David's Last Words To Solomon

Live For the Lord

David knew that God’s plan was not going to end at his death. He needed to prepare Solomon to take over the kingdom of Israel. He charged Solomon with the actions necessary to preserve the kingdom and advance the mission of the Lord. The first thing David instructed Solomon to do was to be strong and show yourself as a man.

Be Strong and Show Yourself As A Man

Solomon had lived a sheltered life free of difficulty. He lived in the luxury of his mothers protection.

15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself [h]before the king. And the king said, “What [i]do you wish?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 He has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come about, as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered [j]offenders.” 1 Kings 1:15-21

Solomon did not live a difficult life. He lived in the luxury of the kings palace. He did not go out to war nor does the Bible mention that he had any adversity before he was king.

David was instructing Solomon that in order to lead the nation of Israel, he was going to have to be a man and make difficult decisions as well as face adversity.

He was going to have to depend on the Lord in order to fulfill the calling of being a man and being courageous.

Keep Charge Of The Lord Your God

David instructed Solomon to live for the Lord. He emphasized maintaining a nation that worshipped the Lord and lived according to the Law of Moses.

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [a]slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods [b]before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself [c]an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not [d]leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who [e]stays with you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Ex. 20:2-17

The first 4 commandments of the Lord dealt with how man interacts with God. They include having no other gods, not creating idols, taking the name of the Lord in vain, and keeping the sabbath day holy. The first commandment deals with who to worship. God was proclaiming that He and He alone is to be worshipped. Nothing is to come before Him as something we worship. The Second commandment is how we worship. When man tries to form God by making a little god it reduces God to something that is equal or less than who He is. (Golden Calf) When we make God out to be someone he is not, then we violate the second commandment. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. This means that you see no value in living for the Lord. You live your life apart from Him as though He doesn’t exist. Keep the Sabbath Holy. God requires one day of dedicated rest and worship. When we fail to recognize the sabbath we get tired and apathetic towards the Lord.

The last 6 commandments deals with how we are to deal with others. They are pretty self explanatory. Obey your parents, don’t kill people, don’t have sex outside marriage, don’t take things that don’t belong to you, don’t lie, and don’t be jealous of what someone else has. If we employ these commandments in our lives and in our nation what kind of society would we be?

Get Rid Of Trouble Makers

David told Solomon to punish Joab and Shimei. We must understand why David is asking Solomon to do this. The reason is that they pose a threat to God’s plan. Let’s take a look at each of these guys. First Joab. Joab was David’s military leader but often was insubordinate to David. He took mattes into his own hands. For example, he killed David’s son Absolom when David told him not to. He killed two military leaders that posed a threat to his leadership against David’s will. He supported Adonijah as king over Solomon. Joab posed a threat to Solomon and the kingdom of Israel so Solomon put him to death.

The second man was Shimei. He cursed David when he fled from Absolom. He was a Saul supporter. He did not want David as king. He desired Saul to be king. So he cursed David and threw rocks at him. Shimei, would not have supported Solomon as well. He kept the northern region of Israel in an uproar. Solomon made him move to Jerusalem so he could keep an eye on him. He told him if he left he would be killed. He left and Solomon killed him.

David was asking Solomon to take drastic action to protect the kingdom. Those that posed a threat to God’s plan had to be removed. This would be difficult for Solomon because he had never had to make difficult decisions before.

Reward The Faithful

David ask Solomon to reward Barzillai for his faithfulness to the king.

31 Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim; and he went on to the Jordan with the king to [a]escort him over the Jordan. 32 Now Barzillai was very old, being eighty years old; and he had [b]sustained the king while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man. 33 The king said to Barzillai, “You cross over with me and I will [c]sustain you in Jerusalem with me.” 34 But Barzillai said to the king, “How long [d]have I yet to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am [e]now eighty years old. Can I distinguish between good and bad? Or can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Or can I hear anymore the voice of singing men and women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant would merely cross over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king compensate me with this reward? 37 Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. However, here is your servant Chimham, let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what is good in your sight.” 38 The king answered, “Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what is good in your sight; and whatever you [f]require of me, I will do for you.” 39 All the people crossed over the Jordan and the king crossed too. The king then kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his place. 2 Sam. 19:31-39

We need to recognize faithful people in our lives and reward them. We must recognize that they played a significant role in our success and must be rewarded.