.David died and was buried in David’s City. …Solomon succeeded his father David as king
End of an era. Israel’s spiritual zenith occurred during his reign (2 Samuel 6:12-7:29) and Solomon certainly benefited from that. Here, there’s the passing of the baton, much like with Moses to Joshua (Joshua 1:1-2). There’s no room for nostalgia: life marches on. I wonder what awaits me, Father? For your Kingdom here?
…Adonijah… answered, “You know that I should have become king and that everyone in Israel expected it. But it happened differently… Please ask King Solomon—I know he won’t refuse you—to let me have Abishag, the young woman from Shunem, as my wife.”
Adonijah was still clinging to the idea that he could still become king! This was a back door to having the woman that shared David’s bed and what that implied (2 Samuel 20:3; 1 Kings 1:1-4). If his request was on the up and up, he would have asked Solomon directly.
“Why do you ask me to give Abishag to him?” the king asked. “You might as well ask me to give him the throne too. After all, he is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab are on his side!”
The list of who to do in was ever present in Solomon’s mind! The execution only lacked a trigger…
“Do what Joab says,” Solomon answered. “Kill him and bury him. Then neither I nor any other of David’s descendants will any longer be held responsible for what Joab did when he killed innocent men. The Lord will punish Joab for those murders, which he committed without my father David’s knowledge. Joab killed two innocent men who were better men than he… The punishment for their murders will fall on Joab and on his descendants forever. But the Lord will always give success to David’s descendants who sit on his throne.”
This brings to mind Matthew 27:25-26. There is a transition where the true family line lies not with blood per se but rather with behavior (1 Kings 15:9-11). I do pray, Lord, that I will prove to be a blessing for others and that my true family line lies with those of Hebrews 11.