Why Such Focus on Solomon’s Succession?

The succession crisis leading to Solomon’s accession to the throne begins when David is advanced in years and his son Adonijah—Absalom’s brother—holds a ceremony where he offers sacrifices and tries to secure the support of the military (embodied by Joab) and the priesthood (embodied by Abiathar).  Noticeably uninvited was Solomon, Zadok, Benaiah, Nathan the Prophet, and David’s mighty men, among others.  This is probably not a misunderstanding as to how the succession was to go; given how David had purposed to build the Temple and how God indicated that Solomon would be the one who would do the building (1 Chron. 22:5-13 and 28:1-10), David probably had a co-regency with Solomon in the declining years of his life.  Thus, it was probably clear that David had already established the succession.  Thus, Adonijah’s actions are an intentional usurpation of the throne.  It is clear that when Nathan and Bathsheba hear this, they confront David and refer to this preexisting understanding.  David denies changing his mind about succession and orders that Solomon be installed immediately.  He then commissions Solomon (2:1-4) and gives him advice on who to trust (or not trust).  Adonijah asks for mercy from Solomon (1:50-53) and then separately asks Bathsheba to intercede on his behalf to secure Abishag the Shunammite as his wife (2:13-25).  Abishag had been tending to David, who was ill with an illness wherein he continually had the chills. Solomon reacts angrily to Adonijah’s request, recognizing rightly that the appearance of controlling the harem in that day and age would indicate a transfer of effective power.  This is precisely what Absalom tried to do in his revolt against David. For this reason, Solomon puts Adonijah to death (2:25).  He then exiles Abiathar (2:26-27), replacing him with Zadok (2:35), and executes Joab, replacing him with Benaiah (2:25).  Shimei, who had cursed David when David was fleeing from Absalom, was placed under house arrest on pain of death.  When Shimei eventually violates that house arrest, Solomon puts him to death as well, thereby securing all potential challenges to his throne.

As we begin to look at this passage, two questions prompt us to delve further into what is going on here.  First, why are two full chapters devoted to this transition, when by comparison only a few paragraphs are devoted to the entire reigns of some kings?  Second, why was David unable to get warm (1 Kings 1:1)? The latter is unusual, but is prompted by the commentaries of the early Church Fathers on this passage. Ironically, it may be the key question.  As C. S. Lewis has said about the value of reading old books, the older authors may not be right, but they are asking different questions and making different assumptions than we do as moderns.  To understand where the Church Fathers were coming from, we need to turn back to the last chapter of 2 Samuel, chapter 24. 

In 2 Samuel, the climatic and positive summary of David’s reign is given in chapters 22 and 23, in light of which chapter 24 seems to be narratively anomalous.  In that chapter, the LORD is intent on bringing judgment on Israel (2 Sam. 24:1); the reason is not given in Scripture, but it may well be because the people were in a smug, self-satisfied state after peace returned with the defeat of Absalom, and perhaps not a few were still unrepentant for supporting Absalom.  Either way, God’s judgment comes about because David decided to do a census of people in his kingdom.  While a census is not inherently sinful, it probably was in this case because David’s attitude reflected a greater trust in his nation’s military capacity than in the LORD.  His military commander Joab tried to dissuade him, but David persisted in this endeavor and Joab carried out the king’s commands.  Upon completion of the census, David realized his foolishness and repented before the LORD (2 Sam. 24:10).  The LORD, through Gad the Seer, tells David that He will enact a punishment, and has the choice of famine on the land, persecution from his enemies, or pestilence.  David leaves the decision up to the LORD, although given how he had been on the run in the past from enemies he indicates a preference against doing that again (2 Sam. 24:15).  The LORD executes a pestilence on the land, which kills 70,000 people.  David then acknowledges to the LORD that the people do not deserve such destruction and that God’s judgment should be on him and his house (2 Sam. 24:16).  The LORD halts the plague at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David then purchases the threshing floor and the surrounding property to make sacrifices to God, which then becomes the place upon which the Temple would subsequently be built.  Eugene Merrill, in his book, Kingdom of Priests, noted that David needed a sign from God as to where the Temple ought to be built, since that place was not up to David’s choosing.  David’s willingness to mediate for his people at that place and take on their iniquity made it an appropriate place for the Temple, in which such atonement would become routinely established. In this, David foreshadows our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

What the ancient commentators picked up on in asking why David could not get warm in 1 Kings 1:1 is that they see a connection between that and David’s request in 2 Sam. 24:16 for God’s punishment to be on him and his house.  To us moderns, David’s inability to get warm may have been a sign of hyperthyroidism or some other physical ailment, and while there may be some truth to that, the ancients perceived that in God’s sovereignty David’s ailment was a sign of God’s judgment.  Indeed, it is David’s ailment that effectively triggers the succession crisis that will end up with Solomon consolidating his power over the throne.

