"THE PLAN OF THE CROSS"
Preached at West End Baptist Church on Sunday Morning, March 11, 2012. This is the first of five sermons under the general heading: "THE VIA DOLOROSA" (LATIN - "The Way of the Cross")
(Isaiah 53:10) - Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He (The Father) hath put Him The Son) to grief: when thou shall make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
In my seventy-one years, I have either participated in or observed quite a few memorable events. A touchdown catch against Jefferson City; graduation after my seven years in high school; marrying Anita; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the assassination of JFK; my Salvation experience; my call to preach; the births of our children and grandchildren; the salvation and baptisms of our children and grandchildren; your gift of our trip to Israel; and many wonderful experiences in forty-four years of ministry.
There is one great event, which should be at the top of every person’s list; the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. The eyes and hopes of all the saints who lived before the Christian era were always directed forward to the Cross; and the eyes and faith of all the saints who have since received Jesus Christ as their Savior are always looking backwards to the Cross.
The ancient prophets spoke in future terms; and the angels in heaven are continually gazing intently upon Christ:
(1 Peter 1:10-12) - Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
This morning, we begin a series of five messages on “The Via Dolorosa” – “The Way of the Cross”. When we look at Calvary; let us try to determine in our minds why that knuckled, gnarled old hilltop is the focus of the joy and delight of all the citizens of heaven.
Let’s let the Scripture Text guide us in our visit to the “Way of the Cross”; and allow the Holy Spirit to look on the One who died there.
First: the CAUSE of Christ’s Death: "It pleased the LORD (YHWH) to bruise Him (The Son); He hath put Him to grief."
Secondly, the REASON of Christ's death: "Thou shall make His soul an offering for sin." Christ died because he was an offering for sin.
Thirdly, the EFFECTS of Christ's death: "He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand”.
THE PLAN OF CHRIST'S DEATH.
"It pleased Jehovah to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief."
If we read about Jesus merely as a historical figure; if we consider His death as merely a result of the hatred of the Jewish leaders and the stupidity of Governor Pilate; we miss the entire point.
But if we look at Calvary with the eye of faith, desiring to discover its hidden secrets; we can see something more in the Savior’s death than Roman cruelty, or Jewish malice. If we really look at it, we will see that it was done by the solemn decree of God, and carried out by men who were ignorant, but guilty instruments of its accomplishment.
If we look beyond the Roman spear, whip, and rusty nails, beyond the Jewish taunts and jeers; we can follow the clearly blood-marked trail right up to the One Who not only ALLOWED it to happen; but Who actually PLANNED it to happen!
Peter stated it very clearly:
(Acts 2:22-23) - Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.
I know what you are thinking! You do not want to level the charge at God; I get the heeby-jeebies myself about preaching this; but at the same time, we have to face the fact that “It pleased Jehovah to bruise Him”.
When we look at Calvary this way, we overlook both the ignorance of Pilate and the evil of Herod, and we can see the PLAN of Calvary – The Heavenly Father, the First Person in the Divine Trinity. "It pleased the LORD to bruise Him, He has put Him to grief." It was not solely the Jews or the Romans that caused Jesus to go to His death; it was us and our sin!
Now there are a lot of well-meaning, but uninformed and misguided people who attend churches all over the world; and have it firmly embedded in their minds that God the Father is just an indifferent spectator to the Plan of Salvation.
There are multitudes of others who look upon God as an unloving, severe Being, who really had no love to the human race, and could only be made loving by the death and agonies of our Savior. Where in the world did that heresy come from? That is a black mark on the fair, just, merciful, and glorious Grace of God the Father, to whom be glory and honor forever.
Jesus Christ did not die to make God loving; He died because God WAS loving!
Christ was sent into the world by his Father because God “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
The fact is, that the Father as much decreed salvation, as much effected it, and as much delighted in it, as did either God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit.
And when we speak of the Savior of the world, we are usually speaking about Jesus Christ; but shouldn’t we also include the One Who Planned it (God the Father), the One Who Performed it (God the Son), and the One Who Pursued it (God the Holy Spirit) – because these Three, as one God, save us from our sins.
The Text clearly tells us that “it pleased Jehovah to bruise Jesus Christ”. The death of Christ is traceable to God the Father.
How?
I. IT WAS BY GOD’S DECREE!
The Triune God of heaven and earth wrote the “Plan” for Calvary. Nobody else helped Him, in even the smallest parts. From beginning to end, it was marked out, designed, sketched, and planned by the mind of the all-wise, all-knowing God. Because of that, not even Christ's death was exempt from it.
The God Who directs all the millions upon millions of angel hosts of heaven, and yet pays attention to one single sparrow on the immenseness of earth; the God Who created every single particle of the vastness of the universe, and yet pays attention to the very hairs of the head, the color of the eyes, and the individuality of each and every snowflake; the One Who decreed the greatest wonder of each and every one of the miracle of heaven and earth was not about to make a mistake in His generation of the greatest of the greatest wonder of the wonders of all of earth's miracles - the death of Christ!
No; through the blood-stained pages of Scripture, God Almighty “planned” the “Plan”; and the past, present, and the glorious future all the words concerning the pivotal point of it all – Cavalry!
God the Father planned and determined that Christ should be born of the Virgin Mary; He planned and determined that Christ should suffer and ultimately die an agonizing death under Governor Pontius Pilate; that He should descend into Hades to appear to all the Old Testament Believers in Paradise; that He should rise again in three days; that He should someday come again secretly to gather His Followers home and then come again publically to establish His long-awaited Kingdom; and that He should usher in eternity when He shall reign for ever at the right hand of the Majesty on high!
The death of Christ is the very center piece and main-spring by which God did fashion all His other decrees, making this the first and foundation-stone upon which the sacred architecture should be built.
Christ was put to death by the absolute foreknowledge and solemn decree of God the Father, and in this sense "it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief."
II. IT WAS IN GOD’S WILL.
Now, we come to a more difficult part to understand!
Jesus did not come into thus world on His own! No; He had been the constant companion of God the Father and God the Spirit from before all worlds, eternally delighting himself in his Father, and being himself his Father's eternal joy. But, “In the fullness of time” God sent His Son, His only-begotten Son, and freely delivered Him up for us all.
This simply cannot be understood by mankind. This was a matchless, peerless love that mankind cannot grasp – that the offended Judge should permit His co-equal Son to suffer the pains of death for the redemption of a rebellious people.
The Bible speaks of a bearded old patriarch, who took his young strapping strong young teen aged son to go on a trip - three days journey with their men; until they come to the Mountain, of which the LORD had spoken to the patriarch.
You know the patriarch; Abraham is a holy memory to both Christians and Jews, as well as Moslems. I don’t imagine the father spoke too much to the son; his heart was too full, too heavy for words; he was overwhelmed with grief. God had commanded him to take his son, his only son, and slay him upon the mountain as a sacrifice.
And so they walked together; one in anguish of soul who had heard the command and didn’t understand, and the other one who did not hear the command and maybe just beginning to understand. That son meant everything to that old father; and he knew that he was going to be his executioner. At the foothills, they told the servants to stay and they would go and worship – and return!
The son, Isaac finally asked, "Father, behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?" Can you conceive how the father, Abraham, stifled his emotions, and, with sobs, exclaimed, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb”. He was telling his son that God had demanded his life.
Isaac, who might have struggled and escaped from his old father, declared by his actions that he was willing to die, if God had decreed it. The father took his son, bound his hands behind his back, piled up the stones to make an altar, laid the wood, and had his fire ready. And now where is the artist that can depict the anguish of the father’s countenance, when the knife is unsheathed, and he holds it up, ready to slay his son?
The ram caught in the thicket supplies the substitute, and Abraham did not need to go any further physically; but we are told in Hebrews that in the Mind of God, Abraham DID go through with it:
(Hebrews 11:17-19) - By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Now skip from this scene to a far greater one. What faith and obedience led Abraham to do; love constrained God to do!
God had but one son, His Only Begotten Son; but He covenanted to yield Him up for our redemption. He did not violate His promise; and when the fullness of time was come, He sent His Son to be born of the Virgin Mary, for the express purpose that He might suffer and offer Himself as the Sacrificed for the sins of man.
Can you explain that kind of Love that He completed in reality what Abraham only did in intention? Look up here at the facsimile of the place where God’s only Son hung dead upon the cross! Here is love indeed; and here we see how it was, that it pleased the Father to bruise him.
III. IT WAS FOR GOD’S PLEASURE!
This is the most difficult of all to understand.
Down through the years, there have been martyrs in prison with chains on their wrists; under sentence that they will die tomorrow. Unbelievably, they think, “I shall eat breakfast alone down here in fiery tribulations, but have supper with Jesus in heaven”.
History has recorded that thousands of them died; and many of them singing while the flames leapt up or wild beasts leapt out to consume their physical bodies and they slipped into eternity. Hundreds may have been in the crowds watching and praying for them!
At Calvary, the Savior is going up the Via Dolorosa; weak from the beating; His soul sad within Him. He falls under the load; and they whip Him back to His feet. He is nailed to the tree with the sound of utter silence of singing. Just a few followers are there to comfort His mother.
When He spoke, it was not a song but a cry: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” The martyrs died and God was with them; but God was not with His Son when He died. You see, it was not pleasing to God that the martyrs die; but “it pleased God to bruise Him”.
