1 Kings 2 Two Down

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
1 Kings 2:26 To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.” 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.

28 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!”

30 So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”

But he answered, “No, I will die here.”

Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”

31 Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. 32 The Lord will repay him for the blood he shed, because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better men and more upright than he. 33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.”

34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.​

I'm starting with the easy English site this morning.

Both Abiathar and Joab had helped Adonijah. Solomon only sent Abiathar home. He did not kill him. This was because Abiathar had helped David in his troubles. He had also been a priest to him. Solomon knew that he must respect God’s priests. However, God had told Eli that his sons would no longer be priests. This was because of their sins (1 Samuel chapter 2). Abiathar was the last priest from the family of Eli. The new priests were from Zadok’s family.

Joab held on to the corners of the altar. He thought that he would be safe there. Solomon did not kill Adonijah at the time when he went to the altar for protection (1:51-53). Perhaps Joab hoped that Solomon would be unwilling to kill anyone at such a holy place. But Joab’s support for Adonijah was not his only crime. The altar did not protect those who had murdered other people. David did not order Solomon to kill Joab because of his (Joab’s) support for Adonijah. David ordered Solomon to kill Joab because Joab was a murderer.

This is from godvine.com.

So Solomon thrust out Abiathar - This was for having taken part before with Adonijah, but by it a remarkable prophecy was fulfilled; see 1 Samuel 2:13-35, and the notes there. God had told Eli that the priesthood should depart from his house; Abiathar was the last of the descendants of Ithamar, of which family was Eli the high priest. Zadok, who was made priest in the stead of Abiathar, was of the family of Eliezer; and by this change the priesthood reverted to its ancient channel. Abiathar deserved this degradation; he supported Adonijah in his unnatural assumption of the royal dignity, even during the life of his father. This was the head and front of his offending.​

So, they didn't kill the priest... they just retired him. The time he spent with David when David was in hiding, was credited to him so he would not be put to death for backing the wrong son in a coup. Remember, his relatives had been crooked. They were so crooked they were stealing the offerings from the people before the offering hit the alter. He wasn't one of the crooked ones though. He just backed the wrong person to take the throne.

Now Joab... that was a different story. He's the one who killed Absalom. The last time he was in serious trouble.... he went to the alter and hung on.... David wouldn't kill him there. So he tried that this time... and Solomon wasn't have any part of it.... Solomon says [paraphrased] "if that's the way he wants it... go ahead".

This is from biblestudytools.com.

He now fled to the altar, which, though a recognized asylum, afforded no sanctuary to the rebel and murderer ( Exodus 21:14 ). And, as he refused to leave it, he seems to have cherished some faint hope that a religious scruple would have been felt at the thought of violating the sanctity of the place by bloodshed. Benaiah, not liking to assume any responsibility, referred the matter to Solomon, who determined that the law should take its course ( Deuteronomy 19:13 ).​

So.... two down and one to go.... Solomon has to deal with Shimei the spitter.

:coffee:
 
Top