This answer to the question of the ancient Christian commentators feeds into the answer to the other question posed earlier in this lesson, that is, why is so much page space being accorded to this transition crisis?  Narratively, a number of things are going on.

First, in closing out the narrative of David’s kingship and establishing Solomon’s reign, we see the fulfillment of God’s promises for and judgments on David’s house.  As noted already, God fulfills David’s request that the LORD’s judgment be on him and his house.  Adonijah’s effort to usurp the throne and Solomon’s successful effort to suppress this, ultimately leading to Adonijah’s execution, reflects the LORD’s judgment.  Adonijah’s self-crowning not only reflects his rebellion against Solomon, but also a disregard for the LORD himself, who had chosen Solomon.  Moreover, Adonijah’s execution also fulfills the earlier prophecy the LORD gave David through the prophet Nathan after David’s sin with Bathsheba, namely, that the sword would not depart David’s house (2 Sam. 12:10).  David’s throne was contested until his dying breath.

Second, though it may be delayed for a time, God will render justice.  This can be seen in what happens to Joab, Shimei, and Abiathar in the transition and Solomon’s consolidation of power.  In David’s lifetime, Joab, the son of Zeruriah, showed himself to be a shrewd political player, extremely loyal to David, but also ambitious and utterly ruthless, as evident by his cold-blooded vindictive murders of Abner (2 Sam. 3:27) and Amasa (2 Sam. 20:9-10).  Abner was the commander of the northern tribes of Israel who had been loyal to Saul, but eventually brought the northern tribes into submission to David.  After peace had been made, Joab assassinated Abner in retaliation for Abner killing his brother during the intra-tribal fighting, an act of personal vengeance that almost destabilized the kingdom and reopened warfare.  Amasa was David’s choice to replace Joab after Absalom’s rebellion had been crushed (2 Sam. 19:10), but Joab assassinated him as well to preclude Amasa from taking his position.  By aligning himself with Adonijah, Joab showed his core ambition and Solomon executed justice by having him put to death for shedding innocent blood.

Shimei was of the house of Saul, who, during Absalom’s revolt, issued a stream of invective and curses against David as David fled the city.  Rather than taking personal vengeance at the time, David ignored him.  After Absalom’s revolt collapsed, Shimei sought pardon and David magnanimously pardoned him.  What is clear from his affiliation with Adonijah’s attempted coup is the Shimei’s earlier submission was pragmatic, not heartfelt.  As one who disrespected and blasphemed the LORD’s anointed, he deserved death; the LORD ordered the circumstances that allowed him to violate the terms of the house arrest that Solomon had put him under.

Abiathar had been loyal to David for many years (1 Sam. 23:9-12) but shifted his allegiance in Adonijah’s plot, perhaps like Joab, out of ambition.  Because he had been loyal to David until this point, he was not put to death, but he was removed from his position as the high priest.  Doing so fulfilled God’s promise to end the house of Eli (1 Sam. 2:31-35), which effectively ended the Aaronic priesthood.

Third, legitimacy and authority ultimately come from God.  We can see this in David’s command to “Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him [Solomon] there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon” (1 Kings 1:34).  In Israel, anointing by the high priest and the chief prophet underscored Solomon as Israel’s legitimate king.

Lastly, the character of the king matters.  As the biblical account shows, David was not perfect, having committed some serious sins, so this is not to excuse or whitewash his sins.  Nevertheless, as we will see in successive chapters, David set the standard for the kings to come, and they were compared either favorably or unfavorably to him.  David’s advice to Solomon (1 Kings 2:3-4) establishes what the bar is: “^2:3And 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: ⁴that 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.”

Questions for Reflection

1. What is God looking for from His people in what David recounts to Solomon in 1 Kings 2:1-4?
2. What are we to make of the fact that God will hold His own people to account?  How should that affect how we should live?
3. Given that legitimacy and authority ultimately come from God affect how we should view even bad leaders?
4. How might the fact that God may delays but will not deny justice affect how we perceive negative circumstances today?