compassion, that had been deprived of a
crown, and therefore might well be gratified in a wife. If he may not inherit
his father's throne, yet let him have something valuable that was his
father's, to keep for his sake, and let it be Abishag. (2.) As his reward for
his acquiescence in that loss. He owns Solomon's right to the kingdom: "It
was his from the Lord. I was foolish in offering to contest it; and now
that it is turned about to him I am satisfied." Thus he pretends to be
well pleased with Solomon's accession to the throne, when he is doing all he
can to give him disturbance. His words were smoother than butter, but war
was in his heart.
3. Bathsheba's address to Solomon on his behalf. She promised to speak to the
king for him (v. 18) and did so, v. 19. Solomon received her
with all the respect that was due to a mother, though he himself was a king:
He rose up to meet her, bowed himself to her, and caused her to sit
on his right hand, according to the law of the fifth commandment.
Children, not only when grown up, but when grown great, must give honour to
their parents, and behave dutifully and respectfully towards them. Despise
not thy mother when she is old. As a further instance of the deference he
paid to his mother's wisdom and authority, when he understood she had a
petition to present to him, he promised not to say her nay, a promise which
both he and she understood with this necessary limitation, provided it be just
and reasonable and fit to be granted; but, if it were otherwise, he was sure
he should convince her that it was so, and that then she would withdraw it.
She tells him her errand at last (v. 21): Let Abishag be given to
Adonijah thy brother. It was strange that she did not suspect the treason,
but more strange that she did not abhor the incest, that was in the proposal.
But either she did not take Abishag to be David's wife, because the marriage
was not consummated, or she thought it might be dispensed with to gratify
Adonijah, in consideration of his tame submission to Solomon. This was her
weakness and folly: it was well that she was not regent. Note, Those that have
the ear of princes and great men, as it is their wisdom not to be too prodigal
of their interest, so it is their duty never to use it for the assistance of
sin or the furtherance of any wicked design. Let not princes be asked that
which they ought not to grant. It ill becomes a good man to prefer a bad
request or appear in a bad cause.
4. Solomon's just and judicious rejection of the request. Though his mother
herself was the advocate, and called it a small petition, and perhaps
it was the first she had troubled him with since he was king, yet he denied
it, without violation of the general promise he had made, v. 20. If
Herod had not had a mind to cut off John Baptist's head, he would not have
thought himself obliged to do it by a general promise, like this, made to
Herodias. The best friend we have in the world must not have such an interest
in us as to bring us to do a wrong thing, either unjust or unwise. (1.)
Solomon convinces his mother of the unreasonableness of the request, and shows
her the tendency of it, which, before, she was not aware of. His reply is
somewhat sharp: "Ask for him the kingdom also, v. 22. To
ask that he may succeed the king in his bed is, in effect, to ask that he may
succeed him in his throne; for that is it he aims at." Probably he had
information, or cause for a strong suspicion, that Adonijah was plotting with
Joab and Abiathar to give him disturbance, which warranted him to put this
construction upon Adonijah's request. (2.) He convicts and condemns Adonijah
for his pretensions, and both with an oath. He convicts him out of his own
mouth, v. 23. His own tongue shall fall upon him; and a heavier load a
man needs not fall under. Bathsheba may be imposed upon, but Solomon cannot;
he plainly sees what Adonijah aims at, and concludes, "He has spoken
this word against his own life; he is snared in the words of his own lips;
now he shows what he would be at." He condemns him to die immediately: He
shall be put to death this day, v. 24. God had himself declared
with an oath that he would establish David's throne (Ps. lxxxix. 35), and
therefore Solomon pledges the same assurance to secure that establishment, by
cutting off the enemies of it. "As God liveth, that establisheth the
government, Adonijah shall die, that would unsettle it." Thus the ruin of
the enemies of Christ's kingdom is as sure as the stability of his kingdom,
and both are as sure as the being and life of God, the founder of it. The
warrant is immediately signed for his execution, and no less a man than
Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, general of the army, is ordered to be the
executioner, v. 25. It is strange that Adonijah may not be heard to
speak for himself: but Solomon's wisdom did not see it needful to examine the
matter any further; it was plain enough that Adonijah aimed at the crown, and
Solomon could not be safe while he lived. Ambitious turbulent spirits commonly
prepare for themselves the instruments of death. Many a head has been lost by
catching at a crown.
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Joab
Put to Death.
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B.
