2:3, 4 David stressed to Solomon the need to make God and his laws the center of personal life and government in order to preserve the kingdom, as God had promised to do (2 Samuel 7). This promise from God had two parts. One part was conditional and depended upon the king’s actions. The other part was unconditional.
God’s conditional promise was that David and his descendants would remain in office as kings only when they honored and obeyed him. When David’s descendants failed to do this, they lost the throne (2 Kings 25). God’s unconditional promise was that David’s line would go on forever. This was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David who was also the eternal Son of God (Romans 1:3, 4). David, whose life exemplified obedience, gave well-seasoned advice to his son, the next king. It would be up to Solomon to follow it.
2:5-7 Joab epitomizes those who are ruthless in accomplishing their goals. To Joab, winning was everything. He wanted to get power for himself and protect it. In contrast, Barzillai stands for those who are loyal to God and live by his standards. When offered glory, for example, he unselfishly asked that it be given to his son. Is your leadership self-serving or God-serving?
2:5-9 David had some harsh advice for Solomon concerning his enemies. This advice was designed to help the young king establish and secure his throne, and it was directed only toward blatant enemies—those who opposed God by opposing God’s appointed king. Legally, David was asking Solomon to give his enemies the punishment they deserved. It was against both civil law and God’s laws for Shimei to curse a king (Exodus 22:28).
2:10 David died at about age 70 (2 Samuel 5:4, 5). See David’s profile in 1 Samuel 17, p. 585, for more on his life.
2:15-22 This was not a case of thwarted love; Adonijah had more in mind than his supposed love for Abishag. Although she was still a virgin, Abishag was considered part of David’s harem. Adonijah wanted Abishag because possessing the king’s harem was equivalent to claiming the throne. Absalom had done the same thing in his rebellion against David (2 Samuel 16:20-23). Solomon well understood what Adonijah was trying to do.
2:23-34 In this plot against Solomon, all the conspirators lost. Adonijah and Joab were killed, and the priest, Abiathar, lost his job. They all thought they would gain something by their alliance: influence, position, recognition, authority. But they had a poor leader and wrong motives. Consider your motives carefully before making alliances with others. Motives are important; be sure you understand yours and those of your leaders and peers.
2:26, 27 As a young man, Abiathar had been the only one to escape when King Saul massacred all the priests in the city of Nob (1 Samuel 22:11-23). Abiathar then became the high priest under David and remained loyal to David throughout his reign. When Abiathar supported Adonijah’s wrongful claim to the throne after David’s death (1:7), Solomon forced him to give up the priesthood, fulfilling the prophecy of 1 Samuel 2:27-36 that Eli’s descendants would not continue to serve as priests.
2:28 To understand why Joab clutched the horns of the altar, see the note on 1:49-50.
2:31 Joab had spent his life trying to defend his position as David’s commander. Twice David tried to replace him, and both times Joab treacherously killed his rivals before they could assume command (2 Samuel 3:17-30; 19:13; 20:4-10). Because Joab was in his service, David was ultimately responsible for these senseless deaths. But for political and military reasons (see the note on 2 Samuel 3:39), David decided not to publicly punish Joab. Instead, he put a curse on Joab and his family (2 Samuel 3:29). Solomon, in punishing Joab, was publicly declaring that David was not part of Joab’s crimes, thus removing the guilt from David and placing it on Joab where it belonged.
2:35 Abiathar the high priest and Joab the army commander were key men in David’s kingdom. But when they conspired against Solomon, they were replaced with Zadok and Benaiah. Zadok, a descendant of Aaron, had been a prominent priest during David’s reign, and he was also loyal to Solomon after David’s death. He was put in charge of the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 15:24ff). His descendants were in charge of the Temple until its destruction. At one time, Benaiah was one of David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:20-23) and the captain of David’s bodyguard.
2:46 Solomon ordered the executions of Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei; forced Abiathar out as priest; and then appointed new men to take their places. He took these actions swiftly, securing his grip on the kingdom. By executing justice and tying up loose ends that could affect the future stability of his kingdom, Solomon was promoting peace, not bloodshed. He was a man of peace in two ways: He did not go to war, and he put an end to internal rebellion.