Solomon - Judgment Time for Adonijah

In the last chapter the focus was on David’s various preparations for the building of the Temple of God, including the second coronation of Solomon. I Chronicles 29:22. As a follow up to this discussion we are going to explore a time of judgment. In our last chapter we discussed the idea that Jesus will be coronated the second time after the resurrection of the wicked and after they surround the New Jerusalem. After Jesus is crowned His next order of business is to sentence the wicked. This concept is stated as follows:
"In the presence of the assembled inhabitants of earth and heaven the final coronation of the Son of God takes place. And now, invested with supreme majesty and power, the King of kings pronounces sentence upon the rebels against His government and executes justice upon those who have transgressed His law and oppressed His people…" Great Controversy 666.

Since this book is built on the belief that the story of Solomon is a typology of the experience of Jesus it is the writers belief that what happens in Jesus’ life and experience will be echoed in the life and experience of Solomon. Therefore, since Jesus executed judgment after His coronation would Solomon have a similar experience?

After David made the final preparations for the sanctuary and Solomon was safely coronated king David has one more task before his soon death. He approaches Solomon in I Kings 2:1-9. In this section of Scripture David encourages Solomon to be faithful to his calling by God, to be strong, to be a man, and to obey the laws of God. If Solomon will be faithful he will have children who will be able to care for the throne of Israel. Then David goes on to warn Solomon to address the problem of Joab, the general of the armies of Israel but one who caused great difficulty for David by murdering two other generals that David was going to work with. David also recommends that Solomon care for Barzillai the Gileadite who was faithful in caring for David when David was fleeing from Absalom. David also recommends that Solomon, being a wise man, address David’s enemy Shimei of Bahurim, a man who cursed David when he was fleeing from Absalom. Soon after giving this counsel David, the Son of Jesse, dies and is buried.

Soon after David’s counsel, Solomon is faced with the first major crisis of his kingdom. Adonijah, Solomon’s older brother, seeks a favor from Bathsheba. I Kings 2:13-21. Adonijah asks Bathsheba to intercede for him and to ask Solomon for the hand of Abishag, David’s last wife. Bathsheba, not seeing a trap forming, agrees to ask this favor of Solomon. After approaching Solomon and presenting the request Bathsheba awaits Solomon’s answer. Solomon, being a wise man, recognizes the trap set by Adonijah. Solomon recognizes that if he were to give Abishag to Adonijah that he would be conceding the throne to his elder brother, who would be married to King David’s wife, and thus have some access to the throne of DAvid, and he would have the blessing of the general of the army and the blessing of the high priest of Israel. Solomon immediately declares that although he had granted grace and mercy to Adonijah for his last attempt at the throne, this attempt was not to be forgiven. Solomon sends Benaiah to fall upon Adonijah and put him to death. I Kings 2:22-25.

After the death of Adonijah Solomon confronts Abiathar the high priest and removes him from being the high priest. Solomon does not put Abiathar to death because of the good that he did to David and because Abiathar carried the ark of God. But although worthy of death Solomon grants him grace, but deposes him from his position. Thus Solomon fulfilled the prophecy against Eli, the priest in the time of Samuel. I Kings 2:26-27; I Samuel 2:31-35.

After dealing with Adonijah, and Abiathar, Solomon turns his attentions to Joab. David had warned Solomon about Joab and the warning had turned out to be accurate. Joab understood that Solomon recognized the role that Joab had played in the Adonijah event and that Solomon was going to have Joab killed. Joab fled to the temple and caught hold of the horns of the altar as Adonijah had done in I Kings 1:50. Benaiah reports back to Solomon about Joab’s declaration that he would die at the altar, and Solomon granted his request, but die he must to take the guilt stain off the lineage of David, and thus also clear Solomon as a descendent of David. I Kings 2:28-34. So Joab dies at the hands of Benaiah at the order of Solomon.

The last individual who faces judgment was Shimei. Shimei had cursed David when David was fleeing from Absalom. II Samuel 16:5-14. Instead of killing Shimei, Solomon warns him that in the day that he left Jerusalem, acting as a city of refuge, that day he would die, and his blood would be on his own head. Three years later Shimei leaves Jerusalem to bring back two slaves that had run away from him. It is reported to Solomon that Shimei had broken his agreement and again Benaiah follows out with the orders and Shimei is killed. Thus four major political threats are dealt with for the safety of the kingdom of Solomon, and the way is clear for Solomon to build the Temple of God. God says "And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon…" I Kings 2:46

Justice is one of the difficult things that must be cared for if a kingdom is to survive. Solomon thus displays the fact that although kind and loving, and a man of peace and rest, he still has the strength to accomplish justice. The people are pleased at the fact that Solomon can fulfill all of the requirements of the kingdom. This concept is also fulfilled in Jesus, the son of Solomon and David. Jesus also is full of love and compassion but He is capable of fulfilling the requirements of being a King. He grants grace and mercy, but He also grants justice. As Solomon revealed his ability to handle justice, Jesus will display this at the end at the destruction of the wicked. We can safely trust all cases in the competent hands, and heart, of Jesus.