1st Kings, First

1 Kings 1-5

We continue our recaps of the Old Testament readings for Morning Prayer with the start of 1 Kings.

Chapter 1

Twenty years previously, David was lounging in his bed before spying a bathing Bathsheba from his window. He sent his attendants to bring the beautiful young woman to him, precipitating his downfall. Now, an old man, David shivers in bed, despite being covered with blankets. His attendants seek out a beautiful young virgin named Abishag to lay in his bed to keep him warm. Yet due to his age, he’s unable to do more than be comforted.

Meanwhile, Adonijah, Absalom's younger brother, attempts to claim the throne of his father while he is still alive. He gains the support of Joab and Abiathar, while Zadok the priest, Benaiah, Nathan the prophet, and David’s band of mighty warriors remain faithful to him.

Adonijah invites his supporters and brothers—save for Solomon, more on him in a bit—to a spring outside the city for a feast, while David remains completely in the dark (it’s pitch black under the covers with Abishag). Nathan the prophet goes to Bathsheba and informs her of the plot, reminding her that David had already sworn that her son Solomon would be king.

Bathsheba quickly makes her way to the king, reminds him of the pledge regarding Solomon, and oh, did I mention what Adonijah’s been up to?

Roused from his inaction, David assembles the palace and has Nathan anoint Solomon as king, sitting him on the throne. Outside the city, Adonijah and his followers hear the commotion of the celebration, figure out what’s what, and mostly scatter. Adonijah seeks sanctuary at an altar and begs Solomon to spare him. Solomon, for his part, agrees, just as long as there’s no more funny business, and he sticks to his house.

Chapter 2

This chapter always reminds me of this scene from The Godfather, where Don Vito Corleone, retired and still recuperating from the attempt on his life, gives his son Michael advice. Here, while on his deathbed, King David gives his son Solomon some sage wisdom gleaned from years on the throne. He begins by admonishing his son to remain faithful to God, just as David had been in his younger days. But he then goes on to give the cold, calculating advice necessary for rule; advice he himself seemed incapable of committing himself to, such as eliminating Joab, as well as old Shimei (the dude who talked trash when David fled before Absalom).

And David died, having been king forty years.

Solomon's throne is barely warm, when who should come calling asking for a favor but his mom, Bathsheba? It seems that his half-brother, ol’ Adonijah, tried going over his head and asking for one, small, wee, little favor—the hand of Abishag in marriage.

Solomon immediately smells something fishy. He knows how big a deal these things are. After all, the first thing Absalom did when he took the palace was to bed David’s concubines, and he well remembers the stories of the machinations around his father’s first marriage to Saul’s daughter, Michal.

Wasting no time, he has Benaiah kill Adonijah, and banishes Abiathar the priest. Joab, reading the tea leaves, gets the heck out of Dodge. Solomon sends Benaiah after him, so Joab takes refuge in the tent of the Lord. Benaiah goes back to the king to explain the situation, but Solomon is not about to let piety get in the way of revenge, and sends Benaiah back to finish the task. As a result, he is made commander of his armies.

Solomon doesn’t forget about good ol’ Shimei, who is told, in no uncertain terms, that he must give up his property, move to the city, and never leave. Of course, after three years, he does leave, and for it he loses his life.

Chapter 3

Solomon married a daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh (a political alliance through marriage will be a recurring theme in the life of Solomon). The temple at Jerusalem had not yet been built, and Solomon, still pious in his youth, sacrifices to God on the high places. After one such event, God visits him in a dream. God offers to provide a boon; Solomon need only ask. Thinking it over, he asks for wisdom. God approves of such a request, for most people would ask for wealth or long life; but because Solomon asked for wisdom, he is granted all three.

Hey, remember when David had conflicting information from Ziba and Mephibosheth, and decided it was too much trouble to figure out who was telling the truth, so he just split the difference (literally) by granting them equal shares? Well, when two ladies of ill repute arrive, both claiming motherhood of a child (after the tragic death of another), Solomon offers to split the baby and give each a half. When one of the scarlet women agrees, and the other offers to forgo her claim to spare the life of the child, wise Solomon realizes that the working girl who put the life of the child before herself was indeed the real mom. All Israel marveled at his wisdom, for surely it was a gift from God.

Chapter 4

We get a list of Solomon’s bureaucracy, beginning with his cabinet—those ministers through whom the sovereign exercises supreme executive power (not a small room or piece of furniture). This is followed by the twelve prefects set over the nation, who ensure the royal court is provided for: each region responsible for food and provisions for one month out of the year. Although potentially burdensome, Solomon’s rule proved to be prosperous for all involved, so the people were happy.

Chapter 5

While this chapter might seem at first to be merely a list of stuff that Solomon and his household consumed, there is some information to be gleaned. Solomon is said to be wiser than ‘Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman and Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol.’ Tradition ascribes Psalms 88 and 99 to them, and the last two are mentioned as temple choristers in 1 Chronicles 2:6. Robert Alter* notes that it was commonly assumed that there was a link between wisdom and the composition of verse (they had obviously never heard T-Pain rhyme ‘log cabin’ with ‘Wisconsin’ or Toto rhyme ‘company’ with ‘Serengeti’).

Next we have the offer of Hiram, King of Tyre, to help build the Temple of Solomon; which is interesting if you’ve ever been interested in what goes on in Masonic Temples.

* Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary: Three-Volume Set (p. 2863). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.