1 Kings - Lesson 2B

• Last week, we explored the closing of the life of David.

  • As David’s health declined, at the age of 70, it was time for new leadership and Solomon was God’s choice.

    • David tells his son in few short words, “Show yourself a man”.

    • And in preparing his son to reign over the united kingdom of Israel, David passes down some much-needed wisdom.

  • For Solomon to reign well over the Kingdom, it required that Torah be prioritized, studied, and greatly cherished.

    • These were the very instructions of God for the people of God and His king in the land that God had given them.

    • And alongside the priority of the Torah came the warning of men to be watchful of.

    • David warned Solomon of the men that needed to be executed and a man that needed to be shown much compassion.

  • This idea of needing to execute the co-conspirators who sided with Adonijah was necessary for a proper royal administration to be successful.

    • So, Solomon’s first order of business was to clean house and make some difficult decisions at the start of his administration.

    • But as we will see, as long as Solomon obeyed Torah and operated in wisdom, he was given everything he needed.

    • Peter would say it this way according to 2 Peter 1:3:

2 Peter 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

• If I were to outline our time tonight, we will see the following:

  • 1. Adonijah’s Request (vv.13-18)

  • 2. King Solomon’s Response (vv.19-25)

  • 3. Solomon’s Dismissal of Abiathar (vv.26-27)

  • 4. Joab’s Execution (vv.28-35)

  • 5. Shimei’s Execution (vv.36-46)

• And our tag for the text tonight is: Clean House: The Purging of the Lord’s enemies.

  • With that being said, I invite you to meet me in 1 Kings 2 starting in verses 13-17.

1 Kings 2:13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.”
1 Kings 2:14 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.”
1 Kings 2:15 So he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to be king; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.
1 Kings 2:16 “Now I am making one request of you; do not refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.”
1 Kings 2:17 Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.”
1 Kings 2:18 Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”

• Now that David has died and has left Solomon with this wisdom and information for properly reigning, it requires Solomon to put that knowledge to use.

  • And like a good story line, the plot thickens, and the opportunity is now being set up for Solomon to do just that.

    • Remember, within David’s instructions to Solomon was the need to get rid of any and all enemies that pose a threat to Solomon’s reign.

    • And David mentioned some names in whom would potentially cause Solomon’s reign to be compromised in some way.

    • Of those names were Joab and Shimei.

    • But as we will see later in this chapter, it will also consist of a priest whose son was the messenger for Adonijah in Chapter 1.

  • So, to set up this “purge of enemies” within the royal administration, the writer of the Kings begins with a request made by Adonijah.

    • Adonijah comes to Bathsheba to make a request to marry his father’s nurse Abishag.

  • However, before the request could even be made there is a bit of hesitation because Bathsheba is not sure if Adonijah’s appearing to her is of good will.

    • Think about it, this is the same brother who not too long ago plotted against his own brother and father for a throne that was not his to take.

    • So, it makes sense that there be some trepidation in his arrival.

    • This is why the writer says that Bathsheba asked if Adonijah came “peacefully” or not.

  • So Adonijah reassures here that his coming to her was not to kill her or bring about dispute, but rather in a peaceful, amicable manner.

    • After lowering her walls of hostility, Adonijah makes the request and this request ultimately reveals the heart and intentions of Adonijah.

  • He states that the kingdom was to be his and that all of Israel anticipated his ascension.

    • These words sound like the words of a bitter and prideful man.

    • Because on one end he exalts what he deemed was the unanimous consent of the people to make him king.

    • Yet in the same breath he makes mention that the Kingdom has turned about because of the Lord’s doing.

  • This is a powerful statement in the text, because it reveals to you and I the reality of the human heart and condition.

    • For some, they will never be able to escape the truth of the matter because they have set themselves up to be their own author of their story.

  • So Adonijah wanted one thing, but he unwillingly recognized that the Lord had another plan in mind.

    • Now, I use the word “recognized” very loosely because the revealing of Adonijah’s heart lies in the request he makes to Bathsheba.

  • Adonijah requests David’s nurse, Abishag to be his wife.

  • To Bathsheba, this request may have seemed innocent and far from harmful, but there is more to the story.

    • Adonijah is not as innocent as he appears to be.

    • Because although it may look like a “match-making opportunity” for Bathsheba, Adonijah sees this as another way to the throne.

