A Secure Place to Be - 1 Kings 2:1-46

Starting at verse 1.

Good man, thanks.

Okay, well let's read 1 Kings chapter 2 starting at verse 1.

1 Kings 2 · chapter mention

We'll just wait.

Good lad.

Pens and Bibles at the ready. Here we go.

1 Kings chapter 2.

1 Kings 2 · chapter mention

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon, his son.

I'm about to go the way of all the earth, he said.

So be strong. Act like a man.

And observe what the Lord your God requires.

Walk in obedience to him.

Keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations as written in the law of Moses.

Do this, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.

And that the Lord may keep his promise to me.

If your descendants watch how they live and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.

Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zerah did to me.

What he did to the two commanders of Israel's armies.

Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether.

He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle.

And with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.

Deal with him according to your wisdom.

But do not let his grey head go down to the grave in peace.

But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead.

And let them be among those who eat at your table.

They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gerah, the Benjamite from Bahuram.

Who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Manaheim.

When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord,

I will not put you to death by the sword.

But now, do not consider him innocent.

You are a man of wisdom.

You will know what to do to him.

Bring his grey head down to the grave in blood.

Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.

He had reigned for 40 years over Israel,

7 years in Hebron and 33 in Jerusalem.

So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David,

and his rule was firmly established.

We are going to be looking at the whole of chapter 2,

and we are going to pray and ask for God's help.

Amen.

Father, we thank you that you are Lord over all,

and we can pray about all things.

We pray for Marie's sister Kate,

who has an operation tomorrow,

that you would be with her and bring her through that successfully.

Pray that in this time,

she might call out to you,

and find your love and your comfort.

We pray for the start of the rock,

and also rooted,

coming up on Friday.

We pray your help to all the leaders,

as they share the good news that Jesus is King.

And Father, just as we can pray for these things,

we pray for us now,

as we look at your word,

that just as you draw near to us,

you would come close by your Holy Spirit.

Give us understanding and help

that we might worship you as we should.

We pray this in your name.

Amen.

Well, just over a year ago,

Leo Varadkar was appointed as our new Taoiseach,

our country's leader.

replacing Enda Kenny.

You might remember at his first announcement,

he was accompanied by all the members of his party,

all of them behind him,

smiling and showing support for their new leader.

But not all of them were very happy.

A few days later,

Leo announced his new cabinet.

The old guard were swiftly removed,

and the new brought in.

You see,

to secure your position of power,

sometimes you must be ruthless

and root out any rebels.

Well, in our account of 1 Kings chapter 2,

1 Kings 2 · chapter mention

a change of kingship is about to take place.

Look at verse 1 of chapter 2.

When the time drew near for David to die,

he gave the charge to Solomon his son.

So David is passing over the kingship to his son Solomon.

But there's still this problem.

There's a problem of a few disgruntled enemies within the kingdom.

And it seems to be that if you are going to bring security in God's kingdom,

then the king must be ruthless

and root out any rebels.

How can you have a kingdom of safety

when there are enemies in your ranks?

So as we look at chapter 2,

we're going to see

that God raises up his king

to crush his enemies

so that his kingdom is secure.

That's the big theme.

God raises up his king

to crush his enemies

so that his kingdom is secure.

First, God's means of establishing a secure kingdom.

God will secure his kingdom

by raising up a king.

But not just any king.

A king who obeys God's words.

Look at verse 2.

David says,

I'm about to go the way of all the earth.

In other words, I'm about to die.

So be strong and act like a man.

And here's how a man should be.

Observe what the Lord your God requires.

Walk in obedience to him.

Keep his decrees and commands,

his laws and regulations,

as were written in the law of Moses.

Now David's command

or his passing on of the kingship,

yes, obey God's word,

but he's only doing what God had commanded

and recorded in the law of Moses.

This is what was said there.

God said to Moses,

when the king takes the throne of his kingdom,

he is to write for himself

on a scroll of this law.

It is to be with him

and he is to read it all the days of his life

and that he may revere the Lord his God

and follow carefully all the words of this law

and these decrees

and do not consider himself better

and turn from the law to the right

or to the left.

You see,

obeying God's word

ensured that everything was done

God's way.

Because as soon as we start ignoring God's word,

well, that's when chaos and disorder happen.

We only need to think back to the Garden of Eden.

Disobeying God's word

led to broken relationships

and a broken world,

the effects we're seeing today

and experiencing in our own lives.

