By Dan & Brenda Cathcart
The video
version of this teaching is available at: https://youtu.be/cJw3p14ycL0
The
scripture reading is 1st Kings 2:1-12
David was
arguably the greatest Israelite since Moses, yet his passing is barely
mentioned in the Book of 1st kings. In this week’s haftarah reading we
see that David is about to die and we read of David’s last words to his son
Solomon whom he had chosen as his successor.
David
reigned over a unified Israel. But that unification didn’t come without a price.
David’s struggles for the nation of Israel are well documented, primarily in
the books of Samuel and Chronicles. His
battles include victories, defeats, and challenges from his own family and
close associates. At first David’s kingship only included the tribe of Judah
and he reigned from the city of Hebron for seven and a half years. But the
entire nation was eventually unified under one king, David who reigned from
Jerusalem for the next 33 years.
Through all
of David’s struggles, his victories, his defeats and his personal triumphs and
failures, David had a heart for God and a deep desire to serve the LORD in
spirit and truth. As he reached the end of his life, David desired to pass on this
great legacy to Solomon; to see that his covenant with God would continue
through his chosen heir, and that there would always be a Son of David on the
throne of Israel.
Almost all
of what we know about King David is recorded only in the scriptures and other
Jewish writings. Secular history has
very little to no mention of king David.
In years past, many scholars, not willing to accept the scriptural
references as being entirely historically accurate, assumed that the Biblical chronicles
of David were much like the legends of King Arthur; at the most a composite of
many kings and leaders, and at the least a total fiction; A kind of cultural
legend that serves to unify a society and preserve a culture.
That all
changed with the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948 and when archeological
evidence began to surface. Scholars discovered artifacts and other direct
evidence of the reign of king David in exactly the places the scriptures spoke
of.
When we
take a closer look at the chronology of King David and compare it to what is
found in other secular histories and writing from other Middle Eastern kingdoms
of the time, we find corroborating evidence. First Fruits of Zion in their
work, “Torah Club, Volume 3, The Haftarah Portions” quotes from the Expositor’s
Bible Commentary.
“… these sources (the secular sources) provide
a fairly accurate time sequence for dating events of the ancient (middle) East,
particularly so for the period of the Kings… the general timeframe of much of
the period from Solomon to the fall of Jerusalem (the siege and destruction of
Jerusalem by the Babylonians) can be acknowledged as rather well established.
Hence we can say with a great deal of certainty that the year when David passed
on the throne to Solomon was either 970 or 971 BCE”[i]
At the time
of David, Israel was about to reach the pinnacle of their power and the furthest
reach of their territory. It would be a time of relative peace for the nation of
Israel. Other Middle Eastern nations were rather inactive. The Assyrians were barely a blip on the radar
and the Egyptians, although displaying some aggressive activities, were never a
serious threat to Israel. After David, Solomon, in one of his first acts as
king, formed a political alliance with Egypt.
1 Kings 3:1 NKJV 1 Now Solomon made a treaty
with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh's daughter; then he brought her
to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the
house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem.
Also,
Solomon fulfilled David’s desire to build the House of God on the plot of land
that David had purchased.
2 Samuel 24:20-21 NKJV 20 Now Araunah looked,
and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and
bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Then Araunah said,
"Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said,
"To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that
the plague may be withdrawn from the people."
The
Haftarah portion for this week is rather brief but contains the important last
words of David as he gives charge to his son Solomon. David’s words to Solomon
can be broken down into basically three areas that we will take a closer look
at. David tells Solomon to guard his
life, guard his Torah, and guard his realm.
David’s
first words to Solomon as David is about to die are about guarding his
life. David had the right to name
Solomon his successor. But Solomon’s three older brothers were not happy with
their father’s choice. Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah were spiritually and morally
bankrupt. Solomon, on the other hand, had a willing and humble heart and found
grace in David’s eyes. Given that his older brothers were blinded by their own
corruption and ambition, Solomon had to keep a special watch over his own life.
David
opened his words of wisdom to Solomon with an admonition to be strong and be a
man.
1 Kings 2:1-2 NKJV 1 Now the days of David drew
near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 "I go
the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.
David
wasn’t giving this advice to Solomon out of some macho considerations. In a
previous teaching, we learned that Solomon may have been as young as twelve
years old at the time of his coronation according to Jewish tradition. David
realized that, while Solomon was very young and perhaps too young and
inexperienced to be king over all of Israel, Solomon none the less had to
function as a grown man. David would not
be at his side to guide him on this path.
