1 Kings 1:28 – 46 “When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.
It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the altar.”
So, Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down!”
And Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”
But Joab replied, “No, I will die here.”
So, Benaiah relayed the message to the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.”
And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed. The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he killed with the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”
So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness. And the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army, and he appointed Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.
Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”
“The sentence is fair,” Shimei replied. “Your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
After three years, however, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.” So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.
When it was reported to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, ‘On the day you leave and go elsewhere, know for sure that you will die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will comply.’ So why have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the command that I gave you?”
The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore, the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head. But King Solomon will be blessed and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”
Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus, the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.”
As King David was dying, he charged Solomon to eliminate Joab for having murdered two military commanders more righteous than he in his bid to maintain power. Joab supported Adonijah in his abortive bid to seize the throne; who knows what Joab might decide to do in the future? There are still many in the army who are loyal to Joab. When Joab seeks sanctuary in the temple, he assumes that he will be safe; however, Solomon sends Benaiah to kill Joab anyway. Remember that sanctuary can only be granted if someone who has shed blood has done so accidentally. There was nothing accidental about Joab’s murders of Abner and Amasa.
Joab’s treachery of three men proved his undoing. Although initially, Joab was loyal to David, Joab’s loyalty was tested during the incident with Bathsheba when David ordered Joab to send Uriah to the hottest part of the battle. Joab betrayed three men: Abner, Amasa, and David. To remain commander of the military, Joab assassinated both Abner and Amasa. Joab supported Adonijah’s bid for the throne, ignoring the fact that David intended to make Solomon king. By murdering Abner and Amasa in peacetime, Joab brought blood – guilt on David. Not once did Joab ever display any signs of remorse over his actions; meanwhile, David repented of his sins with Bathsheba and Uriah.
Solomon handles Shimei very wisely, ordering him to build a house, to remain in Jerusalem, and not to cross the Kidron Valley. Were Shimei to cross the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem and pass over the Mount of Olives, he would soon reach a major north – south route that would connect with the road to Gath. But when some of Shimei’s slaves escape to Gath, Shimei takes off after them, forgetting Solomon’s warning. Why can’t Shimei send someone else to collect the slaves? Perhaps Shimei feels that Solomon is not nearly as strong as his father David or perhaps Shimei thinks he will rush down to Gath, about 30 km. from Jerusalem, and return before Solomon hears about it. But Solomon learns about Shimei’s trip, and this is the excuse he needs to put Shimei to death.
APPLICATION: This part of Solomon’s story makes grim reading, but Solomon is a political realist. Now that the proven conspirators are out of the picture, Solomon can proceed to establish his kingdom. Abiathar, Joab, Adonijah, and Shimei all had one thing in common: they were double – minded. James 1:8 tells us that” a double – minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
While it is important to have colleagues who are intelligent and skillful, such colleagues are worthless if you cannot trust them. Trust is something that is easily destroyed and difficult to rebuild. If you have workers who are eager to learn, you can do a great deal with training. Before we had very many trained nurses at our mission hospital, we used ward assistants who were trained on the job. Those people were compassionate about their care and diligent, and our patients got excellent care. Many of those people have gone on to become nurses or even specialists such as physician assistants and nurse anesthetists, and they are still doing well.
There are men in the kingdom whom Solomon can trust: Zadok, the high priest, and Benaiah, who now is military commander. As time goes on, Solomon will assemble others. But the One in whom Solomon will need to trust the most is the God who has chosen him to become king.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please guide all leaders as they handle those under them. Help leaders to make wise decisions according to Your Word. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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