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1 Kings 2 — David drops a hit list from his deathbed and Solomon executes it flawlessly
9 min read
nocap.bible editorialwas at the end. The boy turned king, the man after God's own heart, the giant-slayer, the psalmist — he was about to take his final breath. But before he left, he had one last conversation with his son . And it wasn't just a sentimental goodbye. It was a strategy briefing.
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What follows is one of the most intense chapters in all of Kings. David hands Solomon the crown, the , and a list of unfinished business. Then Solomon gets to work — and makes it very clear that the new administration is not here to play.
When knew his time was almost up, he pulled close and laid it all out:
"I'm about to go the way of everyone who has ever lived. Be strong. Step up. Keep the commands of the Lord your God — walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His rules, His testimonies, everything written in The Law of Moses. Do that, and you'll succeed in everything you do and everywhere you go.
If you do this, the Lord will keep the promise He made to me: 'If your sons walk before me faithfully with all their heart and soul, there will always be a man from your line on the throne of Israel.'"
This wasn't just a pep talk — it was a king passing the torch. David had learned the hard way what happens when you drift from God. His final words to Solomon were basically: stay locked in. Your success isn't about your strategy or your army. It's about your . 💯
Then shifted gears. He had a list — and it wasn't a grocery list. These were people needed to deal with:
"You know what Joab did. He killed two commanders of Israel's army — Abner and Amasa — during peacetime. He put the blood of war on his own belt and sandals. Use your wisdom, but don't let him die in peace.
But the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite — show them loyalty. Let them eat at your table. They had my back when I was running from your brother Absalom.
And then there's Shimei — the one from Bahurim who cursed me with the worst curse you've ever heard when I was fleeing to Mahanaim. He came and apologized at the Jordan, and I swore I wouldn't kill him. But don't let him off the hook. You're wise. You'll know what to do."
David was handing Solomon a that still had loose ends. Some people needed to be rewarded for their loyalty. Others needed to face consequences they'd been dodging. David couldn't do it all himself, so he trusted Solomon's to handle it right. 🧠
And then it was over.
died and was buried in the city that bore his name — the City of David in . He had reigned over for forty years total: seven years in and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. From shepherd boy to fugitive to king. One of the most complex, flawed, faithful lives in all of .
And sat down on his father's throne. His was firmly established. The transition of power was complete — but the real test was just beginning. 👑
Now here's where things get sus. — older brother who had already tried to steal the throne back in chapter 1 — showed up at door. She was immediately on guard:
"Do you come in peace?"
"Peacefully," he said.
Then he made his pitch:
"Look, you know the kingdom was supposed to be mine. Everyone in Israel expected me to be king. But it turned to my brother's instead — it was the Lord's doing. So I've accepted it. But I have one small request. Don't refuse me. Ask King Solomon — he won't say no to you — to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife."
(Quick context: Abishag was the young woman who had served in his final days. In ancient Near Eastern culture, claiming a king's companion was basically a claim to the throne itself. This "small request" was lowkey a power move.)
Bathsheba agreed to bring it to Solomon. Whether she saw through Adonijah's play or genuinely thought it was harmless — the text doesn't say. But she went. 👀
walked into throne room, and the king stood up, bowed to his mother, and had a seat brought for her at his right hand. Respect. Then she made the ask:
"I have one small request — don't refuse me. Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife."
Solomon was NOT having it:
"Why are you asking for Abishag for Adonijah? You might as well ask for the kingdom too. He's my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab are on his side."
Then Solomon swore an :
"May God deal with me and more if this doesn't cost Adonijah his life. As the Lord lives — the one who established me, placed me on my father's throne, and gave me a dynasty as He promised — Adonijah will be put to death today."
Solomon sent , and was struck down. No trial. No appeal. Adonijah fumbled by thinking he could finesse his way to power through a back channel. Solomon read the room instantly and shut it down. The new king had made his first major statement: this throne is not up for negotiation. ⚡
Next on the list: the , who had backed failed power grab. called him in:
"Go to Anathoth, to your estate. You deserve death. But I won't execute you — because you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David, and because you suffered alongside him through everything."
So Solomon stripped Abiathar of his priesthood and sent him away. And here's the wild part — this fulfilled a God had spoken generations earlier against the house of in . God's word doesn't have an expiration date. Even when it takes decades to play out, it lands exactly when it's supposed to. 💯
When heard what happened to and , he knew his number was up. He had backed the wrong side, and he had the blood of two innocent commanders on his hands from years ago. So Joab ran to the tent of the Lord and grabbed the horns of the — the ancient equivalent of claiming .
sent to handle it:
"The king commands: come out."
But Joab wasn't moving:
"No. I will die here."
Benaiah reported back, and Solomon didn't hesitate:
"Do what he said. Strike him down right there and bury him. This removes the guilt of innocent blood from me and my father's house. The Lord will bring Joab's bloody deeds back on his own head — he attacked and killed Abner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa, commander of Judah's army. Two men more righteous and better than himself. Without my father even knowing.
Their blood falls on Joab and his descendants forever. But for David and his descendants, for his house and his throne — there will be peace from the Lord forevermore."
Benaiah carried out the order. Joab was buried in the wilderness. Then Solomon put Benaiah over the army in Joab's place and as in Abiathar's place. New leadership across the board. The old guard was out and the new administration was set. 🔄
One last piece of unfinished business. summoned — the man who had cursed during his lowest moment — and gave him a deal:
"Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and stay there. Do not leave for any reason. The day you cross the brook Kidron, you're dead. And that blood is on your own head."
"Fair enough. I'll do exactly as the king says."
And Shimei kept his word — for three years. But then two of his servants ran off to , and Shimei saddled a donkey and went after them. He got his servants back. He came home. But Solomon found out. Caught in 4K.
Solomon called him in:
"Didn't I make you swear by the Lord? Didn't I warn you — 'The day you leave, you die'? And you said, 'Sounds good. I'll obey.' So why didn't you keep your oath to the Lord? You know in your heart all the harm you did to my father David. The Lord is bringing your consequences back on your own head. But King Solomon will be blessed, and the throne of David will be established before the Lord forever."
Solomon gave the order. went out and struck Shimei down. Three years of keeping the deal, thrown away over some runaway servants. Shimei had one rule — ONE — and he broke it.
And with that final act, the was established in the hand of Solomon. No more loose ends. No more rival claims. No more unpaid debts. Solomon had honored his father's charge, dealt with every threat, and secured the throne. The question now wasn't whether Solomon could hold power — it was whether he'd keep walking in the ways of the Lord the way David had told him to. 👑