1 Kings 3:16

1 Kings 3:16 says, Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.  Two women who were said to be harlots came to Solomon.  Matthew Henry points out that they came before Solomon themselves, without a lawyer, even though they were women and likely never were married.  When we come before God on judgment day, we either come alone or with Jesus Christ as our Advocate.  Verse seventeen adds, And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.  One of the women said she lived in a house with the other woman and had given birth to a child.  Matthew Henry said they lived in a public house and not one that belonged to either.  Since in that day and age, women had little standing and needed a husband or father to represent them, and they seemed to have neither.  We, male or female, need someone to represent us before God, and Jesus Christ is the only One Who can.  Verse eighteen continues, And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.  The woman said that while they were alone I the house that three days later the other woman had a baby.  This would have further indicated that they had no one to help them.  As Christians, we should never be that much without help if we need it and should do our best to make sure that no one else is either, no matter their status in the world.  Verse nineteen states, And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it.  The woman complained by saying that the second woman's child died the night he was born because the woman had lain down on top of him.  She was basically blaming the woman for the child's death and we may find that others place the blame on us if they find themselves in a bad situation, even if we aren't responsible.  Of course, what she was saying may have been true, just as at times we may be responsible for the bad things happening in our lives.  Verse twenty adds, And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.  She then said that at midnight, the other woman took her son and left the dead child with her.  Verse twenty-one continues, And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.  She then said the next morning when she was going to nurse her child, she discovered that the child was dead but that it wasn't her child.  I have to wonder about how she slept through all of this.  Of course, we still aren't told if she was the real mother or not.  Matthew Henry points out this was a difficult case, because there was no one close enough to the women who could help distinguish whose child it was.  Sometimes, we may not find an easy answer to difficult situations in life because no one knows who is telling the truth.  Verse twenty-two concludes, And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.  The other woman said the first one was lying and the child was hers, and they began to argue.  Only one could be telling the truth.  People will still lie to get what they want today.  Verse twenty-three declares, Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.  Solomon pointed out that they were both making the same claim so it would be impossible to tell who was telling the truth.  Sometimes today when there are no facts to help determine the truth, it is nearly impossible to decide who is lying and who is telling the truth.  Verse twenty-four continues, And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.  Verse twenty-five says, And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.  Solomon asked for a sword and proposed cutting the child in half and giving half to each woman.  This would have certainly settled the dispute, but it wouldn't have settled the matter of who the child really belonged to.  We need to pray that we never settle disputes between people without really finding out the truth.  Verse twenty-six adds, Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.  One of the women, and we aren't told which one, out of love for her son, told Solomon to give the child to the other woman but not to harm him.  She would have rather give up her child than have him harmed.  This is the type love that we need from mothers and also fathers today.  The other woman said, no, divide the child.  She had just been given what she claimed to want, the child, but she really had no interest in the child.  She seemingly just didn't want the other woman to have her son.  Some people really don't want what we have, but they just don't want us to have it.  Verse twenty-seven continues, Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.  When we first read of Solomon's proposal, we might have thought that he hadn't gained much wisdom from God, but we now see that he had.  He knew that the real mother would not agree to have the child killed, so he knew that the one willing to give him up so that he would live was the real mother.  At times, we may have to act out of love in a situation and wait for God to bring about the best outcome, even if it seems that it is going to cost us.  Solomon said give the boy to the one who was willing to give him up, because she was the mother.  If we are willing to give up our claim in certain situations because the outcome would cost too much if we didn't, we need to put our faith in God bringing about the best result ultimately and simply let it go.   Verse twenty-eight concludes, And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.  When the people of Israel heard what Solomon had done, they feared him, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him.  This would seem to be a strange reason to fear anyone, unless we are doing something wrong.  We need to pray that we will be known for having the wisdom of God in us, and we should never fear those who do,

1 Kings 3:5

1Kings 3:5 says, In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.  God appeared to Solomon at night in a dream.  God appears to people in different ways, though to me it has always been as a still small voice.  God told Solomon to ask for anything that he wanted.  I wonder what we would ask for in that situation.  Verse six adds, And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.  Solomon first acknowledged God's mercy to David his father in having him walk uprightly before Him, keeping him safe by His kindness, and giving him a son to sit on the throne.  Before we ask God for anything, we need to acknowledge His mercy to us.  Verse seven continues, And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.  Solomon then said that God had made him king and not just David himself, but he also said that he was as a little child, not knowing when to come in or go out.  Whatever we are as followers of Christ, especially in the church, needs to be because God has put us there, and we need to acknowledge that we need His wisdom to help us be successful.  Verse eight states, And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.  Solomon said that God had made him the ruler of a great nation that could not be numbered, though David had tied to do so.  The number of Christians today should be beyond number, but we seem to be decreasing as a percentage of all people instead of increasing.  Verse nine adds, Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?  Solomon finally got around to asking God for what he wanted, and it wasn't riches or power, but wisdom to rule the people of Israel.   We need to ask God for wisdom more than we ask Him for riches and power.  Verse ten continues, And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.  God was pleased with what Solomon said.  When we come to God asking for His help, is He pleased with what we ask for?  I believe that we too often are selfish in our requests.  Verse eleven declares, And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;  God listed several selfish things Solomon could have asked for but didn't.   Would God be able to say the same about us today?  Verse twelve adds, Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.  God said He had granted Solomon his request, and he would be the wisest man to ever live.  Though we may never be as wise as Solomon, we need to ask God for wisdom as we live our lives today.  Verse thirteen continues, And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.  God then said He was also going to give Solomon something he didn't ask for and make him the richest and most honored king of his time.  I wonder what God might bless us as Christians with if we asked for wisdom instead of riches and power.  Verse fourteen says, And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.  There was a condition on this promise from God, and that was that Solomon be obedient to God as David had been.  Today, if we want God's blessings, we must ne obedient to His word.  Verse fifteen adds, And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.  When Solomon awoke, he knew he was dreaming, but he went to Jerusalem and offered bunt and peace offerings to God and made a feast with all his servants.   I don't believe that he just wrote this off as a dream that meant nothing, but acknowledged that God had spoken to him in this dream.  We should always acknowledge when God speaks to us, no matter how He chooses to do so. 

1 Kings 3:1

1 Kings 3:1 says, And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.  Solomon made peace with Pharoah and took his daughter and brought her to the city of David.  Matthew Henry says this may be one instance when Solomon didn't act wisely unless she was a proselyite, which she may have been since later when speaking of foreign gods Solomon was tempted by the Egyptian gods weren't mentioned.  Still, he says this would have been a case of being unevenly yoked.  We as followers of Christ should always try to marry another Christian to avoid this.  Verse two adds, Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days.  The people sacrificed on the high places, which Matthew Henry says David never did.  David had focused worship on the Ark of the Covenant.  We need to keep our worship grounded in Jesus Christ and not just look for high places to display our worship.  Matthew Henry didn't say that Solomon was wrong in worshipping in the high places, but that there could be a temptation to worship the display of worship more than actually worshipping God.  We need to be careful that we don't start worshipping our church buildings more than we worship God.  Verse three continues, And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. We are told that Solomon loved the Lord and kept the statutes of David, and then are told only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places, which separated him from the way David worshipped.  Again, we are not told that this was wrong, only that it was different.  We may worship differently than our parents did, and there is nothing wrong with this as long as we are sincerely worshipping God and the focus is on Him. Verse four concludes, And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar. We are then told that Solomon went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices to God, because there was a great high place there.  He offered a thousand sacrifices there, which tells that he was devout in worshipping, but  he was still possibly putting too much emphasis on the fact that this was a high place.  We need to be devoted to worshipping God, but our emphasis should never be more on the location than on God Himself.

1 Kings 2:39

1 Kings 2:39 says, And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath.  Two years after Solomon told Shimei basically not to leave his house, two of his servants ran away to Gath.  Shemei then had a dilemma. This was definitely outside the area that Solomon had confined him to, but he couldn't reclaim his servants without leaving the area.  Sometimes, we may have to make a choice between obeying God oe exercising our own authority.  Verse forty adds, And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.  Shemei decided to disobey Solomon's order and go to Gath.  He went and brought his servants back.  He may have thought that Solomon wouldn't know, or if he did that because of the circumstances he would make an exception to his rule.  We may do things against God's laws today believing He will never know or that He will make an exception for us under our circumstances, but this is not going to happen.  Verse forty-one continues, And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.  Solomon was told, or found out, about what Shimei had done.  No one has to tell God in order for Him to find out if we fail to follow His commandments, because He will always know already.  Verse forty-two states, And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.  Solomon had Shemei brought to him and asked him if he hadn't been told that if he went traveling about that the day he did he would die.  One day, as followers of Christ, even though we have everlasting life, we are going to be called before God and asked about our actions.   Of course, if we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we will be called before God and asked if we didn't know that our failure to do so brought a spiritual death sentence.  Circumstances will not justify us in either case.  Verse forty-three adds, Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?  Solomon asked Shemei why he hadn't obeyed his oath to God and the commandment that Solomon himself had changed him with.  I believe one day if we have disobeyed God that He is going to ask us why. Verse forty-four continues, The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head; David reminded Shimei that he had done wickedness to David and had never been held responsible for it.  We may do great wickedness to God today and never pay for it in this lifetime, but one day, we will have to answer to Him for it.  Verse forty-five says, And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.  Just as Solomon to Shemei that he was going to be established as king before the LORD and was to be obeyed by the people of Israel, Jesus Christ has been declared the eternal King of all, even those who do not put their faith in Him.  Verse forty-six adds,  So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.  Solomon had Benaiah kill  Shimei, and Solomon's kingdom was established.   Jesus Christ's kingdom was established not by killing His enemies but by dying for them.  We either are saved by accepting His sacrifice for us on the cross, or one day we will be sent away to everlasting punishment because we didn't. 

1 Kings 2:28

1 Kings 2:28 says, Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.  Though Joab had not followed Absalom in his attempt to claim the throne, he had followed Adonijah in his.  David was close to his death by this time, so Joab may have thought it best to put his allegiance in the one who was actively claiming to be his successor.  When Joab heard that Solomon had be ordained king, he fled to the Temple and grabbed the horns of the altar.  If we have never really accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, when He returns no religious symbol is going to save us.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.  When Solomon was told what Joab had done, he sent Benaiah to fall upon him, or bring him out.  Being in the temple on the altar was not going to save him, because Joab had always been more faithful to himself than to David.   Being in a church building at the altar with a Bible in our hands will do us no good when Christ returns if we have never accepted Jesus Christ.   Verse thirty continues, And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.  When Benaiah went to get Joab, he said he wouldn't come out, but he would die where he was instead.  When Jesus returns, it will be too late to be saved, and we will die where we are.   Benaiah returned to Solomon and told him what Joab said.  When it comes to dealing with sinners who refuse to accept the salvation of Christ, we need to leave their fate up to God.  Verse thirty-one states, And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.  Solomon told Benaiah to go and slay Joab and bury him, because he had shed innocent blood for him when David was king.  Our sins will one day be dealt with forever, and if we do not have forgiveness through putting our faith in Jesus Christ, which is the only way to have forgiveness, we will face God's punishment.  Verse thirty-two adds, And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.  Solomon said that Joab would then pay for shedding the innocent blood of Abner and Amasa, which David did not know about.  One day, those sins that no one may know about will come to light.  Verse thirty-three continues, Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.  Solomon said that Joab’s sins would therefore be upon his head and upon his descendants forever, but not on David and his descendants, who would live at peace with God forever.  Of course, we are all individually responsible for our own sins.  The only way to be forgiven and live at peace with God is through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse thirty-four says, So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.  Benaiah killed Joab and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.  Unless Jesus Christ returns first, we will all one day die, and what we have decided about Jesus Christ will make all the difference.  Verse thirty-five adds, And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar. Solomon put Benaiah in charge of the army and Zadok in the place of Abiathar.  God today will call people to replace those who have died or those who were really never faithful to start with.  Verse thirty-six continues, And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.  Solomon confined Shimei to his own house and told him if he went out too far that he would die.  God will allow us to live in our own house of sin if we reject salvation, but one day we will be called out to answer for our sins. Verse thirty-seven adds, For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.  We can be certain that if we are not washed in the blood of Jesus that responsibility for our sins rests on our head.  Verse thirty-eight continues, Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.  Shimei said what Solomon had decreed was good, and we need to acknowledge that what God says is good, whether we accept it or not.

1 Kings 2:20

1 Kings 2:20 says, Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.  Bathsheba said she had one small request for Solomon, and he asked her what she wanted.  She was respectful to him and he was to her as well.  We still need respect between children and parents today, with children being told to always respect their parents and parents to not treat their children harshly.  Verse twenty-one adds, And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.   Bathsheba presented Adonijah's request that he be allowed to marry Abishag.  She evidently treated Adonijah fairly, even though she was not his mother.  Of course, I don't believe she saw the real reason behind his request.  We as parents should always treat those who are children in our family fairly, even if they are not our biological children.  Verse twenty-two continues, And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. Solomon was noted for his wisdom, and he quickly saw that Adonijah as his older brother would put himself in position to claim the throne by marrying Abishag, especially with the help of Abiathar and Joab.  We need to look for the motive behind people's actions or proposed actions today.  Verse twenty-three states, Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.  Solomon swore to God  that He should kill Solomon if Solomon did not take Adonijah's life for this action.  Adonijah was still attempting to claim the throne, and Solomon knew it.  Verse twenty-four adds, Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.   Solomon said that since God had placed him on the throne and established his house to be rulers that Adonijah would be put to death that day.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we must put to death anything that could take over His position as King of our life.  Verse twenty-five continues, And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.  Solomon sent Benaiah, and he killed Adonijah under Solomon's authorization.   If we recognize something as a threat to God's authority in our life or the life of the church overall, we need to quickly remove it.  Verse twenty-six says, And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.  Solomon then told Abiathar to go to Anathoth and his own fields.   Solomon said that because of Abiathar's supporting Adonijah in his attempt to claim the throne, that Solomon should put him to death, but because of his role as a priest under David, he wouldn't.  When it comes to forgiveness for our sins, past nor future good needs will not counteract them.  Verse twenty-seven adds, So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.  Solomon said this was also the fulfillment of God's judgment on the house of Eli, though it had taken nearly eighty years to fulfill.   God's word will always be fulfilled, no matter how long it takes for it to be.

2 Kings 2:13

2 Kings 2:13 says, And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.   Adonijah now came to Bathsheba since she was Solomon's mother and he was now king.  Some people now mistakenly pray to Mary, the mother of Jesus, believing she has influence with Him, but the are wrong.  Bathsheba had more influence with Solomon though, and she asked Adonijah if he came in peace and he said he did.  Verse fourteen adds, He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.  He then told Bathsheba that he had something to say to her, and she told him to tell her.  We should at least be willing to listen to people if the come to talk to us after we have had a problem, if the come peacefully.  Verse fifteen continues, And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s: for it was his from the LORD.  Adonijah said she knew that before the people, the kingdom was his, but before God it was Solomon's.  If we are making claims of authority in the church today, even if people approve of our doing so, we better first make sure that it is God's will that we do so. Verse sixteen declares, And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.  Adonijah said he had a request for Bathsheba and asked her to not deny him, and she told him to continue.  We should never promise to do anything without first knowing what we are promising to do and that it is in accordance with God's will.  Verse seventeen adds, And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.  Adonijah had a request that he be given Abishag, who had been David's comforter during his last days, to be his wife.  Matthew Henry says he.was doing this not because he loved Abishag, but because he hoped to use her to renew his claim to the throne.  We need to try to understand people's motives when they ask us for something today.  Verse eighteen continues, And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.  Bathsheba agreed to talk to Solomon for him.  Before we go to God, the eternal King, in prayer for someone today, we need to make sure that what we are going to ask Him is within His will.  Verse nineteen states, Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand.  

2 Kings 2:1

2 Kings 2:1, Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, David was nearing his death, so he called Solomon and charged him, or challenged him to live as God expected him to.  As we get older, knowing that the time of our death is closer, we need to challenge our children and all the younger generation to follow God's will in their lives.  Verse two adds,  I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;  David challenged Solomon to be a man after David died, as all people one day will if Jesus Christ doesn't return first.  Since no one is going to live forever on this earth, it is up to Christians to reach and encourage the next generation to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and to live by God's guidance.  Verse three continues, And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:  David charged Solomon to live by all of God's statutes and commandments and the law of Moses so that his life would prosper.  We as Christians are saved by grace, but that doesn't mean that we are not to live by God's statutes and commandments, and though we may not prosper in this lifetime, we have everlasting prosperity in the everlasting life to come.  I don't believe that we should ever make serving God about prosperity here in this lifetime.  Verse four states, That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.  David told Solomon oh God's promises to him, that if his children walked in God's way, or followed God's guidance we could say, in a personal relationship with Him, that there would always be a descendant of David's on the throne of Israel.  This culminated with Jesus Christ, an earthly descendant of David's, Who is the everlasting king.  Verse five adds, Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.  David then told Solomon that he knew what Joab had done, killing Abner and Amasa when they weren't at war with him.  Verse six continues, Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.  David told Solomon to deal with Joab in his wisdom but at the same time told him not to allow him to die in peace in his old age.  Of course, if David knew that Joab had done this, we have to wonder why he hadn't already dealt with him,  if we know someone is doing wrong today, we don't need to ignore the fact and wait for someone else to deal with it.  Verse seven says, But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.  David then told Solomon to show kindness to the sons of Barzillai, who had come to him when he was fleeing from Absalom.  If others help us in our times of need, we need show them kindness if we are later in a position to help them.  Verse eight adds, And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.  David then spoke of Shemei who had cursed him, but whom David had sworn not to kill after he came down to him.  Verse nine continues, Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.  Though David had sworn to God that He would not put Shemei to death, he was now telling Solomon to do so.  I don't believe that we as Christians should ever expect our children to avenge old harms done to us.  Verse ten states, So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.  Then, David died, which meant that Solomon was truly king.  As older Christians die,the next generation is truly in charge, which means that we need to make sure that we prepare them to be.  Verse eleven adds, And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.  David’s reign had lasted for a total of forty years, most of which had been spent at war with other countries or with his own people and children.  Though as followers of Christ we are always going to be at war with the world, we should never be at war with other Christians.  Verse twelve continues, Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. Solomon was now on the throne of David,  and his kingdom grew.  Of course as Christians, we will never be on the throne, because Jesus Christ is our everlasting King.  We simply need to be obedient to Him. 

1 Kings 1:41

1 Kings 1:41 says, And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?  As his guests and Adonijah were celebrating his proclaiming himself king,  they heard the sound of the trumpet pronouncing Solomon king.  Joab asked why there was noise from the city.  One day,those who have proclaimed themselves to be king of their own life instead of accepting Jesus Christ as their King are going to hear the trumpet sound and ask what is that noise.  Verse forty-two adds, And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.  As Joab was speaking, Jonathan the son of Abiathar a priest came there, and Adonijah told him to come in, calling him a brave man and saying he had good news to share.  We need to go to others, even if it requires bravery on our part, because as Christians we have good news to share, even if it may not be what people want to hear.  Verse forty-three continues, And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.  Jonathan told them that David had made Solomon king, just as we should tell people that the Heavenly Father has made Jesus Christ the everlasting king.  Verse forty-four states, And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mule:  Jonathan continued to tell of the events surrounding Solomon being ordained by David, including his riding on David's mule accompanied by Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites.  The people around Solomon were pleased with his being made king, and we want to be a part of those who have proclaimed Jesus Christ as King and should be very pleased that he has been. Verse forty-five adds, And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.  Jonathan told them that Zadok and Nathan, a priest and prophet, had anointed Solomon king in Gihon, and that the people were rejoicing and this was the noise that they heard.  People should hear Christians rejoicing today because Jesus Christ is their king.  Verse forty-six continues, And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom.  Adonijah may have been ready to proclaim himself king, but Solomon had already been anointed and was sitting on the throne.  People may anoint themselves or someone else king today, but Jesus Christ has already been anointed by God and is sitting on the throne.  Verse forty-seven says, And moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed.  Jonathan then said David's servants came to bless him, but also prayed that Solomon would be even greater than David and David bowed himself to Solomon.  Jesus Christ is indeed greater than anyone who came before Him or anyone who has come since Him, so if we would be a part of God's kingdom, we must bow to Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse forty-eight adds, And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.  Jonathan then said that David gave God the credit for Solomon being anointed king, just as we must give God the credit for Jesus Christ being our King as His followers.   Verse forty-nine continues,  And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.  Adonijah's guest were afraid and went their own way.  When Jesus Christ returns as the Eternal King, those who have not put their faith in Him will be very afraid as they are sent on their way to everlasting punishment separated from Him.  Verse fifty states, And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.  Adonijah was afraid and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.  If we have been following anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ, we need to be afraid and go to the altar of God looking for forgiveness and redemption.  Verse fifty-one adds, And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.  Solomon was told what was happening with Adonijah and was asked to swear that he would not kill Adonijah.  When we come to the altar of Christ asking for forgiveness, no matter how much we have fought against Him in the past, we need to realize that He does not want to kill us but to redeem us.  Verse fifty-two continues, And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.  Solomon said that if Adonijah proved worthy not a hair on his head would be harmed, but if wickedness was found in him, he would die. Even as followers of Christ, wickedness was at least found in us before we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and we were worthy only of death spiritually.  Once we accept Him, of our own merit, we are still only worthy of death, but have everlasting life through His sacrifice of Himself on the cross for our sins.  Still, though forever forgiven, we need to always try to live worthy of His sacrifice by the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse fifty-three concludes, So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.  Solomon sent people to bring Adonijah down from the altar and he came to Solomon and bowed to him, even though he had started the day attempting to proclaim himself as king.  We as Christians must come down from our own desires and bow to Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Solomon then sent Adonijah on his way.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our King, He will send us on our way to do the work that He has called us to do.

1 Kings 1:32

1 Kings 1:32 says, And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.  David called Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, a military leader, to him.  These were God's representatives and the military leader who had not followed Adonijah.  When we are looking for successors in the church today, we must look to God first and also to other Christians we feel certain are following His leadership.  Verse thirty-three adds, The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:  David told them to take his servants and go get Solomon and bring him to Gihon riding on David's own mule.  Matthew Henry says David did not keep a herd of horses as Solomon would.  Still, since Solomon would be accompanied by David’s servants and riding his mule, it would show David’s endorsement of Solomon.  I don't believe we should ever keep things that may look better when something less  expensive is just as good if not better to meet our needs.  Verse thirty-four continues, And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. David told Zadok and Nathan to anoint Solomon king there at Gibon and then sound the trumpet and pronounce Solomon as king so that the people would be able to hear that he was the new king.  We need to make sure that we have God's endorsement of church leaders, but more importantly we need to accept Jesus Christ as the King of our life and let the world know that He is.  Verse thirty-five states, Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.  David said that they should then bring Solomon to sit on his throne, because he had anointed Solomon to replace him as king.  As Christians, we have replaced everyone and everything else with Jesus Christ as our King, and He can never be replaced.   Verse thirty-six adds, And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.  Benaiah said that they would do as David said, because God had said this was what needed to be done.  He may not have been one of the religious leaders, but he recognized God's will.  We may not be a leader in the church today, but as Christians we must still be able to know God's will is being followed when we select our leaders.  Verse thirty-seven continues, As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.  Benaiah then asked that God be with Solomon as He had been with David and to make Solomon's rule even greater than David’s had been.  As Christians, we should always pray that the next preacher or religious leader will help God's kingdom grow even larger, but our King, Jesus Christ, will never change.  Verse thirty-eight says, So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.  Those that David had commissioned to go get Solomon did as he had instructed them to do.  We as followers of Christ should always do what He leads us to do through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.  Zadok anointed Solomon as king, and they blew the trumpet to announce the fact while also proclaiming, "God save king Solomon."  I believe that this was a pronouncement that this was not only David’s will, but was God's as well.  Whatever we do as Christians, we need to make sure that is not just the will of some person or group of people but that it is God's will first,  Verse forty continues, And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.  The people followed after Solomon rejoiced so greatly that it shook the earth.  We need this same kind of praise for our King, Jesus Christ, today. 