  • It’s important to note that although Abishag was David’s nurse and he did not sleep with her, to the people she was a part of David’s “harem” (Concubines).

    • And in other cultures, like Persia, someone marrying the concubine of a deceased King was the same as establishing their claim to the throne.

  • So it becomes clear that Bathsheba was not wise enough to see the subtle tricks of Adonijah, however, we will quickly find that Solomon sees right past him.

    • So, Bathsheba, in her innocence, brings this request to the king, almost as if she is this unaware pawn being used by the enemy.

    • However, notice how Solomon filters through the fluff to get to the point behind the request. Check out verses 19-25.

1 Kings 2:19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he had a throne set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.
1 Kings 2:20 Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
1 Kings 2:21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.”
1 Kings 2:22 King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him also the kingdom—for he is my older brother—even for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!”
1 Kings 2:23 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.
1 Kings 2:24 “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, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”
1 Kings 2:25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.

• So when Bathsheba meets with the King, she is greeted in an honorable manner as the King’s mother would be.

  • And she presents what she called “a small request” to the king on behalf of Adonijah.

    • Perhaps, this was a part of Adonijah’s ploy, that if the heart strings of the son is pulled then maybe he would get what he truly wanted – power.

  • It’s upon hearing this request that Solomon immediately responds, by wisdom, to make his mother alert to the intent behind the request in a sarcastic manner.

    • Solomon understood that this request was nothing more than an attempt for Adonijah to gain something that, once again, wasn’t his to have.

  • This tactic would have been quite similar to Absalom’s move in raping his father’s concubines as a power move to take the throne.

    • But here we find that Solomon can pick up on this second pre-mature attempt to the throne.

  • And he makes this secondary attempt visible to his mother by stating in few short words, if you give him Abishag, you might as well give him the kingdom.

    • And if that isn’t enough, from a human perspective, because he would be the oldest of David’s sons there is yet another qualifier for Adonijah to be king.

    • Yet, these humanistic realities are not the driving factor by which the Lord God establishes His rule upon the Davidic throne.

  • God’s methods of how He moves and works will at times make no sense to us.

    • The only thing that we are called to do is respond to His truth and trust Him in the process.

    • The Lord says the following in Isaiah 55:8-9.

Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

• What Solomon sees is that although mercy had been extended, the heart of his brother doesn’t seek to please the Lord but rather to go against Him.

  • Solomon understood what Adonijah was trying to do, and that is sabotage Solomon’s reign.

  • Yet Adonijah doesn’t seem to realize who he truly is going up against! Adonijah is directly attacking the plans and purposes of Yahweh.

  • This request that Adonijah made was no “simple request”, it was an act of treason and, by law, worthy of death.

  • And as we have mentioned before, the purpose of the King was to rightly administer the justice and reign of God throughout the earth.

    • Therefore, Solomon, under the guidance and authority of the Lord, requests that Adonijah be put to death by Benaiah, son of Jehoida.

  • And as a quick note, notice that along with this guilty verdict and declaration of death of Adonijah followed the co-conspirators: Abiathar the priest and Joab.

    • Therefore, verse 22, becomes the upcoming series of events by which Solomon, by way of God’s authority, will execute justice as an effort to firmly establish his reign.

    • And he will do so by first addressing Abiathar the priest. Check out verses 26-27.

1 Kings 2:26 Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth to your own field, for you deserve to die; 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 in everything with which my father was afflicted.”
1 Kings 2:27 So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

• Solomon’s address of Abiathar partnering with his brother Adonijah against the king's will, was gracious and at the same time fulfilled God’s prophecy.

  • Knowing that death was a proper and lawful result of Abiathar’s participation in this coup, action had to take place.

    • So Solomon’s mercy towards Abiathar was centered on the fact that Abiathar had loyally served David as a priest.

    • Apparently, Abiathar suffered well alongside David when travel was required.

  • So instead of killing Abiathar, which would have been lawfully acceptable, Solomon simply quarantines him to his land in Anathoth to die.

    • But as mentioned before, this punishment would not go without a vehement reminder of God’s word providentially at work.

  • Although Abiathar’s life is spared, his role as priest was not. The text mentions that Solomon removed Abiathar from the office of priest.

    • And from there the text alludes to the fact that Solomon’s dismissal of Abiathar from the priesthood was a prophecy fulfilled.

    • The writer of kings mentions that this fulfillment of prophecy was related to a matter concerning “the house of Eli in Shiloh”. Very specific.

    • This means that the writer intends for us to be familiar with the narrative surrounding this fulfilled word of the Lord.

    • The question to ask is: Where in the storyline of scripture did the Lord speak against the house of Eli regarding the removal of a descendant from the office of the priesthood?

  • If you did our VBVMI study in 1 Samuel, you may remember that it was in Chapter 2 that there was a man of God who visited Eli, who was a priest in Shiloh.

    • Eli was a judge in Israel for 40 years and was the mentor of the prophet Samuel.

    • He also happened to be the father of 2 corrupt priests, Hophni and Phinehas.

  • Now you might be wondering how does Abiathar connect in any way to Eli?

    • It happens that Abiathar is the great, great, great-grandson of Eli.

  • And it was in 1 Samuel 2:27-36 that we find that the Lord tells Eli that because of his disobedience to the Law, that Eli’s line of priests would be cut-off.

    • However, the promise in verse 33 is that the office of priest would not end.

    • Check out 1 Samuel 2:30-37:

1 Samuel 2:30 “Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.
1 Samuel 2:31 ‘Behold, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house.
1 Samuel 2:32 ‘You will see the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that I do for Israel; and an old man will not be in your house forever.
1 Samuel 2:33 ‘Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will die in the prime of life.
1 Samuel 2:34 ‘This will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them will die.
1 Samuel 2:35 ‘But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.

• So, where Eli has failed in obeying the Law and where his children have failed in obeying the Law, the Lord makes a promise of a future priest who would obey.

  • This becomes a powerful picture because this priest is one who will have an enduring house and will walk before His anointed always.

  • As Eugene Merrill notes in the BKC (Bible Knowledge Commentary), he states that “within human terms this prophecy was fulfilled when Abiathar was removed and the priesthood was given to Zadok, a descendant of Aaron.” (1 Kings 2:35)

    • However, there is a futuristic expectation for a priest to come who will do all that the Lord requires without fail (1 Samuel 2:35).

    • This picture becomes interesting even more so when you consider the order of Melchizedek.

  • Melchizedek was both a king and a priest and we know that Jesus, according to Hebrews 7:13-17 is of the order of Melchizedek.

    • Check out Hebrews 7:13-17 really quickly:

Hebrews 7:13 For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.
Hebrews 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.
Hebrews 7:15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,
Hebrews 7:16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.
Hebrews 7:17 For it is attested of Him, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

• So where Eli’s lineage has been cut off due to the failure of the priest, there is a prophetic awaiting for a greater High Priest who will know of our infirmities, yet without sin.

  • Hebrews 4:15 tells us this regarding our Lord Jesus Christ:

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

• What we should be seeing is that the writer of the Kings is pointing to one who is the greater priest, and more specifically, the greater King. (King-Priest)

  • Because as we move further along in the King’s narrative, we will find that even in Solomon’s great wisdom, there is great failure in covenant faithfulness.

  • So there is this longing for both a Righteous King and faithful high priest in which Jesus Christ, being of the order of Melchizedek, meets both requirements.

    • From this point, the writer now moves to Joab’s execution.

    • And what we are seeing is Solomon operating in wisdom as it relates to the ends of these men.

    • Check out verses 28-35

1 Kings 2:28 Now the news came to Joab, for Joab had followed Adonijah, although he had not followed Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar.
1 Kings 2:29 It was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, fall upon him.”
1 Kings 2:30 So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “Thus the king has said, ‘Come out.’ ” But he said, “No, for I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus spoke Joab, and thus he answered me.”
1 Kings 2:31The king said to him, “Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without cause.
1 Kings 2:32 “The Lord will return his blood on his own head, because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know it: Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.
1 Kings 2:33 “So shall their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever; but to David and his descendants and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.”
1 Kings 2:34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell upon him and put him to death, and he was buried at his own house in the wilderness.
1 Kings 2:35 The king appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king appointed Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.

• As one could imagine, the news of the death of Adonijah and the dismissal of Abiathar from the priesthood travelled quickly to the ears of Joab.

  • Every co-conspirator in some way has been caught and has faced their rightful judgement.

    • Joab knows what his end is to be even with him having been faithfully loyal to Solomon’s father, David.