The sunshine of God's countenance that has cheered many a dying saint, was withdrawn from Christ; and therefore he suffered in thick darkness of mental agony.
Underneath the church are the everlasting arms; but underneath Christ there were no arms at all, but his Father's hand pressed heavily against Him to bruise Him; and not one drop of joy or consolation was afforded to Him. "It pleased Jehovah to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief." This was the climax of the Savior’s woe, that His Father turned away from Him, and put Him to grief.
And that was all according to plan!
Now what are we going to do with that?
NOTE: I am grateful to Pastor Charles Spurgeon for many of the seed thoughts contained in this message.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
GENERAL STATEMENT TO ACCOMPANY BIBLE STUDIES
THIS STUDY IS THE RESULT OF 70 YEARS OF LIVING IN A CHRISTIAN HOME; 46 YEARS OF BIBLE STUDY; 45 YEARS OF BIBLE CLASS TEACHING; 42 YEARS IN THE PASTORATE; 5 YEARS IN SEMINARY/BIBLE COLLEGE; AND ATTENDANCE AT MISCELLANEOUS CONFERENCES, SEMINARS, AND CLASSES.
THANKS MUST GO OUT TO VARIOUS AUTHORS, WRITERS, EDITORS, PREACHERS, TEACHERS, AND LAY PEOPLE WHO HAVE INFLUENCED MY LIFE AND MINISTRY.
NO CLAIM IS EVER MADE TO ORIGINALITY; AS I HAVE GLEANED INFORMATION FROM ALL THE YEARS OF STUDY; AND TAKEN COPIOUS NOTES AS I READ THE BOOKS AND LISTENED TO GODLY MEN AND WOMEN WHICH THE LORD PLACED IN MY PATH.
THANKS MUST GO OUT TO VARIOUS AUTHORS, WRITERS, EDITORS, PREACHERS, TEACHERS, AND LAY PEOPLE WHO HAVE INFLUENCED MY LIFE AND MINISTRY.
NO CLAIM IS EVER MADE TO ORIGINALITY; AS I HAVE GLEANED INFORMATION FROM ALL THE YEARS OF STUDY; AND TAKEN COPIOUS NOTES AS I READ THE BOOKS AND LISTENED TO GODLY MEN AND WOMEN WHICH THE LORD PLACED IN MY PATH.
A STUDY OF FIRST KINGS, CONTINUED
REVIEW:
I. THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM SOLOMON TO REHOBOAM [1-11]
A. SOLOMON'S ASCENSION TO THE THRONE [1-2]
1. ADONIJAH'S ASPIRATION TO THE THRONE IS DEFEATED [1]
CURRENT LESSON:
2. LAST WORDS AND DEATH OF DAVID [2:1-11].
2:1] Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2:2] I go the way of all the earth: be you strong therefore, and show thyself a man;
2:3] And keep the charge of the LORD your 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 you may prosper in all that you do, and whithersoever you turn thyself:
This verse is very similar to the language of Psalms 119.
2:4] That the LORD may continue His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, If your 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 you (said He) a man on the throne of Israel.
These “days” may have been an extended period of months. The words do not necessarily refer to immediate death. David's charge to Solomon may be regarded as twofold:
(1) an exhortation to obey the law of Jehovah (3-4);
(2) an admonition to deal wisely with David's enemies and friends, according to their deserts (5-9).
2:5] Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
2:6] Do therefore according to your wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
David specifically instructed Solomon to eliminate his enemies: Joab and Shimei. Some critics had claimed these instructions to be “extremely cruel”. However, it should be noted that the inflicting of penalties upon them was not just because of David's personal desire for revenge. Joab, captain of the host, was guilty of a double murder — Abner (2 Sam 3:27) and Amasa, son of Jether (2 Sam 20:10). In fact, Joab had been correctly accused by David of committing acts of war in times of peace. He therefore must die at once; as illustrated by the picturesque figure of speech with the bloody girdle and shoes (5).
2:7] But show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at your table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom your brother.
The aged Barzillai had sustained David in his flight from his son Absalom (2 Sam 19:3Iff); without which, David might have succumbed to starvation in the wilderness.
2:8] And, behold, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.
During the rebellion of Absalom, Shimei came out to meet the fleeing King, cursing as he came and flinging dust and stones (an extreme insult) at David and his entourage (2 Sam 16:5-13). After the rebellion had been repressed, Shimei asked for pardon which David gave him as far as execution of punishment was concerned.
There are two views of David's charge to Solomon to “hold him (Shimei) not guiltless (innocent)” (verse 9):
(1) David actually feared that the curse he had pronounced might come true; and the best way to avoid it was to remove the one who had uttered it, and thus render it inoperative.
(2) Since Shimei was a Benjamite from the neighborhood of former King Saul, David feared that he might strike at the throne again, once his protective custody was withdrawn.
Before any actual penalty was imposed, Solomon gave Shimei a reprieve which was strongly conditioned on his “good behavior”.
2:9] Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for you are a wise man, and know what you ought to do unto him; but his hoar head bring you down to the grave with blood.
2:10] So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
The city which David (actually Joab) had wrested from the “Jebusites” and later claimed for his capital city became the burial ground for the great King. Though David was born in Bethlehem (also known in places as “The City of David” – remember the announcement of the birth of Jesus), Jerusalem henceforth was to be designated “The City of David”.
2:11] And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
There is no particular chronological problem involved here. David died at the age of seventy, having reigned forty years. He had reigned seven years over the Hebron area, a small southerly sector within the Tribe of Judah, and thirty-three years over the entire nation of Israel (c 1010—971 BC).
3. SOLOMON’S ELIMINATION OF HIS RIVALS TO THE THRONE (2:12-46).
2:12] Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.
2:13] And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-Sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest you peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
2:14] He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
2:15] And he said, you know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD.
This last statement clearly tells us that Adonijah knew that Solomon had been designated as the heir apparent. It could also be inferred that all the children knew of David’s decision – and that David had been led of God Himself in making it.
2:16] And now I ask one petition of you, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
2:17] And he said, Speak, I pray you, unto Solomon the King, (for he will not say you nay) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
He approached Solomon's mother with a seemingly harmless but really insidious request. He said, in effect, "Let Abishag be given to me." This young girl had been David’s private “hospice nurse” in his declining state. Bath-Sheba did not have God’s Leadership skills and could see nothing unusual or perverse in this request; but simply an "affair of the heart," and so she readily agreed to talk to the king.
2:18] And Bath-Sheba said, Well; I will speak for you unto the king.
2:19] Bath-Sheba therefore went unto King Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the King rose up to meet her, and bowed himself (“showed proper respect”) unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the King's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
She innocently became a go-between for Adonijah. With great courtesy the King received his mother . . . until she placed the request before him.
2:20] Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray you, say me not nay. And the King said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say you nay.
2:21] And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother to wife.
2:22] And King Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
Solomon’s language here is sarcasm; as he could see right through this plot. Even though David had not “known” Abishag sexually, she could have nevertheless been considered an inheritor. With her could go the rights to the throne. Having once failed in an abortive attempt to seize the kingdom, Adonijah now sought in a more subtle way to gain his objective.
This time he would not be pardoned. Adonijah had failed to appreciate the mercy that had been shown him; therefore relentless judgment fell.
It should be noted that this is before God’s “Gift of Wisdom” was granted to Solomon. He already was ahead of the game.
2:23] Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
2:24] Now therefore, as the LORD lives, which has established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
2:25] And King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he (Benaiah) fell upon him (Adonijah) that he died.
2:26] And unto Abiathar the priest said the King, Get you to Anathoth, unto your own fields; for you are worthy of death: but I will not at this time put you to death, because you bore the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because you have been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
Abiathar, a descendant of Aaron through Eli, was removed from his priestly office and sent back in disgrace to his home village. The reason for Abiathar's punishment, as stated by Solomon, was that he had participated in Adonijah's rebellion. Though expelled, he was not executed, because he had remained faithful to David in the rebellion of Absalom (2 Sam 15:24ff).
2:27] So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfill the word of the LORD, which He spoke concerning the House of Eli in Shiloh.
2:28] Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the Tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
Solomon now began to carry out the orders of his deceased father regarding his enemies. The Taber¬nacle was located at Gibeon (see 3:4), to which Joab had fled, knowing that his doom was sealed. However, not even the “sanctuary of the altar” could afford refuge for the willful murderer.
2:29] And it was told King Solomon that Joab was fled unto the Tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
2:30] And Benaiah came to the Tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus says the King, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the King word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.
2:31] And the King said unto him, Do as he has said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that you may take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
2:32] And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
2:33] Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed (his family) forever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.
The King was giving concrete evidence as to the justice of the sentence. The words of the “benediction” imply that once bloodguilt was removed from the throne, it would then stand in a position of blessing before God. After the execution had taken place, Joab was interred in his own house. The old general was not dishonored after all. To be buried on one’s own property was a mark of distinction as in the case of Samuel.
2:34] So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
2:35] And the King put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room (Joab’s position) over the host: and Zadok the priest did the King put in the room (place or position) of Abiathar.
After the replacement of Joab by Benaiah, Zadok succeeded Abiathar.
Zadok’s appointment is going to give a lot of problems because of political and parliamentery maneuvering by the state from that time forward.
