Solomon reigned

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1 Kings 4:20–28, “Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.  And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon’s table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing. Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.”

Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom and the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, wealth, military strength and power over his enemies. This was readily apparent and everyone could see what the Lord had done for Solomon. The kingdom was large and they ruled all the way from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River. Solomon has such a large army and civil service that he had to feed them with large amounts of food. Everyone was afraid of Solomon so no one was willing to attack him and test his strength. On the other hand, Solomon didn’t go down to attack Egypt for the Lord had given that land to them and he was forbidden from going back to Egypt. Everyone in Israel was secure and prosperous under the Lord’s goodness. For it was due to the Lord’s willingness to keep his part of the contract as long as Israel kept their part of the contract that allowed them to be so successful during that time. Not only were there provisions for the people but also for all their domestic animals as well.

Solomon the king

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1 Kings 4:1–19, “So king Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest, Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s friend: And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute. And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision. And these are their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim: The son of Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan: The son of Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher: The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon to wife: Baanah the son of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even unto the place that is beyond Jokneam: The son of Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars: Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim: Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to wife: Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth: Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar: Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin: Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer which was in the land.”

Once Solomon was king of Israel and recognised for the fact that the Lord God had blessed him with wisdom, he began to use his wisdom to administer the kingdom. He realised that he was not able to do everything himself so he gave responsibilities to other people who were accountable to him. The king was not allowed to act as priest so he chose a good priest who was loyal to the Lord and to the king. He made sure that there were people to record all the rules and regulations of the kingdom and to keep the archives up to date. This was to make sure that there would be no questions that could crop up later where a person’s memory might be faulty. Solomon also appointed someone to be his chief of staff and another person to be in charge of feeding the palace staff. The king also divided the Land in regions that were the responsibility of regional governors.

The living baby

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1 Kings 3:16–28, “Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.”

The Lord gave Solomon Divine wisdom and then we are given an example of how this wisdom worked in practice. In those days the king was still close to his people and was called upon, from time to time, to make judgements about disputes and issues affecting the people. In other words, the king was judge in the Old Testament sense as well as being a king. He made laws within the context of the Law of the Lord (this often didn’t happen in Israel’s and Judah’s history but this was the ideal.) After that the king was responsible for administering the Law, judging lawbreakers and ensuring the punishment was carried out properly. There were other people who would judge cases further down the chain of command so that the king wasn’t bothered by every issue that troubles his people. On day a problem arrived with the king that was far too difficult for anyone else in the land to deal with. Two women who were single mothers lived together. Both of these women had babies and during the night one of the mothers rolled over on her baby and suffocated her baby. When this woman realised that she had suffocated her baby she quickly took her dead baby and swapped it with her housemate’s living baby. When the other woman woke in the morning to feed her baby she discovered that the baby was dead. However, as she looked at the dead baby she realised that it wasn’t her baby. She wanted her living baby but the other mother said it was her baby. Because both mothers were single mothers there was no one else to verify the baby’s mother. This was too difficult for anyone else to solve so the case was brought to Solomon. There was no DNA testing in those days and no one else to verify one mother or the other. Solomon told one of his soldiers to bring a sword and divide the living baby. The mother who had lost her baby didn’t mind if the other baby died while the real mother of the baby didn’t want her baby to die. The baby’s mother asked that the baby be given to the other mother. Solomon knew which mother had given birth to the living baby and gave the baby to her. Solomon had not ever intended to harm the baby.

Solomon's dream

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1 Kings 3:5–15, “In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.”