  • So, Joab, picks up a familiar play from Adonijah’s playbook in 1 Kings 1:50 where he flees to the tabernacle and holds onto the horns of the alter (where sacrifices took place).

    • This action was committed when an individual was seeking refuge from oncoming danger.

    • It was like a “safe zone” during times of war.

  • However, according to the Mosaic Law, this policy of refuge was not meant for murderers.

    • As a quick reminder, let’s read Exodus 21:13-14:

Exodus 21:13 “But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee.
Exodus 21:14 “If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die.

• So as a wise king, Solomon understands that the evil and rowdy bunch that is among him must be fully purged as a way to prepare for a prosperous reign.

  • Solomon then gets word that Joab has fled to the tent. We find in verses 29-30 that Solomon doesn’t desire to kill Joab on the altar.

  • Perhaps, Solomon desires to not shed human blood in the tabernacle, so he orders Benaiah to tell Joab to come out of the tent to face his death.

  • And instead of acquiescing to the command of the king, Joab refuses to do so which prompts Benaiah to give word to the King.

    • As a quick character note, where Benaiah responds according to the king’s desires, he waits to kill Joab.

    • Whereas, if the shoe was on the other foot, Joab would have killed Benaiah on the spot without question.

    • This becomes an indicator of sorts as to who will be the one to replace Joab in the end – one trustworthy and fitting of the position.

  • So, once Benaiah reports back to Solomon of Joab’s refusal to surrender and leave the tent, Solomon gives Joab exactly what he wished for.

    • Remember, Joab told Benaiah that “he would die there on the altar”

    • And in a comical way, Joab got exactly what he asked for – a death at the altar.

  • It’s interesting to note the conversation between Benaiah’s report to Solomon and Benaiah’s execution of Solomon’s command.

    • Apparently, the weight of the innocent deaths of Amasa and Abner were upon the house of David.

    • And this was the case because this happened under David’s leadership as king.

    • So as long as Joab was alive, that guilt rested upon David’s house.

  • Therefore, Solomon needed to respond in such a manner that would position the Davidic dynasty to be worked out.

    • And as expected, as one member of the administration is purged, they are replaced by another of trustworthy character.

    • Benaiah replaces Joab and Zadok the priest replaces Abiathar.

    • We now move to another familiar character from the Samuel narrative, Shimei and his execution. Check out verses 36-46.

1 Kings 2:36 Now the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Build for yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there to any place.
1 Kings 2:37 “For on the day you go out and cross over the brook Kidron, you will know for certain that you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.”
1 Kings 2:38 Shimei then said to the king, “The word is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
1 Kings 2:39 But it came about at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Behold, your servants are in Gath.”
1 Kings 2:40 Then Shimei arose and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish to look for his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath.
1 Kings 2:41 It was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned.
1 Kings 2:42 So the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘You will know for certain that on the day you depart and go anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word which I have heard is good.’
1 Kings 2:43 “Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord, and the command which I have laid on you?”
1 Kings 2:44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know all the evil which you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore the Lord shall return your evil on your own head.
1 Kings 2:45 “But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”
1 Kings 2:46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him so that he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon.

• It was earlier in the chapter that David had reminded Solomon of how Shimei had treated him during his escape from Absalom.

  • It is recorded in 2 Samuel that Shimei both verbally and physically attacked David.

    • It got so bad that one of David’s officials asked David if he could have permission to kill Shimei on the spot.

    • However, David responds with mercy towards Shimei knowing that his judgement would be postponed at a later day.

  • So, David makes Solomon aware that Shimei’s “wishy-washy” ways were to be watched closely.

    • And in so doing, the proper retaliation was to keep close watch over him.

  • So, Solomon tells Shimei to build a house in Jerusalem for himself where Shimei would reside for the remainder of his days.

    • For if he were to leave Jerusalem and cross the Kidron valley, he would “surely die”.

    • And the cause of death would be because of Shimei’s own doing.

    • One possible reason for Solomon’s demand for Shimei to remain in Jerusalem was the potential for Shimei to stir up an insurrection among the Benjamites.

  • So, Shimei agrees to these terms and vows to stay and obey the word of the king, which ultimately was an oath before the Lord.

    • However, the text tells us that three years later, after two of Shimei’s servants ran away, that Shimei went after them.