The next problem for Solomon was to deal with Shimei.
2:36] And the King sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build you a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.
2:37] For it shall be, that on the day you go out, and pass over the brook Kidron, you shall know for certain that you shall surely die: your blood shall be upon your own head.
The Kidron Valley divided Benjamin from Judah; and since Shemai was from Benjamin, this order forbade him to return to his own tribe. He was obviously placed under strict surveillance.
2:38] And Shimei said unto the King, The saying is good: as my lord the King has said, so will your servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
2:39] And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah King of Gath (in Philistine country). And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, your servants be in Gath.
2:40] And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
He did this while clearly remembering the restriction to not leave town.
2:41] And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.
2:42] And the King sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make you to swear by the LORD, and protested unto you, saying, Know for a certain, on the day you go out, and walk abroad any whither, that you shall surely die? And you said unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
2:43] Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged you with?
2:44] The King said moreover to Shimei, you know all the wickedness which your heart is privy to, that you did to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return your wickedness upon your own head;
Whether or not the use of the death penalty was justified is something for seminarians to get bent all out of shape over; but clearly, Solomon read into Shemei’s actions a very serious motive, and punished him with death. Solomon had now completed everything David had charged him to do.
2:45] And King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever.
He is congratulating himself here; and saying that the curse placed on David (and his family) would now be removed with Shemei’s death.
2:46] So the King commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him (Shemei), that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
It would have been better for Solomon if he had been as zealous in obeying the commands of God as he was in obeying the commands of David.
I. THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM SOLOMON TO REHOBOAM [1-11]
A. SOLOMON'S ASCENSION TO THE THRONE [1-2]
1. ADONIJAH'S ASPIRATION TO THE THRONE IS DEFEATED [1]
CURRENT LESSON:
2. LAST WORDS AND DEATH OF DAVID [2:1-11].
2:1] Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2:2] I go the way of all the earth: be you strong therefore, and show thyself a man;
2:3] And keep the charge of the LORD your 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 you may prosper in all that you do, and whithersoever you turn thyself:
This verse is very similar to the language of Psalms 119.
2:4] That the LORD may continue His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, If your 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 you (said He) a man on the throne of Israel.
These “days” may have been an extended period of months. The words do not necessarily refer to immediate death. David's charge to Solomon may be regarded as twofold:
(1) an exhortation to obey the law of Jehovah (3-4);
(2) an admonition to deal wisely with David's enemies and friends, according to their deserts (5-9).
2:5] Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
2:6] Do therefore according to your wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
David specifically instructed Solomon to eliminate his enemies: Joab and Shimei. Some critics had claimed these instructions to be “extremely cruel”. However, it should be noted that the inflicting of penalties upon them was not just because of David's personal desire for revenge. Joab, captain of the host, was guilty of a double murder — Abner (2 Sam 3:27) and Amasa, son of Jether (2 Sam 20:10). In fact, Joab had been correctly accused by David of committing acts of war in times of peace. He therefore must die at once; as illustrated by the picturesque figure of speech with the bloody girdle and shoes (5).
2:7] But show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at your table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom your brother.
The aged Barzillai had sustained David in his flight from his son Absalom (2 Sam 19:3Iff); without which, David might have succumbed to starvation in the wilderness.
2:8] And, behold, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.
During the rebellion of Absalom, Shimei came out to meet the fleeing King, cursing as he came and flinging dust and stones (an extreme insult) at David and his entourage (2 Sam 16:5-13). After the rebellion had been repressed, Shimei asked for pardon which David gave him as far as execution of punishment was concerned.
There are two views of David's charge to Solomon to “hold him (Shimei) not guiltless (innocent)” (verse 9):
(1) David actually feared that the curse he had pronounced might come true; and the best way to avoid it was to remove the one who had uttered it, and thus render it inoperative.
(2) Since Shimei was a Benjamite from the neighborhood of former King Saul, David feared that he might strike at the throne again, once his protective custody was withdrawn.
Before any actual penalty was imposed, Solomon gave Shimei a reprieve which was strongly conditioned on his “good behavior”.
2:9] Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for you are a wise man, and know what you ought to do unto him; but his hoar head bring you down to the grave with blood.
2:10] So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
The city which David (actually Joab) had wrested from the “Jebusites” and later claimed for his capital city became the burial ground for the great King. Though David was born in Bethlehem (also known in places as “The City of David” – remember the announcement of the birth of Jesus), Jerusalem henceforth was to be designated “The City of David”.
2:11] And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
There is no particular chronological problem involved here. David died at the age of seventy, having reigned forty years. He had reigned seven years over the Hebron area, a small southerly sector within the Tribe of Judah, and thirty-three years over the entire nation of Israel (c 1010—971 BC).
3. SOLOMON’S ELIMINATION OF HIS RIVALS TO THE THRONE (2:12-46).
2:12] Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.
2:13] And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-Sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest you peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
2:14] He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
2:15] And he said, you know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD.
This last statement clearly tells us that Adonijah knew that Solomon had been designated as the heir apparent. It could also be inferred that all the children knew of David’s decision – and that David had been led of God Himself in making it.
2:16] And now I ask one petition of you, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
2:17] And he said, Speak, I pray you, unto Solomon the King, (for he will not say you nay) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
He approached Solomon's mother with a seemingly harmless but really insidious request. He said, in effect, "Let Abishag be given to me." This young girl had been David’s private “hospice nurse” in his declining state. Bath-Sheba did not have God’s Leadership skills and could see nothing unusual or perverse in this request; but simply an "affair of the heart," and so she readily agreed to talk to the king.
2:18] And Bath-Sheba said, Well; I will speak for you unto the king.
2:19] Bath-Sheba therefore went unto King Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the King rose up to meet her, and bowed himself (“showed proper respect”) unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the King's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
She innocently became a go-between for Adonijah. With great courtesy the King received his mother . . . until she placed the request before him.
2:20] Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray you, say me not nay. And the King said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say you nay.
2:21] And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother to wife.
2:22] And King Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
Solomon’s language here is sarcasm; as he could see right through this plot. Even though David had not “known” Abishag sexually, she could have nevertheless been considered an inheritor. With her could go the rights to the throne. Having once failed in an abortive attempt to seize the kingdom, Adonijah now sought in a more subtle way to gain his objective.
This time he would not be pardoned. Adonijah had failed to appreciate the mercy that had been shown him; therefore relentless judgment fell.
It should be noted that this is before God’s “Gift of Wisdom” was granted to Solomon. He already was ahead of the game.
2:23] Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
2:24] Now therefore, as the LORD lives, which has established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
2:25] And King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he (Benaiah) fell upon him (Adonijah) that he died.
2:26] And unto Abiathar the priest said the King, Get you to Anathoth, unto your own fields; for you are worthy of death: but I will not at this time put you to death, because you bore the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because you have been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
Abiathar, a descendant of Aaron through Eli, was removed from his priestly office and sent back in disgrace to his home village. The reason for Abiathar's punishment, as stated by Solomon, was that he had participated in Adonijah's rebellion. Though expelled, he was not executed, because he had remained faithful to David in the rebellion of Absalom (2 Sam 15:24ff).
2:27] So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfill the word of the LORD, which He spoke concerning the House of Eli in Shiloh.
2:28] Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the Tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
Solomon now began to carry out the orders of his deceased father regarding his enemies. The Taber¬nacle was located at Gibeon (see 3:4), to which Joab had fled, knowing that his doom was sealed. However, not even the “sanctuary of the altar” could afford refuge for the willful murderer.
2:29] And it was told King Solomon that Joab was fled unto the Tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
2:30] And Benaiah came to the Tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus says the King, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the King word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.
2:31] And the King said unto him, Do as he has said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that you may take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
2:32] And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
2:33] Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed (his family) forever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.
The King was giving concrete evidence as to the justice of the sentence. The words of the “benediction” imply that once bloodguilt was removed from the throne, it would then stand in a position of blessing before God. After the execution had taken place, Joab was interred in his own house. The old general was not dishonored after all. To be buried on one’s own property was a mark of distinction as in the case of Samuel.
2:34] So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
2:35] And the King put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room (Joab’s position) over the host: and Zadok the priest did the King put in the room (place or position) of Abiathar.
After the replacement of Joab by Benaiah, Zadok succeeded Abiathar.
Zadok’s appointment is going to give a lot of problems because of political and parliamentery maneuvering by the state from that time forward.
The next problem for Solomon was to deal with Shimei.
2:36] And the King sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build you a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.
2:37] For it shall be, that on the day you go out, and pass over the brook Kidron, you shall know for certain that you shall surely die: your blood shall be upon your own head.
The Kidron Valley divided Benjamin from Judah; and since Shemai was from Benjamin, this order forbade him to return to his own tribe. He was obviously placed under strict surveillance.
2:38] And Shimei said unto the King, The saying is good: as my lord the King has said, so will your servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
2:39] And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah King of Gath (in Philistine country). And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, your servants be in Gath.
2:40] And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
He did this while clearly remembering the restriction to not leave town.
2:41] And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.
2:42] And the King sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make you to swear by the LORD, and protested unto you, saying, Know for a certain, on the day you go out, and walk abroad any whither, that you shall surely die? And you said unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
2:43] Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged you with?