C. 1015.
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26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king,
Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of
death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the
ark of the Lord GOD
before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my
father was afflicted. 27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being
priest unto the LORD;
that he might fulfil the word of the LORD,
which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28 Then
tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not
after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the
horns of the altar. 29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was
fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD;
and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. 30 And Benaiah came to the
tabernacle of the LORD,
and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I
will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab,
and thus he answered me. 31 And the king said unto him, Do as he
hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the
innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my
father. 32 And the LORD
shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous
and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof,
to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the
son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. 33 Their blood shall
therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for
ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his
throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.
34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him:
and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
Abiathar and Joab were both aiding and abetting in Adonijah's rebellious
attempt, and it is probable were at the bottom of this new motion made of
Adonijah for Abishag, and it should seem Solomon knew it, v. 22. This
was, in both, an intolerable affront both to God and to the government, and
the worse because of their high station and the great influence their examples
might have upon many. They therefore come next to be reckoned with. They are
both equally guilty of the treason, but, in the judgment passed upon them, a
difference is made and with good reason.
I. Abiathar, in consideration of his old services, is only degraded, v.
26, 27. 1. Solomon convicts him, and by his great wisdom finds him guilty:
"Thou art worthy of death, for joining with Adonijah, when thou
knewest on whose head God intended to set the crown." 2. He calls to mind
the respect he had formerly shown to David his father, and that he had both
ministered to him in holy things (had borne before him the ark of the Lord),
and also had tenderly sympathized with him in his afflictions and been
afflicted in them all, particularly when he was in exile and distress both by
Saul's persecution and Absalom's rebellion. Note, Those that show kindness to
God's people shall have it remembered to their advantage one time or other. 3.
For this reason he spares Abiathar's life, but deposes him from his offices,
and confines him to his country seat at Anathoth, forbids him the court, the
city, the tabernacle, the altar, and all inter-meddling in public business,
with an intimation likewise that he was upon his good behaviour, and that
though Solomon did not put him to death at this time he might another time, if
he did not conduct himself well. But, for the present, he was only thrust out
from being priest, as rendered unworthy that high station by the opposition he
had given to that which he knew to be the will of God. Saul, for a supposed
crime, had barbarously slain Abiathar's father, and eighty-five priests, their
families, and city. Solomon spares Abiathar himself, though guilty of a real
crime. Thus was Saul's government ruined and Solomon's established. As men are
to God's ministers, they will find him to them. 4. The depriving of Abiathar
was the fulfilling of the threatening against the house of Eli (1 Sam. ii.
30), for he was the last high priest of that family. It was now above eighty
years since the ruin was threatened; but God's judgments, though not executed
speedily, will be executed surely.
II. Joab, in consideration of his old sins, is put to death.
1. His guilty conscience sent him to the horns of the altar. He heard that
Adonijah was executed and Abiathar deposed, and therefore, fearing his turn
would be next, he fled for refuge to the altar. Many that, in the day of their
security, care not for the service of the altar, will be glad of the
protection of it in the day of their distress. Some think Joab designed
thereby to devote himself for the future to a constant attendance upon the
altar, hoping thereby to obtain his pardon, as some that have lived a
dissolute life all their days have thought to atone for their crimes by
retiring into a monastery when they are old, leaving the world when it has
left them and no thanks to them.
2. Solomon ordered him to be put to death there for the murder of Abner and
Amasa; for these were the crimes upon which he thought fit to ground the
sentence, rather than upon his treasonable adherence to Adonijah. Joab was
indeed worthy of death for turning after Adonijah, in contempt of Solomon and
his designation to the throne, though he had not turned after Absalom, v.
28. Former fidelity will not serve to excuse any after treachery; yet, besides
that, Joab had merited well of the house of David, to which and to his country
he had done a great deal of good service in his day, in consideration of
which, it is probable, Solomon would have pardoned him his offence against him
(for clemency gives great reputation and establishment to an infant
government), and would have only displaced him as he did Abiathar; but he must
die for the murders he had formerly been guilty of, which his father had
charged Solomon to call him to an account for. The debt he owed to the
innocent blood that was shed, by answering its cries with the blood of him
that shed, he could not pay himself, but left it to his son to pay it, who,
having power wherewithal, failed not to do it. On this he grounds the
sentence, aggravating the crime (v. 32), that he fell upon two men
more righteous and better than he, that had done him no wrong nor meant
him any, and, had they lived, might probably have done David better service
(if the blood shed be not only innocent, but excellent, the life more valuable
that common lives, the crime is the more heinous), that David knew not of it,
and yet the case was such that he would be suspected as privy to it; so that
Joab endangered his prince's reputation in taking away the life of his rivals,
which was a further aggravation. For these crimes, (1.) He must die, and die
by the sword of public justice. By man must his blood be shed, and it
lies upon his own head (v. 32), as theirs does whom he had murdered, v.