So obedience was crucial

and it will ensure a secure kingdom.

Look at the rest of verse 3.

David continues,

Do this,

that is,

obey,

follow the word of the Lord

so that you may prosper

in all that you do

wherever you go

and that the Lord may keep his promise to me.

If your descendants

watch how they live

and if they walk faithfully before me

with all their heart and soul,

you will never fail

to have a successor

on the throne of Israel.

Very simple,

if the king obeys God's word,

then the people,

the king,

and the kingdom

will enjoy peace

and prosperity,

a kingdom of joy

and happiness.

But not just a king

who obeys,

but a king who acts justly.

You see,

David may be on his deathbed,

but he knows a thing or two

about security

and about bringing peace

to the kingdom.

He gives orders

about what to do

with the kingdom's enemies

and there seems to be

a few of them.

Look at verse 5.

His final orders

before he dies.

Now you yourself know

what Joab,

son of Zariah,

did to me.

What he did to the two commanders

of Israel's armies.

Well,

he had murdered them,

hadn't he?

What should he do in response?

Verse 6.

Deal with him

according to your wisdom,

but do not let his grey head

go down to the grave

in peace.

Make him pay.

Well,

Joab wasn't the only one

that he had to watch out for.

Verse 8.

And remember,

you have with you

Shimei,

son of Gerah,

the Benjamite,

who called down

bitter curses on me

the day I went to Manaheim.

And that was an occasion

when David,

although king,

was being pushed out

of the kingship.

What should happen to him?

Well,

look at the end of verse 9.

Bring his grey head

down to the grave

in blood.

No mercy.

Now,

it's not everybody

who's going to be treated

like this.

those who are faithful

to the king

and loyal to the kingdom.

Well,

look at verse 7.

Show kindness

to the sons

of Barzillai

of Gilead

and let them

be among those

who eat at your table.

Welcome them,

in other words,

because they stood

by me

when I fled

from your brother

Absalom.

Now,

we must remember

that the kings

like David and Solomon

are only God's

representatives.

It's not their kingdom

to do as they please.

They are to obey

God's word

and act justly.

You see,

we can't have a kingdom

without rules.

Rules is what

keeps the peace.

Rules of the king

is what brings order.

and keeps

everything together

so people can live

in harmony

and joy.

You might know

the story

Lord of the Flies.

It's a fictional story

about a group

of well-educated

English boys

who get marooned

on an island.

They're there

without any adult

supervision,

no leadership,

and then disorder

and chaos

begin to reign.

The children

who are all there

together

begin to bully

each other.

They start fighting.

Little gangs

are formed

as they attack

each other.

And one of the children,

one of the main characters,

his nickname

is Piggy,

kept on insisting

on the need

for rules.

This is what he said

to the group.

He said,

we've got to have rules

and obey them.

After all,

we're not savages.

Which is better?

To have rules

and agree?

Or go hunting

and break things up?

Well,

a little while later,

he got his answer.

Not long after,

Piggy was violently

killed

and murdered

by the other children.

The story

is a social comment

on what happens

when we remove

authority

from society.

Anarchy.

All hell

breaks loose.

And so David,

as he passes

on the kingdom

to Solomon,

is saying,

if we are to establish

a kingdom of security,

then we need

a king

who obeys

God's word

and acts

justly.

A king

who will bring

about peace

and order,

joy

and happiness.

And that's

what we begin

to see happening

through Solomon.

Look at verse 12.

So Solomon

sat on the throne

of his father David

and his rule

was firmly

established.

That's the kind

of kingdom

we all long for.

So first,

God's means

of establishing

a secure kingdom.

Second,

God's response

to the enemies

of the kingdom.

Now the author

wants us

to know

very clearly

that Solomon

is king

and that his rule

was firmly

established.

But it seems

he wants us

to know

how it was done.

Enemies

must

be dealt with.

You might remember

the three rebels

of chapter 1.

You can go back

and have a look.

Chapter 1,

verse 7.

Adonijah,

he was the

one who wanted

to be king.

Adonijah,

verse 7,

conferred with

Joab,

son of Zariah,

and with

Abiathar,

the priest,

and they gave

him their

support.

Three rebels,

and it seems

they are still

trouble

in the kingdom.

first,

rebellion

will not

be tolerated.

Adonijah

has this

great plan.

Although Solomon

is king,

he's got

a plan.

He goes to

the king's

mother,

in verse 13,

we read this,

to Bathsheba,

and he's got

this request.