2:44] The King said moreover to Shimei, you know all the wickedness which your heart is privy to, that you did to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return your wickedness upon your own head;
Whether or not the use of the death penalty was justified is something for seminarians to get bent all out of shape over; but clearly, Solomon read into Shemei’s actions a very serious motive, and punished him with death. Solomon had now completed everything David had charged him to do.
2:45] And King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever.
He is congratulating himself here; and saying that the curse placed on David (and his family) would now be removed with Shemei’s death.
2:46] So the King commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him (Shemei), that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
It would have been better for Solomon if he had been as zealous in obeying the commands of God as he was in obeying the commands of David.
A STUDY OF FIRST KINGS
FIRST KINGS - INTRODUCTION AND CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION FROM WYCLIFFE COMMENTARY
The Books now known as First and Second Kings were so named from their contents. In the Septuagint (LXX) the “Book of Kings” is regarded as a continuation of the material in the “Book of Samuel”.
The two Books obviously form one whole, covering Israel's history from the monarchy under Solomon to the nation's dissolution under Zedekiah. They deal with the fortunes of the nation of Israel in their relationship with the Lord; and point out the sins of the Kings who broke the covenant and brought about the dispersion of Israel and Judah.
2 Kings closes with the release of Jehoiachin from prison in the thirty-seventh year of his imprisonment (about 562/561 BC); therefore, the Book was probably not completed before that date. It also was not completed later than 536 BC since it says nothing about the return from the Babylonian captivity. The Book was probably written by an Israeli in captivity; and since it is one unit and not the product of several writers over several years, it is to be dated in the period about 562—536 BC.
The writer states plainly that he had sources for his history:
(1) Acts of Solomon (1 Kgs 11:41);
(2) The chronicles of the kings of Judah (e.g., I Kgs 14:29) and
(3) The chronicles of the kings of Israel (e.g., I Kgs 14:19).
The various writings that deal with the history of the kings of Judah are never mixed with those for the history of the kings of Israel; and therefore it is easy to see that each of them was a separate, distinct document. The citations from these works show that they contained much more material than is given in The Books of 1 and 2 Kings.
Specific authors of the firsthand sources are cited for us in the parallel Book of “Chronicles”: Nathan the prophet, Ahijah the Shilonite, and Iddo (2 Chr 9:29); Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer (2 Chr 12:15); Iddo the prophet (2 Chr 13:22); Isaiah the prophet (2 Chr 26:22; 32:32); Jehu (1 Kgs 16:1). These sources are very pointed and blunt, giving us a forthright record of the deeds of the kings. No “official” royal historian would have dared to publish such incriminating facts about David or Jeroboam I as are here given.
The writer was concerned with David’s Monarchy in Judah, but had to deal with the Kingdom in Israel as well. While the people knew the prophetical sources of this history, the sources were too voluminous and cumbersome to display easily; so this Book was written to compile these sources.
The writer skillfully develops the history of Israel in respect to the Covenant of Jehovah (Ex 19:3-6). They were to have no gods but the Lord (Ex 20:2-6); and so idolatry and image worship are regarded in these Books as the worst of all sins, which since they were continued and repeated, brought about Israel's deportation.
The writer holds up the history of Israel and Judah before the captives to teach them that the only way to freedom is to repent of idolatry, return to God, keep the covenant, and trust in His divine promises. He seeks to teach them the truth of God’s Plan for them and to strengthen them in this conviction.
The prophets were God's messengers to remind the people of their relationship with God. It was their mission to seek by means of warnings, threats, and promises for the people to live by that divine relationship (Jer 7:13) (11:1-8). In these books, the kings are pronounced as good or bad as they adhered to or departed from that covenant relationship with God.
The Israelites were the first people of history to develop and maintain a true recorded history. Other nations (Assyria, Babylon, Egypt) all had a hodge-podge of historical documents of dates and figures; but only Israel actually wrote these events down as “one history”.
In David’s day, Egypt and Assyria had weakened; but as king after king assumed power and died, Assyria began to re-awaken under King Tiglath-Pileser III. In 721 BC, Samaria fell and Judah was invaded; but Jerusalem was never completely defeated by these attacks.
In King Josiah’s time, Egypt and Assyria were defeated by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who promptly invaded Judah on three occasions, with the third one coming in 586 BC.
A BRIEF OUTLINE FROM WYCLIFFE COMMENTARY
I. THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM SOLOMON TO REHOBOAM (1:1-11:43)
A. SOLOMON’S ASCENSION TO THE THRONE (1:1-2:46)
B. THE WISDOM AND WELATH OF SOLOMON (3:1-4:34)
C. SOLOMON’S BUILDING ACTIVITIES (5:1-9:28)
D. SOLOMON’S GOLDEN AGE (10:1-29)
E. SOLOMON’S APOSTASY, DECLINE, AND DEATH (11:1-43)
II. THE DIVIDED KINGDOM FROM REHOBOAM TO THE FALL OF ISRAEL (12:1-22:53)
A. EARLY ANTAGONISM BETWEEN ISRAEL AND JUDAH (JEREBOAM TO OMRI) (12:1-16:28).
B. FROM AHAB TO JORAM (16:29-22:53)
I. THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM SOLOMON TO REHOBOAM [1:1-11:43]
A. SOLOMON’S ASCENSION TO THE THRONE [1:1-2:46].
1. ADONIJAH’S ASPIRATION TO THE THRONE IS DEFEATED [1:1-53].
1:1] Now King David was old (70 years old – 2 Sam 5:4) and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes (“bed clothes”), but he got no heat.
The final blow to David had been Absalom’s rebellion.
1:2] Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the King a young virgin: and let her stand before the King, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the King may get heat.
This was “acceptable” as a medical practice even as late as the Middle Ages. Nothing immoral should be inferred or imagined in that admittedly bizarre and unusual practice.
1:3] So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite (of the Tribe of Issachar, in the Plains of Jezreel), and brought her to the king.
1:4] And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the King, and ministered to him: but the King knew her not (“did not have sexual relations with her”).
She is somewhat similar to a private practical or “hospice” nurse to the dying man. It is strictly professional!
1:5] Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
Adonijah was David’s fourth son; his mother was Haggith. He was at that time the eldest living son.
But God had already chosen Solomon of Bath-Sheba; and David had agreed.
DAVID’S FAMILY IN HEBRON:
(Wives in lower case type; Children in upper case type)
Ahinoam - AMNONM
Abigale - CHILIAB
Maacha - ABSALOM
Haggith - ADONIJAH
Abital - SHEPHATIAH
Eglah - ITHREAM
Michal - NO NATURAL CHILDREN WITH DAVID.
DAVID'S FAMILY IN JERUSALEM
(Wives in lower case type; Children in upper case type)
? - SHAMMUAH
? - SHOBAB
? - NATHAN
Bath-Sheba - SOLOMON
? - IBHAIR
? - ELISHUA
? - NAPHEG
? - JAPHIA
? - NOGAH
? - ELISHAMA
? - ELIADA
? - ELIPHALET
? - ELPHALET
1:6] And his (Adonijah) father (David) had not displeased (“corrected or parented”) him at any time in saying (by saying), “Why have you done so?” And he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bore (“had born”) him after Absalom.
Since he was “4th” in line after Absalom (the 3rd in line of succession) and the first three children were dead; he was actually next in line to be the king. This, of course, assumed that the line was not rearranged by The Lord (which it was).
1:7] And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah, helped him.
Zeruiah was David’s sister; and her children had been Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Joab was apparently living in Bethlehem. He had proven himself as David’s commander in chief; but he was cruel and treacherous. He had captured the fortress of “Jebus” (which was expanded and is known today as Jerusalem) and besieged Rabbah; but had needlessly shed the blood of Abner and Amasa. Later, Solomon will command Benaiah to execute him. At his own request, Joab was killed beside the Altar in the Tabernacle, where he had taken refuge.
Abiathar was the only Priest who had escaped the brutal vengeance which Saul took on the priests at Nob because they gave aid and comfort to David. After he fled to David, he became his chief advisor and friend. Up to this point, he had remained true to David and Solomon; but now he had joined in the conspiracy of Adonijah against King Solomon. He was subsequently excommunicated from the priesthood; but he was not executed, as he deserved.
1:8] But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
Zadok had joined David immediately after Saul’s death and accompanied him as he fled from Jerusalem and the rebellion of Prince Absalom. He has also been David’s “double agent”.
Nathan the prophet is not to be confused with one of the sons of David by the same name.
1:9] And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-Rogel, and called all his brethren, the King's sons; and all the men of Judah the king's servants:
He threw this feast for selected people who could help him gain the throne. The “stone of Zoheleth” was an outcropping on the southern slope of the Hinnom Valley. It was very large and cast a big shadow.
1:10] But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
Benaiah was the son of Jehoida (the high priest). He was the chief of police under David and was entirely loyal to him. It is easy to understand why Solomon was not summoned.
1:11] Wherefore Nathan spoke unto Bath-Sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith (one of David’s wives) does reign, and David our lord (“master”) knows it not?
Nathan had first appeared to tell David that he must defer building the Temple. Later, he reproved the King for his sin of murder and adultery. He now warns the new King’s people of the plot to overthrow him.
1:12] Now therefore come, let me, I pray you, give you counsel, that you may save your own life, and the life of your son Solomon.