1 Kings 1:23

1 Kings 1:23 says, And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.  After Bathsheba told David what was happening, Nathan came in, as he had arranged to do before hand.  Verse twenty-four adds, And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?  Nathan first asked David if he had said Adonijah would succeed him as king.  He allowed David to make the decision instead of just telling him what was happening.  We cannot make the decision to accept salvation for anyone else, but we must always present accepting the gospel as what it is, their choice.  Verse twenty-five continues, For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.  Nathan then told David about Adonijah having a feast with several of David's key people and declaring himself king.  Sometimes today, in government or even in the church, someone will attempt to declare themselves ruler, even if they have not been selected by the people.   Verse twenty-six states, But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.  Nathan then said that Zadok the priest, Benaiah, Solomon and Nathan himself had not been called.  If something is happening that isn't in accordance with God's will, we want to be like those who were with Nathan and not a part of the crowd who are acting against God's will.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?  Nathan then asked David if he had endorsed Adonijah to be king and not told Nathan.  Today, when we see someone attempting to grab a position of power, we as followers of Christ need to ask God if it is His will.  Verse twenty-eight declares, Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king.  David told Nathan to call Bathsheba, who had evidently left the room, and she came to him.  When there are decisions to be made today, whether they are big or little decisions, Godcwill always call Christians to come to Him for answers, and we simply need to come in faith.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,  David told Bathsheba God had redeemed his soul out of distress, even though he had allowed himself to turn away from God when he first saw her.  We have to assume that after the death of their first child that God had forgiven them, and even if we start in disobedience to God's will, if we repent, we can be forgiven and restored to Him by asking forgiveness and putting our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse thirty continues, Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.  David told Bathsheba just as he had sworn to God that Solomon would reign that day.  What we promise to God we always need to fulfill if we can, and we must do it by His power and leadership.  David said he had also promised this to Bathsheba, but his promise to God was the one that ultimately was of importance.  Verse thirty-one concludes, Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.  Bathsheba bowed in reverence to David and asked that he live forever, even though that is never going to happen in this lifetime.  Likewise, we as followers of Christ must bow in reverence to God, because He does live forever. 

1 Kings 1:11

1 Knigs 1:11 says, Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?  Nathan spoke to Bathsheba about the fact that Adonijah without David’s knowledge had pronounced himself David’s successor as king, and asked if she as Solomon's mother had not heard this.  We, as God's people, need to be aware of what is going on in the church today, especially when it comes to the leadership of the church.  Verse twelve adds, Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. Nathan told Bathsheba to listen to his counsel in order to save her life and the life of Solomon.  Of course, the only advice that we can give anyone today in order to save their life spiritually is to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.  Verse thirteen continues, Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?  Nathan told Bathsheba to go to David and ask him why Adonijah was reigning as king since David had promised her that Solomon would reign.  We actually have no record of David doing this, but he may have.  We may have no record of certain people hearing the gospel, but they may have.  This should never stop us from sharing the gospel though.  Verse fourteen states, Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.  Nathan said that whils Bathsheba was talking to David, he would come in and confirm her worlds.  Matthew Henry says that Nathan knew that it was God's will for Solomon, whom David had called Jedidiah, meaning Beloved of Jehovah, to be the next king, even if Solomon himself seemed to be somewhat indifferent to the situation.  We need to do all that we can in order to ensure that the people that God calls are really in place in the church.  Matthew Henry also said that Nathan seemingly coming to him almost by accident at the same time Bathsheba was there asking about Solomon would be seen as a sign from God that what she was saying was God's will, which it really was.  Verse fifteen adds, And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.  Bathsheba went into David's chamber as Abishag ministered to his needs, and Bathsheba was not upset about this, but humbled herself before David.  Verse sixteen continues, And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?  After Bathsheba humbled herself before David, he asked her what she wanted.  Even though David had desired Bathsheba enough to have her husband killed, they were now old and evidently weren't that close at this time.  Of course,  David had not really followed God's design for marriage to start with.  Verse seventeen declares, And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.  Bathsheba said that David had sworn by the LORD his God that Solomon would succeed his as king.  Again, we have no record of this happening, but can assume that maybe it did. Verse eighteen adds, And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:  Bathsheba said that Adonijah had assumed the throne and David didn't even know about it and therefore couldn't have endorsed it.  Once more, I say that we must know what is going on in the church today to keep it true to God's will.  Verse nineteen continues, And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called.  Bathsheba said that Adonijah was throwing a feast for  Abiathar the priest, Joab the head of David's army, and all David’s sons except Solomon in attendance.  This would seem to indicate that Adonijah knew Solomon was supposed to succeed David.  It shouldn't matter to us how many people in a position of power are endorsing a certain person or position in the church today if we know that what they are doing is not in accordance with God's will.  Verse twenty states, And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.  Bathsheba said that all of Israel was looking to David for him to name his successor.  We must look to our King, Jesus Christ, to name the next leaders in the church today.  Verse twenty-one adds, Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.  Bathsheba then told David that if he didn't take action and name Solomon as the next king, that when he died, she and Solomon would be sseen as offenders to Adonijah who had claimed the throne. since Solomon was supposed to be the next king. We need to pray that Christians who are being true to God's word will never be seen as offenders in the church today, but if we allow error into the church, we may.  Verse twenty-two continues, And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.  As planned, while Bathsheba was still speaking to David,  Nathan came in to him as well.  It is always good to have fellow Christians stand with us as we are presenting God's truth to the world, especially if many others who profess to be Christians are teaching something else.

1 Kings 1:5

1Kings 1:5 says, Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty before him.  David was now old, and another of his sons, his fourth born, decided that he would be king, and declared himself so, and armed himself with chariots and men.  David seemed to have a lot of problems with many of his sons.  Just because our father served as an important part of the church doesn't mean we can just assume his position when he gets old or dies.  God must call us to that position and we see nothing in this account about God choosing Adonijah to replace David.  We also need to understand that just because we are a Christian it doesn't mean that we won't have problems with our children.  Verse six adds, And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.  David had not displeased Adonijah at any time, though Matthew Henry says he had likely displeased David many times.  Our children may even look up to us and yet not do what God expects them to do.  Verse seven continues, And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.  Adonijah talked with Joab and Abiathar the priest and got them to support him.  Joab, as the head of the army might have just expected Adonijah to be the next king, but Abiathar as a priest should have consulted God about it.  We as followers of Christ are a part of the priesthood of believers, and we should never make any decisions without consulting God first.  Verse eight states, But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.  One military man and one priest might have supported Adonijah, but one priest, Zadok, and a prophet, Nathan, and three of David's mighty men, Benaiah, Shimei and Rei, didn't.  Sometimes, we may have divisions in the church today, but if we do, we need to be on the side following God.  Verse nine adds, And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah the king’s servants:  Adonijah prepared a feast and called all his brothers, the people of Judah, and the David's servants to it.  Matthew Henry says he was trying to win them over to support him by having this feast.  People still try to use their money and position to influence others to support them in whatever they may be doing or proposing to do.  Verse ten continues, But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.  Nathan, Benaiah, David’s mighty men, and Solomon were not invited to join Adonijah at this feast.  Unless we know for a fact that someone who is attempting to assume a position of power in the church today is acting under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, even if they attempt to influence people to support them by using some material method, we are better off not being invited and should not join them if we are unless we have sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit and been assured that we should. 