33. Woe to the head that lies under the guilt of blood! Vengeance for murder
was long in coming upon Joab; but, when it did come, it remained the longer,
being here entailed upon the head of his seed for ever (v. 33),
who, instead of deriving honour, as otherwise they might have done, from his
heroic actions, derived guilt, and shame, and a curse, from his villainous
actions, on account of which they fared the worse in this world. The seed of
such evil doers shall never be renowned. (2.) He must die at the altar, rather
than escape. Joab resolved not to stir from the altar (v. 30), hoping
thereby either to secure himself or else to render Solomon odious to the
people, as a profaner of the holy place, if he should put him to death there.
Benaiah made a scruple of either killing him there or dragging him thence; but
Solomon knew the law, that the altar of God should give no protection to
wilful murderers. Exod. xxi. 14, Thou shalt take him from my altar that he
may die, may die a sacrifice. In case of such sins as the blood of beasts
would atone for the altar was a refuge, but not in Joab's case. He therefore
orders him to be executed there, if he could not be got thence, to show that
he feared not the censure of the people in doing his duty, but would rectify
their mistake, and let them know that the administration of justice is better
than sacrifice, and that the holiness of any place should never countenance
the wickedness of any person. Those who, by a lively faith, take hold on
Christ and his righteousness, with a resolution, if they perish, to perish
there, shall find in him a more powerful protection than Joab found at the
horns of the altar. Benaiah slew him (v. 34), with the solemnity, no
doubt, of a public execution. The law being thus satisfied, he was buried
in his own house in the wilderness, privately, like a criminal, not
pompously, like a soldier; yet no indignity was done to his dead body. It is
not for man to lay the iniquity upon the bones, whatever God does.
3. Solomon pleased himself with this act of justice, not as it gratified any
personal revenge, but as it was the fulfilling of his father's orders and a
real kindness to himself and his own government. (1.) Guilt was hereby
removed, v. 31. By returning the innocent blood that had been shed upon
the head of him that shed it, it was taken away from him and from the house of
his father, which implies that the blood which is not required from the
murderer will be required from the magistrate, at least there is danger lest
it should. Those that would have their houses safe and built up must put away
iniquity far from them. (2.) Peace was hereby secured (v. 33) upon
David. He does not mean his person, but, as he explains himself in the next
words, Upon his seed, his house, and his throne, shall there be peace
for ever from the Lord; thus he expresses his desire that it may be so and
his hope that it shall be so. "Now that justice is done, and the cry of
blood is satisfied, the government will prosper." Thus righteousness
and peace kiss each other. Now that such a turbulent man as Joab is
removed there shall be peace. Take away the wicked from before the king,
and his throne shall be established in righteousness, Prov. xxv. 5.
Solomon, in this blessing of peace upon his house and throne, piously looks
upward to God as the author of it. "It shall be peace from the Lord, and
peace for ever from the Lord." The Lord of peace himself give us that
peace which is everlasting.
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Shimei's
Punishment.
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B.
C. 1014.
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35 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada
in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room
of Abiathar. 36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said
unto him, Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth
thence any whither. 37 For it shall be, that on the day
thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain
that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.
38 And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the
king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many
days. 39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two
of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath.
And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath.
40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek
his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and
was come again. 42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and
said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD,
and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest
out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou
saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD,
and the commandment that I have charged thee with? 44 The king
said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is
privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD
shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head; 45 And king
Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established
before the LORD
for ever. 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada;
which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was
established in the hand of Solomon.
Here is, I. The preferment of Benaiah and Zadok, two faithful friends to
Solomon and his government, v. 35. Joab being put to death, Benaiah was
advanced to be general of the forces in his room, and, Abiathar being deposed,
Zadok was made high priest in his room, and therein was fulfilled the word of
God, when he threatened to cut off the house of Eli (1 Sam. ii. 35), I will
raise me up a faithful priest, and will build him a sure house. Though
sacred offices may be disgraced, they shall not be destroyed, by the
mal-administration of those that are entrusted with them, nor shall God's work
ever stand still for want of hands to carry it on. No wonder that he who was a
king so immediately of God's making was empowered to make whom he though fit
high priest; and he exercised this power with equity, for the ancient right
was in Zadok, he being of the family of Eleazar, whereas Eli and his house
were of Ithamar.