1:13] Go and get you in unto King David, and say unto him, Did not you, my lord, O King, swear unto your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign?
1:14] Behold, while you yet talk there with the King, I also will come in after you, and confirm your words.
This was to give assurances that she was not overreacting.
1:15] And Bath-Sheba went in unto the King into the chamber: and the King was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.
1:16] And Bath-Sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the King. And the King said, What would you?
1:17] And she said unto him, My lord, you swore by the LORD your God unto your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
1:18] And now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and now, my lord the King, you know it not:
1:19] And he has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the King, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon your servant has he not called.
1:20] And you, my lord, O King, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the King after him.
She appealed to David to make a forthright and immediate declaration.
1:21] Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the King shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.
1:22] And, lo, while she yet talked with the King, Nathan the prophet also came in.
1:23] And they told the King, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the King, he bowed himself before the King with his face to the ground.
True to his promise, Nathan appeared to support what Bath-Sheba had told David, which otherwise might have appeared to the monarch as an exaggerated report. He repeated substantially the same story that David had just learned from Bath-Sheba's lips.
1:24] And Nathan said, My lord, O King, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
1:25] For he is gone down this day, and has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save King Adonijah.
1:26] But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, has he not called.
1:27] Is this thing done by my lord the King, and you have not showed it unto your servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the King after him?
1:28] Then King David answered and said, Call me Bath-Sheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.
In Oriental fashion Bath-Sheba had discreetly withdrawn when Nathan entered, but now she was recalled to hear the King make his official pronouncement.
1:29] And the King swore, and said, As the LORD lives, that has redeemed my soul out of all distress,
This oath removed all further debate.
1:30] Even as I swore unto you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.
1:31] Then Bath-Sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the King, and said, Let my lord King David live forever.
She conveyed her gratitude for his assurance that her son would reign.
1:32] And King David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.
1:33] The King also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:
This command to Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah spelled the collapse of Adonijah's plot, for the coronation of the rebel's half brother Solomon was about to begin. The King gave specific instructions for the ceremony of crowning. David's own royal mule was to be used to signify that Solomon was the King's chosen one.
1:34] And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there King over Israel: and blow the trumpet, and say, God save King Solomon (“Long live King Solomon”).
Both King and Priest in Israel were inducted into office through the rite of anointing, in distinction to the prophet, who held a non-anointed office. The blast of the trumpets was to announce to the people that Solomon had now legally taken the throne of his father David, even before David’s death.
1:35] Then you shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be King in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
1:36] And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the King, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the King say so too.
Benaiah gave his acquiescence and his promise of obedience to all that David had stated in relation to the crowning of Solomon.
1:37] As the LORD has been with my lord the King, even so be He with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.
1:38] So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.
The Cherethites and Pelethites were the royal bodyguards; and they carried out the instructions of the King in detail. Gihon, situated in the Kidron Valley just below the eastern hill (Ophel), was a spring which was at that time Jerusalem's chief source of water.
1:39] And Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the Tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save King Solomon.
Zadok, the custodian of the sacred Tent, went to it to get the visible symbol of God's invisible anointing (cf. II Sam 6:17).
1:40] And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.
With a new and promising King on the throne, a new and promising era stretched out before Israel. Behind lay memories of great conquests under David; ahead lay a future of peace and expansion.
1:41] And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?
1:42] And while he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for you are a valiant man, and bring good tidings.
1:43] And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord King David has made Solomon king.
1:44] And the King has sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule:
1:45] And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him King in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that you have heard.
1:46] And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.
1:47] And moreover the King's servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne. And the King bowed himself upon the bed.
1:48] And also thus said the King, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which has given one to sit on my throne this day, my eyes even seeing it.
These verses relate the collapse of Adonijah's conspiracy to seize the throne.
1:49] And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.
They feared, with good reason, that they would be regarded as traitors against the state, and be summarily dealt with.
1:50] And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
Forsaken and deserted by those who called themselves his friends, Adonijah fled in very terror of his life to seek asylum in the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle.
1:51] And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon: for, lo, he has caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
In Oriental practice, an insurgent like Adonijah would have been severely punished, if not put to death. However, Solomon dealt mercifully with him, remitting the death penalty and placing him under watchful observation, thus setting the pattern for his magnanimous rule. Not until Adonijah committed another act of treason was his judgment pronounced.
1:52] And Solomon said, If he will show himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness (“another wickedness”) shall be found in him, he shall die.
1:53] So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to King Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to your house.
Solomon respected the sanctuary of the altar. Only one who was proved to be a murderer was to be removed from the altar without mercy. Adonijah professed to submit to Solomon and obey his rule. Had his submission been genuine, his subsequent life would have been more peaceful and his story far happier.
NOTE FROM BROTHER TOM MOOTY:
THIS STUDY IS THE RESULT OF 70 YEARS OF LIVING IN A CHRISTIAN HOME; 46 YEARS OF BIBLE STUDY; 45 YEARS OF BIBLE CLASS TEACHING; 42 YEARS IN THE PASTORATE; 5 YEARS IN SEMINARY/BIBLE COLLEGE; AND ATTENDANCE IN MISCELLANEOUS SEMINARS, CONFERENCES, AND CLASSES.
THANKS MUST OUT TO VARIOUS AUTHORS, WRITERS, EDITORS, PREACHERS, TEACHERS, AND LAY PEOPLE WHO HAVE INFLUENCED MY LIFE AND MINISTRY.
NO CLAIM IS EVER MADE TO ORIGINALITY; AS I HAVE GLEANED INFORMATION FROM ALL THE YEARS OF STUDY; AND TAKEN COPIOUS NOTES AS I READ THE BOOKS AND LISTED TO GODLY MEN AND WOMEN WHICH THE LORD PLACED IN MY PATH.
INTRODUCTION FROM WYCLIFFE COMMENTARY
The Books now known as First and Second Kings were so named from their contents. In the Septuagint (LXX) the “Book of Kings” is regarded as a continuation of the material in the “Book of Samuel”.
The two Books obviously form one whole, covering Israel's history from the monarchy under Solomon to the nation's dissolution under Zedekiah. They deal with the fortunes of the nation of Israel in their relationship with the Lord; and point out the sins of the Kings who broke the covenant and brought about the dispersion of Israel and Judah.
2 Kings closes with the release of Jehoiachin from prison in the thirty-seventh year of his imprisonment (about 562/561 BC); therefore, the Book was probably not completed before that date. It also was not completed later than 536 BC since it says nothing about the return from the Babylonian captivity. The Book was probably written by an Israeli in captivity; and since it is one unit and not the product of several writers over several years, it is to be dated in the period about 562—536 BC.
The writer states plainly that he had sources for his history:
(1) Acts of Solomon (1 Kgs 11:41);
(2) The chronicles of the kings of Judah (e.g., I Kgs 14:29) and
(3) The chronicles of the kings of Israel (e.g., I Kgs 14:19).
The various writings that deal with the history of the kings of Judah are never mixed with those for the history of the kings of Israel; and therefore it is easy to see that each of them was a separate, distinct document. The citations from these works show that they contained much more material than is given in The Books of 1 and 2 Kings.
Specific authors of the firsthand sources are cited for us in the parallel Book of “Chronicles”: Nathan the prophet, Ahijah the Shilonite, and Iddo (2 Chr 9:29); Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer (2 Chr 12:15); Iddo the prophet (2 Chr 13:22); Isaiah the prophet (2 Chr 26:22; 32:32); Jehu (1 Kgs 16:1). These sources are very pointed and blunt, giving us a forthright record of the deeds of the kings. No “official” royal historian would have dared to publish such incriminating facts about David or Jeroboam I as are here given.
The writer was concerned with David’s Monarchy in Judah, but had to deal with the Kingdom in Israel as well. While the people knew the prophetical sources of this history, the sources were too voluminous and cumbersome to display easily; so this Book was written to compile these sources.
The writer skillfully develops the history of Israel in respect to the Covenant of Jehovah (Ex 19:3-6). They were to have no gods but the Lord (Ex 20:2-6); and so idolatry and image worship are regarded in these Books as the worst of all sins, which since they were continued and repeated, brought about Israel's deportation.
The writer holds up the history of Israel and Judah before the captives to teach them that the only way to freedom is to repent of idolatry, return to God, keep the covenant, and trust in His divine promises. He seeks to teach them the truth of God’s Plan for them and to strengthen them in this conviction.
The prophets were God's messengers to remind the people of their relationship with God. It was their mission to seek by means of warnings, threats, and promises for the people to live by that divine relationship (Jer 7:13) (11:1-8). In these books, the kings are pronounced as good or bad as they adhered to or departed from that covenant relationship with God.
The Israelites were the first people of history to develop and maintain a true recorded history. Other nations (Assyria, Babylon, Egypt) all had a hodge-podge of historical documents of dates and figures; but only Israel actually wrote these events down as “one history”.
In David’s day, Egypt and Assyria had weakened; but as king after king assumed power and died, Assyria began to re-awaken under King Tiglath-Pileser III. In 721 BC, Samaria fell and Judah was invaded; but Jerusalem was never completely defeated by these attacks.
In King Josiah’s time, Egypt and Assyria were defeated by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who promptly invaded Judah on three occasions, with the third one coming in 586 BC.