1kings 1:1

1 Kings 1:1 says, Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.   By now, David was old and couldn't stay warm.  The inability to stay warm seems to be a common malady of many older people today, but we need to make sure that we don't become spiritually cold as well as we get older.  That fire to do God's will should still burn.  Verse two adds, Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.  David’s servants had a solution to his being cold, though we are not told that they consulted God about this.  They proposed a young virgin be brought to cherish David and lie with him and keep him warm.  I would assume that at least some of his wives or concubines would have been alive, and we know that Bathhseba was at least, who could have fulfilled this role.  I can say that we should never do anything outside of God's will to meet a physical need, and we certainly shouldn't involve others if we do.  Verse  three continues, So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.  After their search, Abishag, a Shunammite, was chosen.   We are not told that she had any choice in this matter, and we certainly should not attempt to force others into doing anything that is not in God's will.  Verse four concludes, And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.  Abishag was very fair in looks and evidently cherished David in a platonic relationship.  Even if people are content in a relationship that God has not called them to, that doesn't make it right.  

2 Samuel review concluded

We are told of Nathan's getting David to condemn himself for having Uriah killed in order to have Bathsheba as his wife.  When we are condemning others for their sins, when it comes to deserving condemnation by God, as Nathan told David, You (we) are the man, or woman.  We have no right to condemn others.  We are also told of the death of the child of David and Bathsheba, and our sins may often affect innocent people.  In the first part of David's time as the anointed king of Israel, he spent a lot of time running from Saul, and later he was running from his own son Absalom, who attempted to make himself king.  We will always have someone who is waiting to destroy our Christian life as long as we are committed to doing God's will.  David allowed the death of Absalom to almost destroy him as he neglected those who had brought him victory.  We should never mourn the loss of people or things that would destroy us spiritually to the point where we ignore all the good people and things that God has blessed us with.  David also wanted to build a house of God, a temple, but God prevented him from doing so.  We may have a desire to do some particular thing for God, but we need to make sure that it is something God wants us to do before we do it.  David was nearly always at war during his time as king, and we can be certain that we are always going to be at war against evil in this lifetime.  Still, in spite of his failures, David was known as a man after God's own heart.  As followers of Christ, we are going to fail to remain true to God at times, but we must still live our life as people after God's own heart.  God's grace should always be at the center of our heart.  Next, we will look at 1Kings.

2 Samuel Reviewr continued

We learned of David mourning the death of Abner, even though he had once been David's enemy.  I believe Abner was honestly doing what he believed to be the right thing to do when he set Ishbosheth up as king, but it still wasn't God's will.  Sometimes,  Christians will oppose each other both thinking they are doing what God wants, though only one can be right.  That doesn't mean we shouldn't mourn them when they die, especially if we have been reconciled.  Then, we have the record of the death of Ishbosheth and the death of the two who killed him, who came to David expecting him to be pleased by their killing Ishbosheth.  I believe that they were looking for self-glory, but were killed instead.  David was always reluctant to act against his own people.  We should never take action against others seeking self-glory, and we certainly should not do so without making sure it is God's will that we do so.  After this all the people of Israel came to David and made him king.  David was thirty at the time, and several years had passed from the time Samuel under God's guidance had anointed him king.  Sometimes, it may take a while for us to fulfill the role that God has called us to.  The Philistines were still at war with Israel and David and his forces were still consistently defeating them.  We as Christians are always going to be at war with the world, but through faith in God we should be consistently defeating them at least spiritually.  David recovered the Ark of the Covenant, but didn't really want to have anything to do with it personally. He left it with Obededom for three months and God blessed Obededom.  When we take care of the things of God, He will bless us at least spiritually.   When David did have the Ark returned to Jerusalem, he danced in joy and was ridiculed by Michal.  We should never ridicule others for joyously celebrating in the Lord.  Because of her actions, Michal had no children.  Actions bring consequences in this lifetime, even if we are followers of Christ.  When David inquired of God about building Him a house, he was told that one of his descendants would do it, and that God had established the house off David to rule forever, and this promise was fulfilled through Jesus Christ, a descendant of David.  David continued to fight with and defeat the Philistines, just as we will never destroy all of the enemies of God today and will always be at war with them.  David also asked if any of Saul's descendants were alive, so that he might honor Jonathan by taking care of them, and only lame Mephibosheth remained, so David honored him by giving him his own land and having him eat at David’s own table.  We might have expected David to kill all of Saul's descendants since they could make a claim to the throne, but he was looking to honor them instead because of his relationship with Jonathan. Since we are all followers of Christ as Christians, we should never seek the destruction of other Christians, even if we are having problems with them.  David was not just at war with the Philistines, but with other countries as well,some of which he had attempted be nice to.  We can expect to have more than one enemy today as followers of Christ.  We are told of David's relationship with Bathsheba and his treachery in having Uriah her husband killed after she became pregnant when Uriah could not have been the father and David was unable to get him to place himself in a position where he could have been.  What began with a lustful look ended with a treacherous murder.  What starts as a small sin may often end with even greater sins.

2 Samuel Review

The first thing to acknowledge is that Samuel had died before events in the book of 2 Samuel occurred.   Still, his influence on the events was still felt, because he had anointed David as King.  Our deeds for God should outlast us.  We first find the record of the death of Saul and Jonathan, and the young man bringing what he thought would be good news to David, but David had never sought Saul's death.  I don't believe that the death of our worst enemy who dies without salvation should ever be considered good news to Christians.  The young man who had killed Saul and brought David the news was killed because he had killed God's anointed.  We will one day have to answer to God, and it is because of His mercy that we have forgiveness if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, since we in effect killed Him, God's anointed.  Instead of just assuming the role of king, even though he had already been anointed, David asked God if he should do so.  Even if we believe that God has called us to a particular place or service in the church, we need to pray and make sure that He has and that it is time to so.  God told David to go to Judah and he went.  When David sent word to Israel that Saul was dead and he had been anointed king by Judah and invited them to join him, Abner, Saul’s captain, opposed him.  He thought one of Saul's relatives should be king and not David.   We should not be surprised if some people oppose us as we do what God has called us to do today.  Abner, not God, anointed Ishbosheth, Saul's son, as king.  We need to make sure that we are never guilty of doing what we want instead of what God ordained.  This was the first time someone opposed David as king after Saul's death, but it wasn't the last.  We have a record of a battle between Abner’s forces representing Saul’s house and Joab’s forces representing David, and Abner’s forces lost.  They should have been united under David and fighting together against the Philistines instead of fighting each other.  We as Christians today should likewise be united in fighting against the enemies of God and never be guilty of fighting each other instead.  Asahel pursued Abner, and even though he didn't want to, Abner killed Asahel.  This would Abner lead to problems later on with Joab.  We also know that later Abner would be reconciled to David and placed in charge of his army, but Joab would murder him to avenge Asahel's death.  Though Abner had only killed Asahel in self-defense, Joab did not forgive him.  Some people today, even those who are or profess to be Christians refuse to forgive others, and some even do everything they can to destroy them. 

2 Samuel 24:17

2 Samuel 24:17 says, And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.  As the angel of the LORD was destroying the people of Israel, David confessed his sins to God and said that they weren't guilty.  He then asked that the punishment come on him and his father’s house.  If our sins are leading others to suffer, then we need to acknowledge our sins and pray that they no longer suffer because of them.  Verse eighteen continues, And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.  Gad, David’s wise man, told him to build an altar to God on the threshingfloor of Araunah, a proselyite according to Matthew Henry.  If we have truly repented of our sins, then our actions should begin to bring honor to God and we should worship at His altar.  Verse nineteen states,And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.  David did as God through Gad had commanded.  Though God's word may be spoken to us by others, we must recognize it when it is and act on it by the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty adds, And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.  When Araunah saw David, the king, coming, he went out and bowed himself humbly before him.  When we meet Jesus, the eternal King, we must humbly bow ourselves before Him if we are to be saved.  Of course, we must first recognize Him for Who He is for this to happen.  Verse twenty-one says, And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.  Araunah asked David why he had come to him, and David said to buy his threshingfloor to build an altar to God so the plaque on Israel could be stopped.  Though we cannot buy salvation, we should be willing to pay whatever we can to bring the gospel of Christ to others.  Verse twenty-two adds, And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.  Araunah offered to give David everything he needed in order to make the sacrifice.  We might be willing to pay the price for someone's salvation, but salvation does not work that way.  Though salvation is free to anyone who accepts it, each person must give all that they have to God when they accept it.  Verse twenty-three continues, All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.  Araunah offered to give this all to David.  Again, we might be willing to give everything we have to ensure the salvation of others, but we cannot pay for their sins.  Only Jesus Christ can and each person must accept His sacrifice for themselves in order to be saved.  Verse twenty-four states, And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.  David told Araunah that he could not accept his offer, but he must pay the cost of his own sin.  As already stated, no one can accept salvation for us even if they are willing to do so, and we cannot buy it.  Still, we should give everything we own in this world to God as we use it to carry out God's work.  David paid Araunah for the threshingfloor.  Verse twenty-five adds, And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.  After David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, God stopped the plague on Israel.  If we as a nation were to sincerely individually and collectively repent and offer sacrifices to God and commit to doing His will, the plague of sin would be stopped. 

2 Samuel 24:10

2 Samuel 24:10 says, And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.  David realized that he had done foolishly by numbering the people of Israel, since God had not told him to do so.  Matthew Henry says David had numbered the people of Israel out of self-pride and because of this it was wrong.  Anytime we count attendance in church for reasons of self-pride, we need to repent for doing so, although I don't believe counting attendance is necessarily wrong.  Verse eleven adds, For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,  When David was up in the morning, God's word came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer and not to David himself.  As followers of Christ, we don't need a seer or anyone else to tell us God's will for our life.  God will speak directly to us.  Verse twelve continues, Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.   God told Gad to go to David and tell him he had three choices as punishment for his sin.  Still, there is really only one choice for anyone to find forgiveness from sin, and that is by putting one's faith in Jesus Christ.  There are no more options.  Verse thirteen states, So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.  Gad told David that God gave him three choices for punishment, and two involved all the people of Israel more than they did David himself.  We cannot expect others to bear responsibility for our sins.  Only Jesus Christ can, and we must personally confess our sins and put our faith in Him to claim this forgiveness.  Verse fourteen adds, And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.  David said he didn't know for sure what the best choice was, so let him fall into the hand of God and not the hand of man.  Any of these things would decrease David’s self-pride.  God may at times today have to allow us to be defeated materially in order to decrease our self-pride, but if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, He will never allow us to be defeated spiritually.  All of these choices were for a limited time period and not forever.  Verse fifteen continues, So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.  God sent a pestilence on the people and seventy thousand men died.  We might think this to be an unfair punishment, but we need to remember that God sees things from an eternal perspective.  Verse sixteen says, And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.  When the angel of the Lord was about to destroy Jerusalem, God said that enough punishment had occurred and stopped him.  We need to understand that one angel carried out God's punishment of David and that the angel was totally obedient to God.  God has already pronounced the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to be enough punishment for the sins of mankind, and if we put our faith in Him, we will never face everlasting punishment of our soul.