Look at

verse 17

of chapter 2.

Chapter 2,

verse 17.

He goes to

the king's

mother,

Bathsheba.

Please ask

king Solomon,

he will not

refuse you,

to give me

Abishag,

the Shunammite,

as my wife.

Remember Abishag

from chapter 1?

That was the

home help,

as we described

her,

for David

in his old age.

It seems

innocent enough,

doesn't it?

Maybe he

doesn't have

a wife.

Maybe his

toes are

also cold.

So Bathsheba

goes off

to the king

with the

request,

but Solomon

sees it

for what it

is.

Verse 22.

King Solomon

answered his

mother,

Why do you

request Abishag,

the Shunammite,

for Adonijah?

You might as

well request

the kingdom

for him.

After all,

he is my

older brother.

Yes,

for him

and for

Abiathar,

the priest,

and Joab,

son of Zariah.

Now,

we're not

given all

the political

details of

what it

would mean

if Abiathar

took over

David's

carer

as a

wife,

but it

seems to

be a

scheme

to take

over the

kingdom.

He still

wants to

be the

king.

look back

at verse

15 of

chapter 2.

As he

talks to

Bathsheba,

he says,

As you

know,

the kingdom

was mine.

It was

my kingdom.

All Israel

looked to

me as

their king.

I was

the king.

But things

have changed

and the

kingdom has

gone to

my brother

for it

has come

to him

from the

Lord.

Lord.

Well,

the kingdom

never was

his and

kingship was

not his

to take.

And

Solomon could

see through

his plan.

Opposition

to God's

king will

not be

tolerated.

Verse 23,

Then King

Solomon swore

by the

Lord,

May God

deal with

me,

be it

ever so

severely,

if Adonijah

does not

pay with

his life

for this

request.

And now

as surely

as the

Lord lives,

he who

has established

me securely

on the

throne of

my father

David and

has founded

a dynasty

for me

as he

promised,

Adonijah

shall be

put to

death

today.

So King

Solomon gave

orders to

Benaniah,

son of

Jehoiada,

and he

struck down

Adonijah

and he

died.

Rebellion

will not

be

tolerated.

And

second,

promised

justice

will be

done.

So

Adonijah

has been

dealt

with.

Then there

was

Abi

Arthur,

the

priest.

We

read about

him in

verse 26.

He was

all part

of the

scheme

to take

over the

kingdom.

Now

Solomon

spares

his life

but he

is removed

from his

position of

service and

influence.

But notice

why he's

been removed.

Have a

look at

verse 27.

Solomon

removed

Abi

Arthur from

the priesthood

of the

Lord,

fulfilling

the word

the Lord

had spoken

at Shiloh

about the

house of

Eli.

Now

you might

remember

old Eli.

We can

read about

him back

in 1st

Samuel.

He had

two sons,

Hophni and

Phinehas.

They were

priests but

they were

rebellious.

Rather than

serving God

and serving

the people,

they served

themselves.

They were a

terrible pair.

And at that

time, it was

about 100

years before

the events

we're looking

at here in

1 Kings,

God had

made a

promise at

that time

that the

disobedient

priests would

be dealt

with and

all those

priests coming

from the

house of

Eli or

from the

line of

Eli would

be punished.

100 years

have passed.

Verse 27.

So Solomon

removed

Abi

Arthur from

the priesthood

of the

Lord,

fulfilling

the word

of the

Lord had

spoken at

Shiloh,

even though

it was 100

years ago.

about the

house of

Eli.

God's

justice may

be delayed,

but don't

ever think

that God

has forgotten.

He knows

and he

sees.

Justice

will be

done.

Enemies

will be

removed.

And third,

fake religion

will not

save you.

So

Adonijah

has been

put to

death.

Abi

Arthur,

the priest,

has been

removed.

But what

about the

other one,

the third

rebel,

Joab,

the one

who had

murdered the

king's

commanders

under David?

Well,

look at

verse 28.

When news

reached

Joab,

obviously the

news of

what happened

to Abi

Arthur and

Adonijah,

Joab,

who had

conspired

with them,

well,

he fled

to the

tent of

the Lord.

The tent

of the

Lord was

the meeting

place where

people went

to meet

with God.

And he

took hold

of the

horns of

the altar.

This is the

place where

the sacrifices

took place.

So he

went running

to the

tent of

the Lord

and took

hold of

the horns

of the

altar.

It seems

that Joab

has all of a

sudden got

very religious.