A BRIEF OUTLINE FROM WYCLIFFE COMMENTARY
I. THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM SOLOMON TO REHOBOAM (1:1-11:43)
A. SOLOMON’S ASCENSION TO THE THRONE (1:1-2:46)
B. THE WISDOM AND WELATH OF SOLOMON (3:1-4:34)
C. SOLOMON’S BUILDING ACTIVITIES (5:1-9:28)
D. SOLOMON’S GOLDEN AGE (10:1-29)
E. SOLOMON’S APOSTASY, DECLINE, AND DEATH (11:1-43)
II. THE DIVIDED KINGDOM FROM REHOBOAM TO THE FALL OF ISRAEL (12:1-22:53)
A. EARLY ANTAGONISM BETWEEN ISRAEL AND JUDAH (JEREBOAM TO OMRI) (12:1-16:28).
B. FROM AHAB TO JORAM (16:29-22:53)
I. THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM SOLOMON TO REHOBOAM [1:1-11:43]
A. SOLOMON’S ASCENSION TO THE THRONE [1:1-2:46].
1. ADONIJAH’S ASPIRATION TO THE THRONE IS DEFEATED [1:1-53].
1:1] Now King David was old (70 years old – 2 Sam 5:4) and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes (“bed clothes”), but he got no heat.
The final blow to David had been Absalom’s rebellion.
1:2] Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the King a young virgin: and let her stand before the King, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the King may get heat.
This was “acceptable” as a medical practice even as late as the Middle Ages. Nothing immoral should be inferred or imagined in that admittedly bizarre and unusual practice.
1:3] So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite (of the Tribe of Issachar, in the Plains of Jezreel), and brought her to the king.
1:4] And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the King, and ministered to him: but the King knew her not (“did not have sexual relations with her”).
She is somewhat similar to a private practical or “hospice” nurse to the dying man. It is strictly professional!
1:5] Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
Adonijah was David’s fourth son; his mother was Haggith. He was at that time the eldest living son.
But God had already chosen Solomon of Bath-Sheba; and David had agreed.
DAVID’S FAMILY IN HEBRON:
(Wives in lower case type; Children in upper case type)
Ahinoam - AMNONM
Abigale - CHILIAB
Maacha - ABSALOM
Haggith - ADONIJAH
Abital - SHEPHATIAH
Eglah - ITHREAM
Michal - NO NATURAL CHILDREN WITH DAVID.
DAVID'S FAMILY IN JERUSALEM
(Wives in lower case type; Children in upper case type)
? - SHAMMUAH
? - SHOBAB
? - NATHAN
Bath-Sheba - SOLOMON
? - IBHAIR
? - ELISHUA
? - NAPHEG
? - JAPHIA
? - NOGAH
? - ELISHAMA
? - ELIADA
? - ELIPHALET
? - ELPHALET
1:6] And his (Adonijah) father (David) had not displeased (“corrected or parented”) him at any time in saying (by saying), “Why have you done so?” And he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bore (“had born”) him after Absalom.
Since he was “4th” in line after Absalom (the 3rd in line of succession) and the first three children were dead; he was actually next in line to be the king. This, of course, assumed that the line was not rearranged by The Lord (which it was).
1:7] And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah, helped him.
Zeruiah was David’s sister; and her children had been Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Joab was apparently living in Bethlehem. He had proven himself as David’s commander in chief; but he was cruel and treacherous. He had captured the fortress of “Jebus” (which was expanded and is known today as Jerusalem) and besieged Rabbah; but had needlessly shed the blood of Abner and Amasa. Later, Solomon will command Benaiah to execute him. At his own request, Joab was killed beside the Altar in the Tabernacle, where he had taken refuge.
Abiathar was the only Priest who had escaped the brutal vengeance which Saul took on the priests at Nob because they gave aid and comfort to David. After he fled to David, he became his chief advisor and friend. Up to this point, he had remained true to David and Solomon; but now he had joined in the conspiracy of Adonijah against King Solomon. He was subsequently excommunicated from the priesthood; but he was not executed, as he deserved.
1:8] But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
Zadok had joined David immediately after Saul’s death and accompanied him as he fled from Jerusalem and the rebellion of Prince Absalom. He has also been David’s “double agent”.
Nathan the prophet is not to be confused with one of the sons of David by the same name.
1:9] And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-Rogel, and called all his brethren, the King's sons; and all the men of Judah the king's servants:
He threw this feast for selected people who could help him gain the throne. The “stone of Zoheleth” was an outcropping on the southern slope of the Hinnom Valley. It was very large and cast a big shadow.
1:10] But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
Benaiah was the son of Jehoida (the high priest). He was the chief of police under David and was entirely loyal to him. It is easy to understand why Solomon was not summoned.
1:11] Wherefore Nathan spoke unto Bath-Sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith (one of David’s wives) does reign, and David our lord (“master”) knows it not?
Nathan had first appeared to tell David that he must defer building the Temple. Later, he reproved the King for his sin of murder and adultery. He now warns the new King’s people of the plot to overthrow him.
1:12] Now therefore come, let me, I pray you, give you counsel, that you may save your own life, and the life of your son Solomon.
1:13] Go and get you in unto King David, and say unto him, Did not you, my lord, O King, swear unto your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign?
1:14] Behold, while you yet talk there with the King, I also will come in after you, and confirm your words.
This was to give assurances that she was not overreacting.
1:15] And Bath-Sheba went in unto the King into the chamber: and the King was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.
1:16] And Bath-Sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the King. And the King said, What would you?
1:17] And she said unto him, My lord, you swore by the LORD your God unto your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
1:18] And now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and now, my lord the King, you know it not:
1:19] And he has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the King, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon your servant has he not called.
1:20] And you, my lord, O King, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the King after him.
She appealed to David to make a forthright and immediate declaration.
1:21] Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the King shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.
1:22] And, lo, while she yet talked with the King, Nathan the prophet also came in.
1:23] And they told the King, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the King, he bowed himself before the King with his face to the ground.
True to his promise, Nathan appeared to support what Bath-Sheba had told David, which otherwise might have appeared to the monarch as an exaggerated report. He repeated substantially the same story that David had just learned from Bath-Sheba's lips.
1:24] And Nathan said, My lord, O King, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
1:25] For he is gone down this day, and has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save King Adonijah.
1:26] But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, has he not called.
1:27] Is this thing done by my lord the King, and you have not showed it unto your servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the King after him?
1:28] Then King David answered and said, Call me Bath-Sheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.
In Oriental fashion Bath-Sheba had discreetly withdrawn when Nathan entered, but now she was recalled to hear the King make his official pronouncement.
1:29] And the King swore, and said, As the LORD lives, that has redeemed my soul out of all distress,
This oath removed all further debate.
1:30] Even as I swore unto you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.
1:31] Then Bath-Sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the King, and said, Let my lord King David live forever.
She conveyed her gratitude for his assurance that her son would reign.
1:32] And King David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.
1:33] The King also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:
This command to Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah spelled the collapse of Adonijah's plot, for the coronation of the rebel's half brother Solomon was about to begin. The King gave specific instructions for the ceremony of crowning. David's own royal mule was to be used to signify that Solomon was the King's chosen one.
1:34] And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there King over Israel: and blow the trumpet, and say, God save King Solomon (“Long live King Solomon”).
Both King and Priest in Israel were inducted into office through the rite of anointing, in distinction to the prophet, who held a non-anointed office. The blast of the trumpets was to announce to the people that Solomon had now legally taken the throne of his father David, even before David’s death.
1:35] Then you shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be King in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
1:36] And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the King, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the King say so too.
Benaiah gave his acquiescence and his promise of obedience to all that David had stated in relation to the crowning of Solomon.
1:37] As the LORD has been with my lord the King, even so be He with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.
1:38] So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.
The Cherethites and Pelethites were the royal bodyguards; and they carried out the instructions of the King in detail. Gihon, situated in the Kidron Valley just below the eastern hill (Ophel), was a spring which was at that time Jerusalem's chief source of water.
1:39] And Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the Tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save King Solomon.
Zadok, the custodian of the sacred Tent, went to it to get the visible symbol of God's invisible anointing (cf. II Sam 6:17).
1:40] And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.
With a new and promising King on the throne, a new and promising era stretched out before Israel. Behind lay memories of great conquests under David; ahead lay a future of peace and expansion.
1:41] And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?
1:42] And while he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for you are a valiant man, and bring good tidings.
1:43] And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord King David has made Solomon king.
1:44] And the King has sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule:
1:45] And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him King in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that you have heard.
1:46] And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.
1:47] And moreover the King's servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne. And the King bowed himself upon the bed.
1:48] And also thus said the King, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which has given one to sit on my throne this day, my eyes even seeing it.
These verses relate the collapse of Adonijah's conspiracy to seize the throne.
1:49] And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.
They feared, with good reason, that they would be regarded as traitors against the state, and be summarily dealt with.
1:50] And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
Forsaken and deserted by those who called themselves his friends, Adonijah fled in very terror of his life to seek asylum in the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle.
1:51] And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon: for, lo, he has caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
In Oriental practice, an insurgent like Adonijah would have been severely punished, if not put to death. However, Solomon dealt mercifully with him, remitting the death penalty and placing him under watchful observation, thus setting the pattern for his magnanimous rule. Not until Adonijah committed another act of treason was his judgment pronounced.