  • When news got back to Solomon that Shimei had left and returned, Solomon summoned Shimei.

    • This is probably that feeling of knowing you did something wrong in grade school and got sent to the principal’s office.

  • Solomon then confronts Shimei with the exact conversation they had three years prior, and Solomon verifies Shimei’s own words.

    • The issue with Shimei breaking this vow was because this was an “oath of the Lord.”

    • It’s like saying “no take backs” when a deal is done. It’s etched in stone.

    • But before Solomon has Shimei killed, he states these words to him. Check out verses 44-45:

1 Kings 2:44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know all the evil which you acknowledge in your heart, which you did to my father David; therefore the Lord shall return your evil on your own head.
1 Kings 2:45 “But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”

• Verse 44 is essential to understand because what Solomon is ultimately saying is, Shimei’s heart was never set on doing what was right.

  • In other words, Shimei’s actions are “double-speak”, meaning I say one thing but intend another.

  • David speaks of this ultimate downfall of the wicked in his song to Yahweh regarding Cush, a Benjamite. Here is what Psalm 7:16 says:

Psalm 7:16 His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate (skull).

• And indeed, this will be the end of all the enemies of the Lord.

  • Every nation that sets itself up against the Lord will face a violent end themselves.

  • Furthermore, Solomon’s point becomes clear when we understand the Davidic Covenant and its promises.

  • The Lord remains faithful to His word and those who obey it will see the blessings of the Lord through their obedience, most especially those of David’s house.

    • So, in an effort to uphold the promise of the Lord, Solomon knows that it will be necessary to purge all evil out of the Kingdom for it to be at peace.

  • Remember, this promise regarding the Davidic covenant was made known in 2 Samuel 7:13. (Eternal House, Eternal Kingdom, Eternal Throne)

    • And by completing the task of executing both David and Solomon’s enemies, the Kingdom would be firmly established in the hands of Solomon.

  • Notice, that through Solomon’s obedience to wisdom and instruction came the fortifying of his reign.

    • Solomon begins his reign by remaining committed to the Torah.

    • And where Solomon loosens his grip on faithfulness to Torah, is when trouble creeps in. (1 Kings 11)

• Before we close tonight, I want us to see how the book of Kings narrative points the reader to great anticipation for the Coming Kingdom.

  • First, we see this idea of evil being purged from the Kingdom in order for the Kingdom to reign peacefully.

    • And Solomon’s first few years, as we will see further in our study, reflects that reality.

    • His rule not only brings about peace, but it also provides prosperity for the Kingdom as well.

  • However, the moment that Solomon’s heart becomes pulled by foreign women and he gives way to other gods in the land, is the moment that he begins to fall.

    • And from that point on (Chapters 12-22) we see that the narrative is anticipating this righteous king amidst a divided kingdom.

    • There is a longing for a king who will serve Yahweh faithfully and this is simply a picture of the greater Solomon – Jesus Christ. (Matthew 12:42)

  • Secondly, we see the King purging out all evil from the Kingdom and establishing peace throughout the land.

    • This becomes a picture of what will be witnessed in the Second Coming of Christ.

    • Upon His arrival, there will be great destruction by the power of His word and the slaying of Nations. (Battle of Armageddon – Revelation 16; Revelation 19:11-20)

  • If we were to be honest for a moment, we know that there is no present Kingdom now.

    • Time and again scripture speaks to the fact that upon the Lord’s return, His enemies will be under His feet, yet Gentile nations are still in power.

    • David writes these very words under the inspiration of the Spirit. Check out Psalm 110:1:

Psalm 110:1 The Lord (Yahweh) says to my Lord (Adoni): “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

• We know that at this very moment, the Lord Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father.

  • And it is there that He sits in His High Priestly session.

    • And when Israel responds to the Lord in repentance saying, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”. (Matthew 23:39 – Jesus’ words)

    • Then the Lord will be mounted on His horse and bursting forth through the clouds descending with a myriad of myriad of angels. (Zechariah 14:1-3; Revelation 16:12-16)

    • And then the Lord will destroy every antisemite, and every enemy that has stood against the Lord.

  • So, we see that Solomon, although not perfect, is simply a picture of the true and better king, Jesus Christ.

    • Next week we will cover Chapter 3 and see Solomon’s wisdom demonstrated and his rule greatly established.

    • Let’s Pray.