Solomon had
to be strong, mature, and grow up fast! David was not referring to a physical
strength in this charge to Solomon.
Solomon would have armies at his command to exercise physical strength
and power. David was speaking of
spiritual and moral strength which comes from the LORD and he wanted Solomon to
seek out God’s strength first. This is
evident in David’s next few words to Solomon.
1 Kings 2:3-4 NKJV 3 "And keep the charge
of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His
commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law
of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4
"that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying,
'If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their
heart and with all their soul,' He said, 'you shall not lack a man on the
throne of Israel.'
In David’s
words to Solomon, I am reminded of God’s encouragement of Joshua as he took
over the leadership of the Children of Israel and led them into the Promised
Land following the death of Moses.
Let’s focus
for a moment on the opening phrase of verse 3, “keep the charge of the LORD…”.
This is not the literal translation of the Hebrew text, which would not make
much sense in English. Looking at the Hebrew text will give us a deeper understanding
of David’s words. The Hebrew phrase would translate, “and guard the protective
guards.” This context reveals that David was referring to the Torah! Solomon
was to protect and guard God’s Torah because that is what provides his guard
and protection. Deuteronomy chapter 17 speaks specifically about the duty and
responsibility of kings.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 NKJV 18 "Also it
shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for
himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the
Levites. 19 "And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days
of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to
observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 "that his heart
may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the
commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days
in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.
Perhaps
David was reminding Solomon of this very passage of the Torah. Or perhaps
reminding him of Abraham’s life and how it reflected this concept as well.
Genesis 26:4-5 NKJV 4 "And I will make
your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your
descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed; 5 "because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge,
My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."
Further in
verse three of our Haftarah reading, David gets more specific about what those
guards are and what actions Solomon should take. David referred to ways, statutes,
commandments, ordinances, and testimonies. Let’s look at two places in
Deuteronomy where these same words are used. First is Deuteronomy 6:17
Deuteronomy 6:17 NKJV 17 "You shall
diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His
statutes which He has commanded you.
The other
is Deuteronomy 26 verses 16 and 17.
Deuteronomy 26:16-17 NKJV 16 "This day the
LORD your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore
you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your
soul. 17 "Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be your God, and that you
will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His
judgments, and that you will obey His voice.
Would it have
not been sufficient for David to just simply say “keep my commandments”, or
“stick to the Torah?” But each of these words have specific meaning and are
important.
The word
for ways is “derekhim”, it is from number 1870 in the Strong’s lexicon meaning
“a course of life or mode of action.” Solomon was to literally stick to the
Torah! The Torah is God’s instruction in
righteous living. The word implies a
lifestyle choice.
The word
for Statutes is “khok” number 2706 meaning an enactment, appointment, something
bound or covenant.
The word
for commandment is one we are probably most familiar with, “mitzvot.” It is the plural for of “mitzvah.” Number
4687. It literally means commandment, law, or ordinance. We also understand it to mean “good deed.”
The word
for Judgements (some translations use the word “ordinances”) is “mishpatim”
number 4941 meaning verdict, sentence or formal decree. This word would refer
largely to the legal aspects of the Torah.
The last
word used is testimonies. It is
“ay-dooth” number 5715 meaning testimonies or witness. The Torah was to give
testimony to or bear witness to a righteous life.
All of the
words refer to specific categories of instruction found in the Torah. David was being very specific in his charge
to Solomon. David clearly understood and was familiar with all of these aspects
of the Torah and wrote extensively in the Psalms about how these applied to his
life and reign as king. Psalm 119 is one such example.
Psalms 119:1-8 NKJV 1 ALEPH. Blessed are the
undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD! 2 Blessed are those who
keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! 3 They also do no
iniquity; They walk in His ways. 4 You have commanded us To keep Your precepts
diligently. 5 Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes! 6 Then I
would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments. 7 I will praise
You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments. 8 I will keep
Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!
David’s
third charge to his son Solomon was to guard his realm. In 1 Kings 2 verses
5-9, David is instructing Solomon on some specifics about keeping his kingdom
and throne secure. In this passage, David tells Solomon what kind of people to
watch out for going forward. Two of them
are negative influences and one is positive.
In our day we might recognize David’s words as an application of the
adage “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” The 1st person David mentioned is
Joab.
1 Kings 2:5-6 NKJV 5 "Moreover you know
also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two
commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son
of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put
the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that
were on his feet. 6 "Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let
his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.
