Wisdom to Do Justice

I Kings 3:23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” 24 And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” 27 Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

We have already seen that Solomon started off seeking to arrange his leadership with mercy and justice. What he immediately learned was that it would take wisdom beyond his own.  Looking back, it may seem obvious to us to pull a stunt like he did to draw out the true mother of the child, but if we are honest, rare is the person who would think to do so on his own.  The final statement here is telling: Solomon did not want to be wise to show himself off; his motive was to do justice. May we seek wisdom to do the same.

Justice and Mercy

 

I Kings 2:26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because you shared in all my father's affliction.” 27 So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

As much as David set in order and stabilized as many things as possible in passing off the scene and passing on the baton to Solomon, there was a lot that still needed to be made right. Those in office had not been completely faithful to the king and changes needed to be made.  These involved the priest (above), the general (the paragraph following), his advisors, and even family members.  With each one Solomon sought to maintain a balance of justice and mercy, and each change was made accordingly.  What relationships do you need to "set in order", and what principles of justice and mercy apply to each?

Keeping Things Clear

I Kings 1:24 And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited. 27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

As the account of II Samuel concluded, David had done much to prepare for his transition out as king: wrapping up his military responsibilities, remembering those who had supported him, and confirming those who surrounded him. What he had not made clear was who was to succeed him.  With several sons to choose from, with different mothers and perspectives, this clouded the issue. As some were vying for power, this needed to be addressed, and those whom David had appointed as his inner circle confronted him about the problem.  David goes on to make it clear that Solomon was to be crowned, but the delay in doing so made the transition less calm than it could have been.  Communication is key. Keep things clear.

Not to Be Forgotten

II Samuel 23:24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, 27 Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah, 29 Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, 30 Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash, 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 Hezro of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

After singing his song of praise to God for blessing his life, David began to remember the people who had so valiantly served with him, beginning with his three mighty men and all their victories.  But he did not leave out one of this thirty-seven faithful men. This is not a list we would ever memorize or even work on spelling and pronouncing them correctly, but they were important to David and to God. Their faithfulness was consistent and overwhelming to David. Of whom can you say the same in your life? Who can say it of you?

The Worthy God

 

II Samuel 22:26 “With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

    with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
27 with the purified you deal purely,
    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
28 You save a humble people,
    but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29 For you are my lamp, O Lord,
    and my God lightens my darkness.
30 For by you I can run against a troop,
    and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God—his way is perfect;
    the word of the Lord proves true;
    he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

The above is a stanza in David's Song of Deliverance.  Looking back on his life - especially the times when he was "on the run," David could see God's hand in guiding and protecting him.  He had seen how God dealt with himself, his enemies, and his friends.  It is a song full of powerful imagery and wisdom.  God is a lot of things: powerful, just, light, merciful, holy, dependable - in short, He is perfect in His character and His ways. With such a God, you cannot go wrong.

More than a List of Names...

II Samuel 20:23 Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; 24 and Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 25 and Sheva was secretary; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite was also David's priest.

This brief paragraph at the conclusion of the chapter is much more than a list of names. It represented the fact that things were now back in order at the palace. The bulk of the chapter deals with one last rebel that tried to organize an uprising against David but was quelched by Joab. The historian wants us to know that things are finally running smoothly again militarily, economically, socially, and spiritually in Israel. Everyone is on the same page, each doing their part to keep things moving forward.  This will set us up for the final few chapters of the book.

A Place of Pardon

II Samuel 19:24 And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. 25 And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” 26 He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame. 27 He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. 28 For all my father's house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?”

After the insurrection by Absalom, David had a lot of relationships to set in order. This chapter deals with some of them, like: Joab, whom David had put in the middle of his problems with Absalom; some from the tribe of Benjamin, who had chosen the other side; Shimei, who had cursed David; and Mephibosheth, who did not go with the rest of David's household when he left Jerusalem. David had a heart to forgive all, regardless of how deep their guilt or lame their excuses. How easy or hard is it for you to forgive?