1:52] And Solomon said, If he will show himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness (“another wickedness”) shall be found in him, he shall die.
1:53] So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to King Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to your house.
Solomon respected the sanctuary of the altar. Only one who was proved to be a murderer was to be removed from the altar without mercy. Adonijah professed to submit to Solomon and obey his rule. Had his submission been genuine, his subsequent life would have been more peaceful and his story far happier.
NOTE FROM BROTHER TOM MOOTY:
THIS STUDY IS THE RESULT OF 70 YEARS OF LIVING IN A CHRISTIAN HOME; 46 YEARS OF BIBLE STUDY; 45 YEARS OF BIBLE CLASS TEACHING; 42 YEARS IN THE PASTORATE; 5 YEARS IN SEMINARY/BIBLE COLLEGE; AND ATTENDANCE IN MISCELLANEOUS SEMINARS, CONFERENCES, AND CLASSES.
THANKS MUST OUT TO VARIOUS AUTHORS, WRITERS, EDITORS, PREACHERS, TEACHERS, AND LAY PEOPLE WHO HAVE INFLUENCED MY LIFE AND MINISTRY.
NO CLAIM IS EVER MADE TO ORIGINALITY; AS I HAVE GLEANED INFORMATION FROM ALL THE YEARS OF STUDY; AND TAKEN COPIOUS NOTES AS I READ THE BOOKS AND LISTED TO GODLY MEN AND WOMEN WHICH THE LORD PLACED IN MY PATH.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
"JESUS FOR YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW"
(Preached at West End Baptist Church; Sunday, January 1, 2012)
When one year ends and another begins, we are forced to think of yesterday, today, and tomorrow (all of the above, and not necessarily in that order). This can be good news, or it can be bad news!
Some people think only of the past and swim around in memories of yesterday. Others want to forget the past and ignore the present, and think only of tomorrow. These people are living in a world of fantasy.
For us to succeed tomorrow, we have to evaluate yesterday and inventory today. A proper evaluation of the past will enable us to join with the psalmist and praising God for His goodness to us:
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalms 103:1-2)
The psalmist is actually speaking to himself (his soul) concerning The Lord’s Goodness yesterday; and this encourages him to live today and face tomorrow with courage and cheer.
We can rejoice in the immutable fact that the God of yesterday is also the God of tomorrow.
Our heavenly Father is never out of date, obsolete, or antique.
He does not change models every year. The God and Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is the unchanging One who is always more-than-adequate for the needs and the stresses of the circumstances in which we find ourselves in our ever-changing world.
I. JESUS FOR YESTERDAY.
God came to Isaac as the God of his father, Abraham:
“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father; and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 26:3-4).
As the Lord approached Isaac, He did so on the basis of His previously approaching Isaac's father; and He was encouraging Isaac to face the future with faith in the “God of Yesterday”.
God came to Jacob as the God of Abraham and Isaac.
“And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:13-14).
The eternal God was moving to carry out His Redemptive Purpose and Plan, and Jacob was to be a very important part of that Plan. God revealed Himself to young Jacob as the God upon whom his father and grandfather had depended.
God came to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
“And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:4-6).
When God approached Moses on the backside of the desert, he assured Moses that He was the same God who had accompanied Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all their pilgrimages.
God came to Joshua as the God of Moses.
“Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:2-5).
God divinely revealed to Joshua that he was not alone in the task that had fallen upon his shoulders because of the death of Moses. As Joshua faced the future, he was encouraged to put his faith in the God of yesterday.
II. JESUS FOR TODAY.
God is Personal.
He is more than the “Principle behind the universe”; and more than an “Irresistible Force” and an “Inexhaustible Power”. God is personal!
God is Gracious.
While His universe operated on the basis of natural law, He created that natural law. He is the giver of the moral law. Primarily, and fundamentally the creator, God is love and grace and mercy.
God is Dependable.
As we face the uncertainties of the future with all the changes that are bound to come, it is encouraging to know that our God is dependable.
We can depend on the RELIABLILITY of His PERSON.
We can depend upon the RESPONSIBILITY of His PROMISES.
We can depend upon the RESOURCES of His POWER.
III. JESUS FOR TOMORROW.
The God of tomorrow will continue to deserve our love:
“We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
The love of our Savior for us, as demonstrated in His purposes for us should motivate us to serve Him and others in love.
The God of tomorrow will continue to deserve our faithfulness.
God needs men and women on whom He can depend at all times and under all circumstances for the success of His Redemptive Purpose in today's world. There is no way by which we can receive His Commendation apart from our being faithful and trustworthy in the places where He positions us to work for His Redemptive Service.
We need not worry about whether or not the Lord will be with us from day to day, for he has given us a specific promise that he will be with us every day. This promise can help strengthen us when we are tempted to yield to do that which would reflect negatively upon The Good Name of our Wonderful Lord. Awareness of His presence can encourage us when we are weary and when we have inclinations toward despair.
His presence can sustain us in our most difficult times and can spur us to do our best at all times.
The God of yesterday is the same God today as He was yesterday; and as He is today, He will be tomorrow!
Let each of us face this New Year with faith in this wonderful Lord.
When one year ends and another begins, we are forced to think of yesterday, today, and tomorrow (all of the above, and not necessarily in that order). This can be good news, or it can be bad news!
Some people think only of the past and swim around in memories of yesterday. Others want to forget the past and ignore the present, and think only of tomorrow. These people are living in a world of fantasy.
For us to succeed tomorrow, we have to evaluate yesterday and inventory today. A proper evaluation of the past will enable us to join with the psalmist and praising God for His goodness to us:
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalms 103:1-2)
The psalmist is actually speaking to himself (his soul) concerning The Lord’s Goodness yesterday; and this encourages him to live today and face tomorrow with courage and cheer.
We can rejoice in the immutable fact that the God of yesterday is also the God of tomorrow.
Our heavenly Father is never out of date, obsolete, or antique.
He does not change models every year. The God and Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is the unchanging One who is always more-than-adequate for the needs and the stresses of the circumstances in which we find ourselves in our ever-changing world.
I. JESUS FOR YESTERDAY.
God came to Isaac as the God of his father, Abraham:
“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father; and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 26:3-4).
As the Lord approached Isaac, He did so on the basis of His previously approaching Isaac's father; and He was encouraging Isaac to face the future with faith in the “God of Yesterday”.
God came to Jacob as the God of Abraham and Isaac.
“And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:13-14).
The eternal God was moving to carry out His Redemptive Purpose and Plan, and Jacob was to be a very important part of that Plan. God revealed Himself to young Jacob as the God upon whom his father and grandfather had depended.
God came to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
“And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 3:4-6).
When God approached Moses on the backside of the desert, he assured Moses that He was the same God who had accompanied Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all their pilgrimages.
God came to Joshua as the God of Moses.
“Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:2-5).
God divinely revealed to Joshua that he was not alone in the task that had fallen upon his shoulders because of the death of Moses. As Joshua faced the future, he was encouraged to put his faith in the God of yesterday.
II. JESUS FOR TODAY.
God is Personal.
He is more than the “Principle behind the universe”; and more than an “Irresistible Force” and an “Inexhaustible Power”. God is personal!
God is Gracious.
While His universe operated on the basis of natural law, He created that natural law. He is the giver of the moral law. Primarily, and fundamentally the creator, God is love and grace and mercy.
God is Dependable.
As we face the uncertainties of the future with all the changes that are bound to come, it is encouraging to know that our God is dependable.
We can depend on the RELIABLILITY of His PERSON.
We can depend upon the RESPONSIBILITY of His PROMISES.
We can depend upon the RESOURCES of His POWER.
III. JESUS FOR TOMORROW.
The God of tomorrow will continue to deserve our love:
“We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
The love of our Savior for us, as demonstrated in His purposes for us should motivate us to serve Him and others in love.
The God of tomorrow will continue to deserve our faithfulness.
God needs men and women on whom He can depend at all times and under all circumstances for the success of His Redemptive Purpose in today's world. There is no way by which we can receive His Commendation apart from our being faithful and trustworthy in the places where He positions us to work for His Redemptive Service.
We need not worry about whether or not the Lord will be with us from day to day, for he has given us a specific promise that he will be with us every day. This promise can help strengthen us when we are tempted to yield to do that which would reflect negatively upon The Good Name of our Wonderful Lord. Awareness of His presence can encourage us when we are weary and when we have inclinations toward despair.
His presence can sustain us in our most difficult times and can spur us to do our best at all times.
The God of yesterday is the same God today as He was yesterday; and as He is today, He will be tomorrow!
Let each of us face this New Year with faith in this wonderful Lord.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
BIBLE STUDIES COMING
The Thursday Night Bible Studies will begin again on January 5.
You are cordially invited to attend these Bible School level courses. Brother Paul has finished his studies of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; and will continue on.
My class will begin our two week study of First Kings (I am a little slower than Paul), followed by Second Kings, and then First and Second Chronicles.
Many of you have asked that we publish these studies; and this page seems like the logical place to do it. Bart Ellison (our web master) is working to get us ready to publish MP3 recordings on here as well.
Make your plans to be with us on Thursday Night, January 5. You can enter either class at any place in the study; and pick up with everybody else. A DVD recording of Paul's Class is available if you have to miss a session; my class uses a more structured curriculum study guide; and, although I have not been making MP3 recordings lately, I am beginning to do that again as we resume in January.