Joab was a
thorn in the side of David. He was one
of those people who could be a great asset in time of need but Joab was always
looking out for his own interest and would quickly become an enemy should the
circumstances require it. Joab was very loyal to David but only to the point
that it served his interest.
After the
death of Saul, Abner, then the commander of Saul’s army waged a war with David
and Judah. Abner, finding war with David
fruitless eventually entered into a covenant of peace with David, there by
unifying all the tribes into one kingdom. Joab didn’t trust Abner and
eventually murdered him contrary to David’s wishes. This incident was relayed
to Solomon in David’s words in verse five “he shed the blood of war in
peacetime.”
In another
incident, David was faced with a rebellion by his own son Absalom. David gave
instruction that Absalom was not to be harmed but Joab took matters into his
own hands by subsequently murdering Absalom. David left it up to Solomon to
handle the matter of Joab, using his own wisdom and judgment with the condition
not to let Joab die in peace.
Next David
tells Solomon to give special attention and care to the sons of Barzillai who
assisted David in his time of need during Absalom’s rebellion.
1 Kings 2:7 NKJV 7 "But show kindness to
the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at
your table, for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
Through
this example, David was showing Solomon how to treat the righteous people in
the kingdom. Solomon was to recognize
and remember the kindness of such acts as those of Barzillai. David said that they should eat at the king’s
table. What does it mean to “eat at the
king’s table?” A commentary by D.J.
Wiseman explains:
“To eat at the king’s table was equivalent of
having a pension, the beneficiary receiving a regular royal allowance of food
and clothing, with a house and land to support him and his family.”[ii]
Another
troublemaker that David leaves for Solomon to handle is a man by the name of Shimei,
grandson of Saul who confronted David at the time David fled Jerusalem during
Absalom’s rebellion.
1 Kings 2:8-9 NKJV 8 "And see, you have
with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a
malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me
at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, 'I will not put you to
death with the sword.' 9 "Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for
you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray
hair down to the grave with blood."
Cursing the
king was clearly a violation of the Torah.
Exodus 22:28 NKJV 28 "You shall not revile
God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
For
whatever reason, known only to David, he allowed this descendant of Saul to
continue his bad-mouthing of the king even though such cursing was a capital
offence. In his last words to Solomon,
David considered Shimei a danger to Solomon’s reign. But given that David had
allowed Shimei to live, Solomon would have to handle him in a different way.
David was
giving some very sound advice to Solomon. Solomon needed to protect his realm
by eliminating all the troublemakers who would threaten his reign and the
stability of the kingdom. At the same time David instructed Solomon that he was
also to protect and provide for those who were good influences. David gave
examples of these two different kinds of people and it was up to Solomon to
discern the difference.
Sometime
after David finished speaking with Solomon, he died. It is amazing that the
writer of the Book of Kings gives so little mention of the actual death of
David, the greatest king in the nation of Israel.
1 Kings 2:10-12 NKJV 10 So David rested with
his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. 11 The period that David
reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in
Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. 12 Then Solomon sat on the throne of
his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.
David was a
true and faithful servant of the LORD.
He was also a man with many flaws and he had many personal doubts and
fears. David poured out his heart to God and some of His prayers and songs are
recorded in the Psalms.
Solomon
took the charge from his father David to heart and among his first acts as king
was to pray for the spiritual wisdom to handle the tremendous task of leading
the people. Solomon would be a just king and ruled the nation with fairness and
dignity. And we too can learn from David’s final words to Solomon.
God
promised that a son of David would reign from Jerusalem forever. Solomon was but the first. Messiah Yeshua, a son of David as well, will
one day return to His rightful place as the king of a united Israel and reign
with wisdom and justice from Jerusalem.
Someday, perhaps in our lifetime we can say once and for all, “Come let
us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob!” He
will teach us His ways and we can learn at His feet.
Study Questions:
1.
Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah
Portion Vayechi Genesis 47:28-50:26?
2.
1st Kings 2:5-6 describes how Joab used
his armor, putting blood on his belt and sandals. According to Ephesians 6:10-18,
how are we to use our armor? What does
this say about Joab?
3.
Using the Psalms of David as a guide, how did David
view and apply the 5 aspects of the Torah outlined in this teaching?
4.
Why do you think the account of David’s death is so
brief? Including other accounts such as the
one found in Chronicles 29:23-30
5.
By digging deeper and reading further about Solomon’s
reign as king, what was Solomon’s solution to the troublemakers, Joab and
Shimei?
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