”“Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet. Therefore do according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace. “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother. “And see, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man and know what you ought to do to him; but bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood.”“ I Kings 2:5-9 NKJV
a. Do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace: David wanted Solomon to begin his reign in justice, and to first give justice to Joab, who was guilty of the murder of both Abner, the general of Israel’s army under Saul (2 Samuel 3:27) and Amasa, one of David’s military commanders (2 Samuel 20:9-10).
i. Joab is one of the more complex characters of the Old Testament. He was fiercely loyal to David, yet not strongly obedient. He disobeyed David when he thought it was in David’s best interest, and he was cunning and ruthless in furthering his own position.
ii. David didn’t mention Joab’s killing of Absalom, which David commanded him not to do (2 Samuel 18). Perhaps by this time David recognized that Absalom did in fact have to die for his treason and attempted murder against David.
iii. Many people think that David did not command Joab’s execution during his lifetime because Joab knew about the murder of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:14-25). The idea is that Joab used this knowledge as blackmail against David. This may be true, but it seems that others knew of David’s sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah also (such as Nathan the prophet and servants in David’s court). It would seem that Joab’s knowledge was only effective as blackmail if no one else knew it.
iv. At the very least, David knew the complexity of Joab’s character. He knew the loyalty and sacrifices Joab made for David over the years, and he knew his violence and ruthlessness. “David felt under obligation to Joab, and though David was certainly not lacking in courage, he was not able to cope with the mixture of Joab’s loyalty and his misdeeds” (Patterson and Austel).
b. Show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite: David also wanted Solomon to do justice by these who had helped David in a time of great need.
i. “To eat at the king’s table was the equivalent of having a pension, the beneficiary receiving a regular royal allowance of food and clothing, with a house and land to support him and his family.” (Wiseman)
c. Shimei… bring his gray hair down to the grave with blood: David vowed that he would not kill the obnoxious rebel Shimei (2 Samuel 16:5-13). It was right for David to keep his vow, but it was also right for him to make sure that Shimei received justice without David breaking his vow. (Guzik)
You Are Now Mortal!
King David was in his deathbed, giving Solomon advice and his last wishes.
I recall a time after my father died that a friend commented, “you are now mortal”.
Not understanding what he meant I asked for clarification.
He replied, the previous generation is gone and I was next.
I am now mortal and at my age my days are numbered!
I look forward to going home in heaven, do you?
Blessings