Not long after his ascension, Solomon had a dream from the Lord. Solomon heard the Lord speaking to him in his dream. The Lord asked Solomon what he would like the Lord to do for him at this stage of his life. Solomon was still a young man and he had no experience at being king. There was a temptation for Solomon to ask the Lord to give him wealth or military power but Solomon was still humble and he asked the Lord to give him wisdom and understanding so that he would rule the Lord’s people well. Solomon didn’t have the experience he needed to distinguish between what was good for the Lord’s people and what was bad for the Lord’s people. The Lord had offered Solomon a choice and Solomon asked the Lord to give him the ability to honour the Lord as king of Israel. The Lord gave Solomon the understanding heart that he ha asked for but He also gave Solomon riches and honour. The Lord promised Solomon that there wouldn’t be another king like him. Even though the Lord gave Solomon an understanding heart, the Lord still made it clear to Solomon that he had to personally obey the Lord and make sure that his children and his people did the same if he wanted to establish his dynasty in Israel. When Solomon woke from his dream he offered sacrifices before the Ark of the Covenant to honour the Lord.

Pharaoh's daughter

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1 Kings 3:1–4, “And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days. And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.”

When Israel first entered the Promised Land, they made an agreement with the Lord. Israel promised to obey the Lord and the Lord promised to keep Israel safe from all their enemies. (See Lev 26: 1-13) The Lord also told Israel that when they had a king, he should not return to Egypt. This included the fact that Israel had been delivered from Egyptian slavery and they were no longer to rely on Egypt for their security for the Lord was more reliable than any Egyptian. Royal marriages were not considered to be love matches but they were seen as national alliances. The king who married another king’s daughter would have a hostage in his palace and if the other king were to attack he would lose his daughter. On the other hand, the wife was to look after her father’s interests as long as she was alive. Hopefully one of her sons would be the next king and be able to work for the good of both kingdoms. When Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter, he was trusting in the marriage alliance rather than the Lord. He brought her into his own house in Jerusalem. This happened before the Temple had been completed, even though the Ark had been brought to Jerusalem and the Tabernacle was established there so that the altar was in place and sacrifices could be offered in the approved way. Solomon still loved the Lord and offered sacrifices to the Lord even though he had trusted in an alliance with Egypt. Obviously Solomon didn’t have his own copy of the book of the Law that he had written out with his own hand that he read day by day. (compare Num 17: 14-20)

Shimei's end

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1 Kings 2:35–46, “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. And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. 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. 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. 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. 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. And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again. 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. Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with? 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; And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever. 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.”

Once Joab was executed for his murderous crimes, Solomon replaced him with Benaiah as the head of the army. Benaiah was already a soldier of high reputation who was in a very senior position with the guards regiments so he was well qualified to lead the army. Solomon also replaced Abiathar as priest. This didn’t mean that Solomon was interfering with the priesthood, the former priest had been involved in crimes against the king so Solomon acted as the Lord’s agent in purging the priesthood of these crimes. Shimei, who had cursed David when he fled from Absalom, was also involved in crimes against the king. Solomon punished Shimei by imposing home detention on him as well. This home detention was voluntary, in the first instance, as Shimei made and oath to remain within the walls of Jerusalem. However, as time went by, two of Shimei’s servants ran away and, when Shimei found out where they had gone, he want to find them and bring them home. Solomon heard that Shimei had broken his oath to remain in voluntary detention so Solomon invoked the true sentence for crimes against the king and Shimei was executed for cursing the king. Both David and Solomon showed Shimei grace but he rejected this grace and got what he chose.

Abiathar and Joab

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1 Kings 2:26–34, “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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.”

Even though Abiathar was a priest and descended from a line of high priests, Solomon told him that he was not to serve as a priest any longer. The priests were not meant to be involved in politics but Abiathar had supported Adonijah during his failed attempt to take David’s throne for himself. Solomon didn’t order Abiathar’s execution because he was a priest who had been faithful to king David. However, Solomon imposed home detention on the priest for his crimes. When Joab heard about this, he realised that he would have to answer for supporting Adonijah so he went and sought sanctuary by taking hold of the horns of the altar. When Solomon heard that Joab had sought sanctuary, he ordered his men to execute Joab anyway. Only a righteous man should be able to find sanctuary in the Lord’s house and Joab didm’t qualify for he had planned and schemed and murdered two men who were more righteous than he was.