I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 2-3.

    Having given the throne to Solomon, David had some final advice for him. The first priority in David’s advice to Solomon is for him to follow God’s commands and regulations. That advice is good advice for everyone. If we do God’s will we will be successful in all we do and wherever we go. Then, having given Solomon the most important advice a father can give his son, David asks Solomon to settle some scores that he, David, had never been able to settle. However, there was more to these things than just settling old scores. When Solomon had Joab and Shimei put to death he eliminated separate political power-bases from which someone could challenge his authority and by favoring the sons of Barzillai Solomon cemented the support of the Israelites who lived east of the Jordan River. It is worth noting that Solomon did not act against Joab until Adonijah, whom Joab had supported for the throne, made a second play for the throne by trying to marry David’s last concubine. In addition, Solomon only executed Shimei after Shimei broke the conditions which Solomon had set upon him (the reason for setting the condition is not clear, but Shimei clearly thought Solomon justified in imposing it).

    After consolidating his position on the throne, Solomon goes to Gibeon to make sacrifices to God. In telling us about this the writer foreshadows Solomon’s greatest failure which was building temples to foreign gods for his many wives. The foreshadowing comes with the writer telling us that Solomon offered sacrifices at the many local places of worship rather than only at one central location. However, that is not the focus of this story. While at Gibeon, Solomon had a dream. In the dream God offered Solomon anything Solomon desired. Solomon asked for the wisdom to be a good ruler. Seeking the wisdom to do God’s will as best we can will always lead to other blessings as well. In the story which follows (presented to show us Solomon’s wisdom), Solomon determines that the real mother of the child was the one who was willing to sacrifice her own interest for the good of the child. I would contend that we do not know if this woman was the biological mother of the child, but she was certainly the real mother of the child.