Thanks and God Bless.
Brother Tom
You are cordially invited to attend these Bible School level courses. Brother Paul has finished his studies of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; and will continue on.
My class will begin our two week study of First Kings (I am a little slower than Paul), followed by Second Kings, and then First and Second Chronicles.
Many of you have asked that we publish these studies; and this page seems like the logical place to do it. Bart Ellison (our web master) is working to get us ready to publish MP3 recordings on here as well.
Make your plans to be with us on Thursday Night, January 5. You can enter either class at any place in the study; and pick up with everybody else. A DVD recording of Paul's Class is available if you have to miss a session; my class uses a more structured curriculum study guide; and, although I have not been making MP3 recordings lately, I am beginning to do that again as we resume in January.
Thanks and God Bless.
Brother Tom
THE PERSONALITIES OF CHRISTMAS - MARY
MORNING MESSAGE - DECEMBER 18, 2011
WEST END BAPTIST CHURCH OF NEWPORT, TENNESSEE
It seems of tragic significance that the human mother of the Prince of Peace should herself have been the object of conflict and contention throughout the centuries. To some, she's an object of worship while others swing to the opposite extreme and virtually ignore her.
Although we do not worship Mary, we revere her memory and honor her as the human mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The accounts of Matthew and Luke reveal to us that Mary was a modest, pure, peasant woman in Galilee. She was engaged to a solid, moral, mature man named Joseph. Apparently, she looked forward to this arranged marriage.
Then came the mysterious encounter of Mary with the Angel Gabriel. The announcement he brought to her was staggering. First of all, he addressed her as the “highly favored one”; and proclaimed, "the LORD is with you, blessed are you among women”. At first glance, it would seem that this would mean that her pathway would be smooth. But we know that following God neither promises nor guarantees us an easy way; in fact, it often paints a target on our backs; and we end up – as we say today – “Tim Tebowed”.
Mary was a simple maiden in a small, obscure, Galilean village; and she was chosen to give birth to a child who had no human father! To the neighbors, it was simply a classic case of an unnamed father, a shamed mother, and a baby who "came too soon".
How was she to reveal such a staggering revelation to Joseph? Worse than wagging tongues and better gossip and slander was the possibility that she would lose the man she loved. But God also revealed to Joseph his Divine plan; and, to Joseph’s credit, he and Mary were married.
Later, Mary visited with her cousin, Elizabeth in Hebron; and we have the very first testimony ever given by human lips about Jesus.
Luke 1:39-41
[39] And Mary arose (“arose immediately”) in those days, and went into the hill country with haste (“spoudes” = “speed, diligence, care, earnestness, with purpose”) into a city of Judea;
[40] And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
[41] And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation (“a normal greeting”) of Mary, the babe leaped (“a strong, struggling leap”) in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled (“filled completely, to satisfaction”) with the Holy Ghost:
She was not going on a casual, friendly visit; she had a very specific reason for going, a meaningful purpose. She was going so that she and Elizabeth could encourage and share with each other. They both had similar situations. God had acted upon both their bodies, performing a miracle for both. Elizabeth’s womb was made alive for the son of Zacharias to be conceived, and Mary’s womb had been made alive to conceive as a virgin. It would be great encouragement because Elizabeth was already six months pregnant, giving visible evidence that God had already acted upon her miraculously.
Mary knew about Elizabeth’s miraculous conception, but Elizabeth did not know about Mary’s. After a long journey, Mary entered Elizabeth’s home and greeted her; and Elizabeth’s supernatural behavior began.
“The baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb”. The baby had probably kicked before, but this was different from all the others. It was a sign to Elizabeth that the Baby within Mary was someone very, very special, someone who was about to be revealed to her under the filling (influence) of the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth was instantly “filled with the Holy Spirit,” and she was led to greet Mary as the mother of Messiah, the coming Lord: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:42).
Elizabeth was older, and being the wife of a priest, she was recognized in a higher and more honorable social class; but poor and unrecognized Mary was blessed both because of her Child and her obedience. She was chosen by God to serve in a more special way.
The Holy Spirit revealed that the Baby was not only the promised Messiah, but He was the Son of the Highest, of God Himself (Luke 1:32, 35). Elizabeth was clearly controlled by the Holy Spirit; as she confessed that the coming Child of Mary was the Messiah, the Son of the living God; and contrasted her son as to be “great”, while Mary’s Son was to be “greatest”. He was her Lord, the Lord God Himself, the Son of the Highest.
Elizabeth’s confession was a very personal thing; which she apparently never shared with her son John (John the Baptist), because he apparently did not know Jesus was the Messiah until Jesus’ baptism (John 1:31-34).
John had to discover and confess Christ for himself. So do we all. It is a personal decision.
The result of Mary’s believing the Word of God was that she was to see the performance of God’s promises, the things told her from the Lord.
Mary’s song is known as the Magnificat. Mary proclaimed God and His glorious mercy to man. Mary was proclaiming the salvation of God, a salvation wrought through the promised Messiah, her Savior. Mary was not singing about herself; she was not praising herself. She said very definitely, “My soul doth magnify the Lord”. The Lord was the subject of her song, the subject of her praise and rejoicing.
People who are filled with and controlled by The Holy Spirit are not always bragging about it, preaching how they have done so many great things; or always having to prove it by their actions. A spirit-filled Christian will be readily evident by the way he lives.
Mary was bound to be tired and exhausted. She had just arrived from a long trip and as soon as she walked in the door, Elizabeth began her proclamation of praise under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and Mary’s song followed right behind that. Mary forgot her tiredness, for her faith was being reassured and confirmed.
Mary’s praise was habitual (in the present tense); it was the habit of Mary’s soul to magnify the Lord, and she kept on magnifying Him.
Mary was greatly blessed by God, yet she did not slip into the sin of pride, nor did she think that she was a favorite of God. The more we are blessed by God, the more dangerous the sin of pride becomes. We must learn to live praising God more and more. The more He blesses us, the more we must learn to praise Him.
Mary expressed her faith in God as “her Savior” (Luke 1:47-48)
Mary said that she was a sinner and needed a Savior just like everyone else; and she made a personal confession: “God is my Savior.” She was proclaiming that God saw her need and saved her.
Mary recognized the lowly background from where she had come. To the world she was a nobody: poor, obscure, unknown, insignificant, of little purpose and meaning in life. The very expression “the low estate of His handmaiden” suggests that Mary was even considered the least within her own household.
It is important that we all remember where we have come from, just how far down we were when God saved us.
No matter how low, how nothing we may be, God cares and will reach down and out to us. He will take us by the hand, lift us up, and give us purpose, meaning, and significance. God will make us somebody and use us, giving us a full and meaningful life (John 10:10).
There were many other problems in Mary's life. She gave birth to her firstborn child at Bethlehem, 70 miles from home. None of her family was with her. There were no skilled or experienced mid-wives present to supervise and assist the birth of the baby. Only Joseph and the animals of the stable were around her.
The baby was born in the cattle stall, not in a clean room at the inn.
While her Son was still very young, Mary was uprooted and had to flee with Him to Egypt to escape the cruel tyrant – Herod.
When Jesus was a young adult, He apparently assumed His place as the head of the home because His legal father had died; and He took over the ownership and leadership of the family carpentry shop.
When He was about thirty years old, He left the carpenter shop at Nazareth and embarked on a ministry that seemed senseless.
Mary had seen the wise men from Persia worshiping her son, but she was soon to see the religious leaders of her nation plotting his death. Truly the sword was to pierce her heart.
This “highly favored woman of Israel” became a symbol of everything we see in Christian womanhood and motherhood. She was obedient to God's revelation and submissive to his plan. "Let it be according to thy word", she said. She laid everything she had on the altar, including her honor, her reputation, her love, and her home. We would do well to imitate her.
Mary was “highly favored” of God. You have been “highly favored” too. God has seen fit to call you into His Family; and I hope you have had the good sense to accept His offer. Mary was just a young girl who was chosen by God to perform a service, have a ministry – that of mother to The Son of God.
When you look at that, it seems more and more impossible; staggering; astounding.
I have been favored by God to have had several young ministers called into service under my ministry. I was called upon to preach in overflow services at Tennessee Temple University with my college and seminary professors sitting right there. God has used the ministry at this church and at First Baptist Church of Wartburg, Tennessee to call and train five full time pastors and seven ministers with various ministries. Your ministry will go right on in them!
We were privileged to have Dr. J Harold Smith to visit with us many times when he was alive and his office was right across the parking lot. Many of his staff have been here as members of this church. Pastors, missionaries, and evangelists have come through this ministry to park their membership while they are awaiting God’s call to further service.
I have said all that to say this. That can be very intimidating! But it is a ministry which The Lord had entrusted to our unworthy hands.
If Mary were here today, she could fully well relate to this! How would you like to be called upon to serve as mother and nurturing agent to The Son of God?
The last we see of Mary is in a prayer meeting: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren” (Acts 1:14). Here we find her not being worshiped but worshiping. We see her not being prayed to, but praying like all the others. She had been favored of God and by God and had done her work for him faithfully. Now she dropped back into the middle of the Fellowship of God's people.
Let us, like Mary, join in prayer in Jesus name to a heavenly father who hears and responds and keeps his promises.
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