1 Kings 2
Kingdom, Come • Sermon • Submitted
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Isaiah 42:1–4 (NASB95)
1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 “He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. 3 “A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 “He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
What Does it Mean to “Bring Forth/Establish Justice”?
Justice has to Do with “Righteousness”
That Which is Right/Fair
To Establish Justice is to…
Establish a System Where Things are Made Right/Fair
A System Where Evil is Punished and Good is Rewarded
God’s “Servant/Chosen One” is Referring to…
The Kingdom of Israel in its Ideal/Perfect Form
Had Israel Perfectly Obeyed the Law of God…
Justice would’ve Been Established Throughout the World
People of All Nations would Know, Glorify, and Obey God
But Israel Failed in that Purpose
But the Israelites Didn’t Completely Give Up Hope
They Hoped for a Coming King From the Lineage of David…
Who would Be God’s True Servant/Chosen One
A King Who would Establish Justice in Israel and Throughout the World
This Passage is Quoted in Matthew 12:18-21…
As a Prophecy that was Being Fulfilled By Jesus
He was/is/will Bringing Justice to the World
He is Establishing Righteousness and Fairness
This is the Duty of God’s Anointed King
1 Kings 2
1 Kings 2
In this Chapter, the Royal Descendant of David is Taking the Throne…
And He’s Going to Begin His Reign By Establishing Justice
In Fact, that’s What this Entire Chapter is About:
The Establishment of Justice By the Messianic Descendant of David
And What We See in this Chapter is a Foreshadowing…
Of What the True Messianic Descendant of David will Do When He Returns…
To Establish Everlasting, Worldwide Justice
Recap
Recap
Last Week, We Saw that David is Now Old and Frail and About to Die
So Adonijah (His Oldest Living Son)…
Tried to Take His Place on the Throne
This was Stopped By the Anointing of Solomon
When Adonijah Begged for Mercy, Solomon Spared Him His Life
1 Kings 2:1–4 (NASB95)
1 As David’s time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. 3 “Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
David is About to Die and He has Some Wise Advice for His Successor
“As God’s Anointed King”:
“Be Strong”
“Be Brave”
“Obey God”
Why?
“So Our Lineage will Continue to Occupy the Throne”
“So that You will Succeed in Everything You Do”
This Lays Out an Important Truth:
God’s Laws are for Our Own Good/Benefit
Obeying God will Lead to:
A Happier Life
A More Successful Life
A Better Life
This is Not Some Health/Wealth Gospel
Obeying God Doesn’t Guarantee that You’ll Be Healthy and Live to Be 100
Obeying God Doesn’t Guarantee You Popularity, Fame, or Lots of Friends
Obeying God Doesn’t Guarantee Great Wealth, Fortune, or a Life of Ease
Besides, None of Those Things will are Indicators of:
Happiness, Success, or having a Great Life
A Happy Life is a Life of Contentment and Satisfaction…
Regardless of How Much You Own
A Successful Life is a Life of Doing Your Best and Being Good at What You Do…
Regardless of if it Brings You Fame and Fortune
A Better Life is a Life Without the Sorrow, Regret, Drama, Grief, and Pain…
That Sin Produces in Your Life
It is a Simple But Absolute Fact
A Fact that can Be Clearly Seen By Anyone Who Observes:
Those Who Obey God have More Happiness, More Success, and Overall Better Lives…
Than Those Who Don’t Obey God
And if Solomon, as the Spiritual and Political Leader of Israel, will Obey God…
Then Not Only will He have a Happy, Successful, and Better Life…
But So will All the Citizens of His Kingdom Who Submit to His Reign/Rule
This was David’s Wise Order to King Solomon
But He’s Not Done Yet
In the Establishment of His Kingdom…
He Also Needs to Establish Justice
1 Kings 2:5–12 (NLT)
5 “And there is something else. You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me when he murdered my two army commanders, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He pretended that it was an act of war, but it was done in a time of peace, staining his belt and sandals with innocent blood. 6 Do with him what you think best, but don’t let him grow old and go to his grave in peace.
Joab was David’s Nephew
He was Also David’s Commander
He Joined Adonijah in His Attempt to Take the Throne Last Week
Joab was Not a Good Man
He Assassinated 2 Commanders of Israel, Against David’s Will
Now David Wants Solomon to Establish Justice
But Justice isn’t Just a Negative Thing
Justice Isn’t Just Punishing the Evil
It’s Also Rewarding the Good
7 “Be kind to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead. Make them permanent guests at your table, for they took care of me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
In the Messianic Kingdom, Kindness and Care is Rewarded with Kindness and Care
8 “And remember Shimei son of Gera, the man from Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me with a terrible curse as I was fleeing to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I swore by the Lord that I would not kill him. 9 But that oath does not make him innocent. You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him.”