He

begins to

say his

prayers.

Somehow he

thinks as if,

well, if I go

to church,

that'll be

enough.

That's going

to keep

me safe.

Verse 29.

King Solomon

was told that

Joab had

fled to the

tent of the

Lord and

was beside

the altar.

Then Solomon

ordered

Benaniah,

son of

Jehoiada,

go and

strike him

down.

So Benaniah

entered the

tent of the

Lord and

said to

Joab.

The king

says,

come out.

But he

answered,

no, I

will die

here.

Benaniah

reported to

the king,

this is how

Joab

answered me.

You see,

he thinks

that if he

stays in

the meeting

place of

God,

well, he's

going to

be safe.

Nobody's

going to

come in

here.

My new

religion is

going to

save me.

Well, God

sees through

the sham.

He sees

the heart

of Joab.

God

longs for

submission,

not fake

religion.

Joab's

church

going is

not going

to save

him,

verse 33.

May the

guilt of

their blood

rest on

the head

of Joab

and his

descendants

forever.

But on

David and

his descendants,

his house

and his

throne,

may there

be the

Lord's

peace

forever.

So Ben

and I,

a son of

Jehoiada,

went up

and struck

down Joab

and killed

him.

And he

was buried

at his

home out

in the

country.

You see,

to secure

the kingdom,

the king

must be

ruthless

and root

out rebels.

You can't

have peace

and security

with constant

threats from

your enemies.

Enemies of

the kingdom

can't be

tolerated,

so the

king deals

with his

enemies.

Now it's

vital that

we don't

just keep

this as

a story

in the

past.

This is

something

yet to

come.

You see,

what Solomon

did to his

enemies

nationally

is what

God's

true king

will do

universally.

remember

what Jesus

said,

speaking about

the kingdom

of God?

You can

follow on

the screen.

So it

will be

at the

end of

the age.

The

Son of

Man,

that is

Jesus,

will send

out his

angels and

they will

weed out

of his

kingdom

everything

that causes

sin and

all who

do evil.

they will

throw them

into the

blazing

furnace and

there will

be weeping

and gnashing

of teeth.

Then the

righteous will

shine like

the sun in

the kingdom

of their

father.

You see,

rebellion

against God's

king,

Jesus Christ,

will not

be tolerated.

He is the

true king

and we

must submit

to him.

God is

patient.

His

justice

may be

delayed,

but what

he has

promised,

yes,

it will

come to

pass.

And there's

no hiding

from the

king.

Fake

religion is

not going

to work.

He

sees the

heart

and he

will crush

his enemies

so that

his kingdom

is secure.

God's

means of

establishing

a secure

kingdom,

his

response

to

enemies

of the

kingdom,

and then

third,

God's

demands

for people

who live

in the

kingdom.

You see,

if we are

going to

live in

God's

kingdom,

if we are

going to

experience

and enjoy

his

security,

there must

be loyalty

and devotion.

There's one

other character

that we have

to deal

with that

we haven't

looked at.

He comes

at the

end of

chapter 2,

Shimei.

David

didn't

trust him,

always had

a question

mark over

his head,

and Solomon

is unsure

about his

allegiance.

Verse 36,

Then the

king sent

for Shimei

and said

to him,

Build

yourself a

house in

Jerusalem

and live

there,

but do

not go

anywhere

else.

The day

you leave

and cross

the Kidron

Valley,

so if

you leave

the city,

you can

be sure

you will

die.

Your blood

will be on

your own

head.

Shimei

answered the

king,

What you

say is

good.

Your

servant

will do

as my

lord the

king has

said.

And Shimei

stayed in

Jerusalem for

a long

time.

It's a

test of

loyalty.

Serve the

king,

obey the

king,

live for

the king,

and you

will enjoy

the kingdom.

But,

verse 39,

three years

later,

two of

Shimei's

slaves ran

off to

Achish,

son of

Macca,

king of

Gath,

and Shimei

was told,

your slaves

are in

Gath.

At this,

he saddled

his donkey,

left the

city,

and went

to Achish

in Gath

in search

of his

slaves.

So Shimei

went away

and brought

the slaves

back from

Gath.

Now,

it seems

okay,

doesn't it?

Reasonable.

He's lost

some of

his workers,

he's out

of pocket.

That means

going outside

the city

to go and

get them,

but in

such

circumstances,

Shimei

reasons that

loyalty to

the kingdom

in this

case is

optional.