II. The course that was taken with Shimei. He is sent for, by a messenger,
from his house at Bahurim, expecting perhaps no better than Adonijah's doom,
being conscious of his enmity to the house of David; but Solomon knows how to
make a difference of crimes and criminals. David had promised Shimei his life
for his time. Solomon is not bound by that promise, yet he will not go
directly contrary to it. 1. He confines him to Jerusalem, and forbids him,
upon any pretence whatsoever, to go out of the city any further than the brook
Kidron, v. 36, 37. He would suffer him to continue at his country seat
lest he should make mischief among his neighbours, but took him to Jerusalem,
where he kept him prisoner at large. This might make Shimei's confinement easy
to himself, for Jerusalem was beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole
earth, the royal city, the holy city (he had no reason to complain of
being shut up in such a paradise); it would also make it the more safe for
Solomon, for there he would have him under his eye and be able to watch his
motions; and he plainly tells him that if he ever go out of the rules he shall
certainly die for it. This was a fair trial of his obedience, and such a test
of his loyalty as he had no reason to complain of. He has his life upon easy
terms: he shall live if he will but be content to live at Jerusalem. 2. Shimei
submits to the confinement, and thankfully takes his life upon those terms. He
enters into recognizance (v. 38), under the penalty of death, not to
stir out of Jerusalem, and owns that the saying is good. Even those that
perish cannot but own the conditions of pardon and life unexceptionable, so
that their blood, like Shimei's, must rest upon their own heads. Shimei
promised, with an oath, to keep within his bounds, v. 42. 3. Shimei
forfeits his recognizance, which was the thing Solomon expected; and God was
righteous in suffering him to do it, that he might now suffer for his old
sins. Two of his servants (it seems, though he was a prisoner, he lived like
himself, well attended) ran from him to the land of the Philistines, v.
39. Thither he pursued them, and thence brought them back to Jerusalem, v.
40. For the keeping of it private he saddled his ass himself, probably
went in the night, and came home he thought undiscovered. "Seeking his
servants," says bishop Hall, "he lost himself; those earthly things
either are, or should be, our servants. How commonly do we see men run out of
the bounds set by God's law, to hunt after them, till their souls incur a
fearful judgment!" 4. Solomon takes the forfeiture. Information is given
him that Shimei has transgressed, v. 41. The king sends for him, and,
(1.) charges him with the present crime (v. 42, 43), that he had put a
great contempt upon the authority and wrath both of God and the king, that he
had broken the oath of the Lord and disobeyed the commandment of his
prince, and by this it appeared what manner of spirit he was of, that he would
not be held by the bonds of gratitude or conscience. Had he represented to
Solomon the urgency of the occasion, and begged leave to go, perhaps Solomon
might have given him leave; but to presume either upon his ignorance or his
connivance was to affront him in the highest degree. (2.) He condemns him for
his former crime, cursing David, and throwing stones at him in the day of his
affliction: The wickedness which thy heart is privy to, v. 44.
There was no need to examine witnesses for the proof of the fact, his own
conscience was instead of a thousand witnesses. That wickedness which men's own
hearts alone are privy to is enough, if duly considered, to fill
them with confusion, in expectation of its return upon their own heads;
for if the heart be privy to it, God is greater than the heart and knoweth all
things. Others knew of Shimei's cursing David, but Shimei himself knew of the
wicked principles of hatred and malice against David which he displayed in
cursing him and that his submission was but feigned and forced. (3.) He
blessed himself and his government (v. 45.): King Solomon shall be
blessed, notwithstanding Shimei's impotent curses, which perhaps, in fury
and despair, he now vented freely: Let them curse, but bless thou. And the
throne of David shall be established, by taking away those that would
undermine it. It is a comfort, in reference to the enmity of the church's
enemies, that, how much soever they rage, it is a vain thing they imagine.
Christ's throne is established, and they cannot shake it. (4.) He gives orders
for the execution of Shimei immediately, v. 46. All judgment is committed to
the Lord Jesus, and, though he be King of peace, he will be found a King of
righteousness; and this will shortly be his word of command concerning all his
enemies, that would not have him to reign over them: Bring them forth, and
slay them before me; the reproaches of those that blasphemed him will fall
on themselves, to their eternal condemnation.
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