The Last Bit of Justice that David Orders Solomon to Establish is:
Putting Shimei to Death
He wasn’t Loyal to King David
He Called for Curses to Be Brought Down on Him
David Swore Not to Kill Him
But Now that Solomon is King, David Believes it’s Time for Justice
10 Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. 11 David had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 Solomon became king and sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
David is Dead and Solomon is Now King
And the Rest of the Chapter is Solomon Establishing Justice
You Remember the Beautiful, Young, Virgin, Warm-Bodied Girl From Chapter 1?
They Found Her and Brought Her to Lay with the King in Bed to Keep Him Warm
I Mentioned Last Week that We’d Say More About that Situation this Week
Well, Adonijah, David’s Son Who Tried to Take the Throne…
Now Wants to Marry Her and Wants Solomon’s Permission
But Notice How He Goes About Asking:
1 Kings 2:13–18 (NLT)
13 One day Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, came to see Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. “Have you come with peaceful intentions?” she asked him. “Yes,” he said, “I come in peace. 14 In fact, I have a favor to ask of you.” “What is it?” she asked. 15 He replied, “As you know, the kingdom was rightfully mine; all Israel wanted me to be the next king. But the tables were turned, and the kingdom went to my brother instead; for that is the way the Lord wanted it.
Do You Remember the Condition that Adonijah Must Meet for Solomon to Spare His Life?
“If He will Prove Himself to Be Worthy/Loyal”
Does this Sound Like a Worthy/Loyal Man?
“I should Actually Be King!”
“Everyone in Israel was Looking to Me as Their King!”
“But God Wanted Solomon!”
Remember What We Learned About Adonijah Last Week?
He’s a Spoiled Little Pretty-Boy Prince Whose Never Been Told “No”
And its Definitely Showing Right Now
16 So now I have just one favor to ask of you. Please don’t turn me down.” “What is it?” she asked. 17 He replied, “Speak to King Solomon on my behalf, for I know he will do anything you request. Ask him to let me marry Abishag, the girl from Shunem.” 18 “All right,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
So Bathsheba Keeps Her Word and Asks Solomon’s Permission on Adonijah’s Behalf
Then Solomon Blows Up and Says:
“Why Don’t You Go Ahead and Ask Me if He can Be King Too!”
“He is the Older Brother, After All!”
“Plus He Already had the High Priest and Commander on His Side!”
So Solomon had His New Commander, Benaiah, Put Him to Death
But Why?
Why was Solomon So Upset About Adonijah Wanting to Marry Abishag?
Because Abishag wasn’t Just Seen as a Beautiful Little Servant Girl
She was Seen as the Newest Concubine in David’s Harem
And to Sleep with Another Man’s Wife in that Culture…
Was to Say, “I’m the One in Charge Now!”
Adonijah’s Brother Absalom did the Exact Same Thing…
When He Took the Throne From David
Solomon Knew that this was Adonijah’s Last Ditch Effort to Claim the Throne
This Proved that Adonijah had No Intentions of Being Loyal to Solomon
So Solomon Kept His Word…
And He Put Adonijah to Death
Justice is Being Established
Solomon Then Goes On to have Joab Executed, as David Ordered
He Didn’t Execute the High Priest, Abiathar…
But He Did Dismiss Him as the Priest…
(Which Fulfilled a Prophesy Made Back in 1 Samuel 2:27-36)
Then Solomon Told Shimei to Live in Jerusalem and Never Leave
If He Ever Leaves, He will Be Put to Death
Shimei Happily Agreed
But 3 Years Later 2 of Shimei’s Servants Ran Away and He Went After Them
This Led to Solomon Keeping His Word…
And having Shimei Executed
Justice has Been Established in the Kingdom of the Messiah
Application
Application
This Story is a Vivid Fore-Shadowing of Our Present and Future Reality
The Messiah is Sitting on His Throne
There are Some, Like Adonijah, Who have No Respect for King Jesus
They Want to Be King Over Their Own Lives
There are Some, Like Joab and Abiathar…
Who Claim to Be Loyal to King Jesus
But When an Opportunity to Serve Their Own Desires Comes Along…
They will Jump at it
There are Some, Like Shimei, Who were Once Living in Open Rebellion to King Jesus
King Jesus is Patient with Them…
And They Eventually Enter into a Covenant Relationship with Him
But, Over Time, They Become Lax and Apathetic in Their Commitment to Him…
And They Fall Away into Sin
The Messiah is Going to Return and Establish His Eternal Kingdom with Justice
Justice is Coming for Those Who aren’t Loyal to King Jesus
But Justice is Also Coming for Those are Loyal, Like Barzillai
There is a Place Reserved at the Kings Table…
For Those Who Remain Loyal to King Jesus…
Loving Him, Serving Him, and Obeying Him All Their Lives
The Messiah’s Kingdom is a Kingdom Established on Justice
Those Who aren’t Loyal will Be Punished with Everlasting Destruction
But Those Who are will Be Eternally Rewarded
And Like the Title of this Series…
That’s Why Those of Us Who are Loyal to King Jesus Say:
“Kingdom, Come”
In the Meantime, Establish Justice