Adonijah goes to Solomon's mother with a request. For all that Israel was a patriarchal society the women have a significant influence. He wants Solomon to give him Abishag as his wife. Bathsheba agrees to this. The fact that Adonijah takes Abishag as a wife is the reason that the first verses of 1 Kings point out that David did not have any sexual relations with her.
Solomon reacts angrily to this as he sees the request as an underhand attempt to take the kingdom. Seemingly innocent requests can be often hide something more sinister underneath. So he had Adonijah put to death. Abiathar was removed from the priesthood, fulfilling an earlier word given to Eli.
Joab saw the way the wind was blowing so he, like Adonijah, went to take hold of the horns of the altar. He had good reason to be afraid for Solomon sent someone to kill him. In the end Joab was struck down by the altar, and so David's instructions concerning him were fulfilled.
Solomon then deals with Shimei and seems to give him a way out, though David's instructions were "may his grey head go down to the grave in blood" (verse 9), and it is a little ambiguous what David wanted. Shimei agreed to stay in Jerusalem. However, Shimei did not stick to the agreement and eventually killed.
All this has been to show how Solomon got rid of all the elements that posed a threat to his kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment