There is very little to say about the rest of David's reign, although many, many things happened. Men were killed who opposed him. His commander, Joab, took control of David's army and killed whomever threatened David's throne. David's own son, Absalom, wanted the crown, and although David did not want him hurt, Joab made certain that Absalom died. Many others tried for the throne and failed, and Joab protected David even when David no longer cared if he lived or died.
Joab was a hypocrite and would have turned on David if he dared. Yet he was a great military leader and was torn because David would no longer lead, and no longer used his kingship as an advantage. David finally replaced Joab with Amasa securing the allegiance of his army once again. David also showed tremendous mercy and generosity, sparing lives and rewarding those whose actions were questionable, setting a fair example toward many whose loyalty was questioned.
Yet, David still wanted to build a temple for the Lord, but the Lord told him that he had killed in too many battles, and the honor of the building of the temple would be given to his son, Solomon.
Solomon was a man of extreme intelligence. His one fault was... the ladies. He married every lovely woman he was to encounter, including the maidens of other lands whose beliefs were different than his own. His maidens had brought their favorite idols with them and Solomon, so entranced by the women and their beauty, eventually began to worship with them as they worshipped. God let him build a Temple which became filled with beauty and gold and silver. When Solomon died he was known as the wise king, but he never became as close to God as David had come.
God cherished and honored Solomon for his wisdom, and for building His temple. But the people of Israel and Judah became cold to God's Laws, resulting in the ruin of families and government, and eventually leading to the destruction of the nation.
Study/Through the reigns of David and Solomon we can learn the importance of the King's nature in the resulting attitudes of the nation's people. "All the kings of Israel and Judah were told to obey God and to govern according to his laws. But their tendency to abandon God's commands and to worship other gods led them to change the religion and government to meet their own personal desires. This neglect of God's law led to the nation's downfall."
One story which shows us the wisdom of Solomon is the situation where two women claimed to be the mother of the same child. Solomon basically threatened to kill the child so that neither woman could have him. But, the real mother cried out, "No! Don't kill him. Kill me, and let the other woman have him." And Solomon knew at that point, "Give that woman her child. She is the real mother."
Too bad Solomon's wisdom didn't stretch beyond his desires for his little ladies and their little gods. Sorry! I'm a bit prejudiced regarding women chasers!
See you tomorrow. Same time; same station! Something new coming up!
Jo INMN
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