It seems

he was more

interested in,

well,

not obeying

what the

king said,

but securing

his own

little kingdom.

Because when

something else

comes along

that's more

important,

like securing

a career,

finding our

husband or

wife,

securing our

retirement fund,

well,

then it's

okay just to

put the

kingdom on

hold and

put it on

the back

seat.

So often,

loyalty to

the king

is optional.

But

disobedience

to the

king's

word is

treason.

It's

saying no

to the

king of

the world.

Verse 42,

the king

summoned

Shimei and

said to

him,

did I not

make you

swear by

the Lord

and warn

you?

On the

day you

leave to

go anywhere

else,

you can be

sure you

will die.

At that

time you

said to

me,

what you

say is

good,

I will

obey.

Why

then did

you not

keep your

oath to

your Lord

and obey

the command

I gave

you?

Verse 46,

then the

king gave

the order

to Ben

and I,

son of

Jehoiada,

and he

went out

and struck

Shimei

down,

and he

died.

The

kingdom

was now

established

in Solomon's

hands.

Now we

might read

that and

think the

king's

orders were

a bit

restrictive

and a

bit harsh,

and we

can gripe

and complain

and say,

I don't

like this

bit of

the story.

But the

king's

word,

no matter

how difficult

it is,

no matter

what our

reasoning may

be,

is always

right and

best for

us.

It seems

that Shimei

has something

to teach

us.

And here

it is.

Don't

sacrifice the

kingdom of

God for

the sake

of security

today.

Don't

sacrifice the

kingdom of

God for

the sake

of a

comfortable

life today.

You see,

the same

message would

be echoed

years later

as Jesus

spoke to

his

disciples.

Remember

what he

said?

What good

is it for

someone to

gain the

whole world

yet forfeit

their soul?

If anyone

is ashamed

of me and

my words in

this adulterous

and sinful

generation,

the Son of

Man will be

ashamed of

them when

he comes in

his Father's

glory and

with the

holy angels.

you see,

the king

demands

total

allegiance

and

absolute

loyalty.

So,

we can

say the

kingdom of

God is

secure,

but it

is not

safe.

We can't

say I'm

living in

the kingdom

and at

the same

time living

as I

please.

God will

raise up

his king

who will

crush his

enemies so

that his

kingdom is

secure.

So,

how can I

be secure

in God's

kingdom?

Because as I

read through

chapter 2,

I realise

that,

well,

I'm just

like Shimei.

So often

I'm more

interested in

my own

kingdom.

I rebel

against the

true king

Jesus Christ

just like

Abiathar and

Joab.

How can we

live in

God's

kingdom in

confidence and

without fear of

the king's

justice?

Well,

the answer is

simple.

We bow in

submission to

God's true

king,

Jesus Christ.

Christ.

We bow to

the one

who has

defeated and

destroyed our

greatest enemy,

the greatest

enemy of the

kingdom,

Satan himself,

who destroyed

him,

disarming him

through the

cross,

rising again

from the

grave,

defeating death

itself.

Here is

the true

king who

defeats our

one true

enemy.

And as we

bow in

surrender,

as we give

up the

fight,

well,

we find from

this king

grace and

mercy and

forgiveness.

A loving

king who no

longer treats

us as enemies,

but now

welcomes and

treasures us as

children of the

kingdom for all

eternity.

Submission is

not a one-off

event.

It is a daily

act of repentance

for all his

disciples,

as we daily

surrender our

will to his

will and

seek his

priorities over

ours,

who seek

first his

kingdom above

our own.

bow in

submission to

the king

and enjoy

the treasures

of the

kingdom.

Let us

pray.

Let us

pray.

Let us

pray.

Lord God, once again you remind us through your word

of who you are,

that you are king.

So right now we confess

we are sorry for the times we have rebelled against you.

We bow in submission.

We surrender our wills to you.

We ask that you would give us your Holy Spirit

that we might prioritize and seek first your kingdom.

Thank you for Jesus.

Thank you that he has defeated

the true and great enemy, Satan himself.

So that we might enter into your kingdom

and know peace and joy and security with you.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, in a moment we are going to share the Lord's Supper

around what we can call the King's Table,

the King's invitation to all his followers,

to all those who love him and obey him,

to share in the meal with the King.

And in preparation we're going to sing,

which reminds us that God is our servant king,

the one who gives his life for us

and calls us now to follow him,

to bow in submission,

to bring our lives as a daily offering

of worship to the servant king.

Let's stand as we sing.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.