1 Kings 2:1

THE CONSOLIDATION OF KING SOLOMON'S AUTHORITY

The events of this chapter did not follow immediately after those of the previous chapter. David recovered from his serious illness and performed a number of important deeds prior to his death as witnessed by the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 23-29. And, although David's sinful numbering of Israel is included in the events reported there (which event occurred prior to the serious illness of David reported in 1 Kings 2:1), it is quite evident that a number of things reported in Chronicles were undoubtedly subsequent to that illness.

Hammond gave an analytical summary of those events.

"The aged king left his sick room, gathered around him the princes of Israel (1 Chronicles 23:2), and made a number of specific arrangements for the priests and Levites in their tabernacle services, and was even able to 'stand upon his feet' (1 Chronicles 28:2) and address a large assembly respecting the erection and adornment of the Temple. He blessed the Lord before all the congregation (1 Chronicles 29:10ff). He ordered festal sacrifices upon a tremendous scale and also witnessed a second and more formal anointing of Solomon as king. Nevertheless, his recovery was only temporary, the sudden brightening of the flame before it dies. In this chapter, David again appears near death; and we have a record of his double charge to Solomon."[1]

Another important feature of this chapter is the inclusion by David of God's Law regarding Israel's kings found in Deuteronomy 18:17-20, indicating, absolutely, the prior existence of the Pentateuch, a truth which unbelieving critics have never been able to refute except by their false weapon of last resort, namely, that of declaring the passage to have been "a Deuteronomic addition,"[2] or "an insertion by a later editor";[3] but there are far too many instances of David's perfect familiarity with the Five Books of Moses, commonly called "The Law," for any knowledgeable Christian to accept any such critical denials of the Bible, which, without exception, are based upon the fairy tale that imagines a late date for the Pentateuch.

DAVID'S LAST WORDS TO SOLOMON

It is extremely important that this passage is based upon the "last words" of King David; because that fact destroys any supposition that these last words would have been edited, changed, or any manner perverted. "In the O.T., a man's daring words were especially significant."[4] This lends all the more credibility to David's reference to "The Law of Moses," in the very terminology of Deuteronomy 18:17-20. No "editor" who ever lived would have dared to tamper with "the last words of David."

DAVID'S SOLEMN CHARGE TO SOLOMON TO OBEY GOD'S LAW

"Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I am going the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; and keep the charge of Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the Law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself; that Jehovah may establish his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy 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 thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel."

(See my remarks above regarding David's quotation from the Law of Moses.)

The latter part of this charge regarded the conditional promise of God regarding David's earthly dynasty. There were two things prophesied in 2 Samuel 7: (1) the promise of Messiah who would reign on David's throne forever, and (2) the continuity of David's earthly dynasty. The promise of the Messiah was unconditional, but the promise of the continuity of David's posterity upon the throne in Jerusalem was conditional. (See our full discussion of this in Vol. 3 of the Historical Books (1Samuel) in chapter 7.)

The Book of Kings spells out in the most dramatic record the shameful and rebellious apostasy of David's dynasty, beginning with Solomon himself, and ending in the tragic death of Zedekiah, who, along with a predecessor Jeconiah who survived him in Babylon, was the earthly termination of David's wicked dynasty.

That Law of Moses which David cited for Solomon specifically forbade him to "multiply wives," or to amass "horses" as the bulwark of his military establishment. The very next chapter reveals Solomon's utter disregard of the divine Law.