2 Samuel 24:1

2 Samuel 24:1 says, And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.  Matthew Henry says that God was angry because David was going to number the people and later verses seem to bear this out.  God was once again angry with Israel, and it seems He told David to go and number Israel and Judah.  Matthew Henry says David’s arrogance and not God led him to do this.  Though they were called God's people, they were often His people in name only.  We today cannot afford to be the same way.  Verse two adds, For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.  David told Joab, the captain of his army, to go and number all the people of Israel, though David didn't tell Joab why he wanted him to do this.  Verse three continues, And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?  Joab, who seemed to question David’s authority a good bit, asked David why he wanted to do this, since David’s God, as Joab referred to Him, would add to the people as He saw fit.  David still didn't give Joab a reason as to why he was doing this.  Leaders of the church today may not always feel the need to tell us why they are doing a particular thing, but we need to pray that it is always because God has commanded them to.  Verse four concludes, Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.  It seems that Joab and the captains of the army all questioned David, but David’s will prevailed.  David may have truly believed that he was doing God's will, but it would seem that this really wasn't the case.  Verse five states, And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer:  Though he questioned David, Joab and those who were to help him passed over Jordan to begin counting the people.  If we truly believe that religious leaders are calling on us to do something that we believe is against God's will, we should not only question them, but should refuse to do what they ask.  Verse six adds, Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan, and about to Zidon,  Matthew Henry points out that they began the count in the most distant parts of Israel.  Verse seven continues, And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beersheba.  They continued their count throughout Israel.  Verse eight says, So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.  It took them nine months and twenty days to complete the count, by which time it was likely no longer accurate.  Some people where they first counted would have been born and others died by the time over nine months had passed.  Though I see no problem with counting attendance and membership in the local church today, we need to pray that after over nine months that it will have increased.  Verse nine adds, And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.  Joab took the count to David, and from the way it is stated, these must have been the men over twenty capable of going to war.  Though the count was divided between the people of Israel and the people of Judah, they were all part of the same nation in God's sight.  We as followers of Christ may divide ourselves by country or denomination here in the world, but we are still all a part of the same family of God. 

2 Samuel 23:24

1 Samuel 23:24 says, Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, These next several verses are a listing of the thirty military leaders who were under the three main rulers.  Joab’s brother Asahel was one of them, though Joab himself was really not listed anywhere, though he was over the whole army.  Matthew Henry says he was a great general but not a good man, having murdered two of David's friends.  Even if we do great things for God, if we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we still are not a part of the family of God and will not have our name written in the Book of Life.  Verse twenty-five adds, Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,  Verse twenty-six continues, Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,  Verse twenty-seven states, Abiezer the Anethothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,  Verse twenty-eight adds, Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,  Verse twenty nine continues, Heleb the son of Baanah, a Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai out of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,  Verse thirty says, Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,  Verse thirty-one adds, Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,  Verse thirty-two adds, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,  Verse thirty-three continues, Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,   Verse thirty-four states, Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,  Verse thirty-five adds, Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,  Verse thirty-six continues, Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,  Verse thirty-seven says, Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armourbearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah,  Verse thirty-eight adds, Ira an Ithrite, Gareb an Ithrite,  Verse thirty-nine concludes, Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.  This concluded the mention of all those who served as leaders of David's army.  We need to hope that one day our name will be written down as one of those who served in God's army.

2 Samuel 23:18

2 Samuel 23:18 says, And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three.  David then spoke of Abishai, Joab’s brother, being the chief of the three.  He had slain three hundred Philistines at one time.  Verse nineteen adds, Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.  David said for this reason Abishai was the captain over the forces, but not of the first three.  Though he ruled over most, some were still equal to him in position or rank.  Some people are still placed by God in positions of power over others, but none will ever be equal to God.  Verse twenty states, And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:  Next, David referred to the actions of Benaiah who killed two lionlike men of Moab and a lion in the time of snow.  These acts were not noted because of the number of people or even animals that Benaiah killed, but because of how powerful they were.  Sometimes, it is not how many enemies of God we defeat but how powerful they are in the world that sets us aside from others.  Verse twenty-one adds, And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.  We are told of another time when Benaiah took a sword away from an Egyptian and killed him with his own sword.  As long as we remain faithful to God, we don't have to have superior weapons to defeat our enemies.  Verse twenty-two continues, These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among three mighty men.  Though he was not a part of the three mighty men, he was noted by them.  Matthew Henry says for these acts that David preferred Benaiah as captain of his life-guard or standing forces.  As we engage in war against Satan and his forces today, some of us may need to guard the home front more than going out to meet them on the battleground.  Verse twenty-three concludes, He was more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard.  David said Benaiah was more honorable than the thirty, the next group in order of power but he was not equal to the three.  No matter where we rank in God's army, we need to boldly face the enemy.  We should never seek self-glorification for serving God. 

2 Samuel 23:8

2 Samuel 23:8 says, These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.  We are told of some of the mighty men of David and what they had done in battle, beginning with chief among the captains, Afion, who had killed eight hundred men at once.  Matthew Henry points out that we had heard nothing of these three men before, so the exploits of David may have been even greater than what we have recorded.  As stated before, many of God's great warriors may never get recognition in this lifetime, or if they do it may be long after their actual feats of bravery.  Verse nine adds, And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:  Verse ten continues, He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.  Next was Eleazor, one of three mighty men with David who were in a battle with the Philistines at a time when the rest of the army of Israel wasn't with them. He killed Philistines until his hand was weary, under God's power, and God gave him a great victory that day.  We may be outnumbered in our fight against Satan and his forces today, but by the power of God if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we will be victorious.  Verse eleven states, And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.  Verse twelve adds, But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.  Next was Shammah,  who stood against the Philistines to protect a piece of ground of the Israelites when once again the rest of the army wasn't around, having fled in fear.  Even if we stand alone, we should always stand with God and He has already given us the everlasting victory.  We really have no record of these battles except for their being referred to here, and many of the battles fought for God today may never be noted by the rest of the world.  Verse thirteen says, And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim.  Verse fourteen adds, And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.  Then, we have a reference to an event that happened when David was in a hold in the cave of Adullam, most likely during the time he was hiding from Saul, and the Philistines were in the valley of Rephaim.  Verse fifteen continues, And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!   David began to desire some water from the well in Bethlehem, but the Philistines were between the well and him.  David was allowing his desire to impact Him.  We need to be careful that as Christians we don't become too desirous of the things of the world.  Verse sixteen states, And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.  Three of David's mighty men broke through the Philistines to get him some of the water.  They put themselves in danger to fulfill David’s desire, and we should never expect any of our fellow Christians to put themselves in danger to fulfill some desire that we have.  Even though David had not asked them to do this, he had shared his desire for the water with them.  Verse seventeen adds, And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.  When these three men returned with the water, David refused to drink it because it had been obtained by these men putting themselves in danger simply to fulfill his desire.  We should certainly never attempt to have other believers fulfill our desires by putting themselves in danger.  It is one thing to risk one's life in a battle that is necessary, but it is something totally different to do so simply to fulfill our desires. 

2 Samuel 23:1

2 Samuel 23:1 says, Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,  We are told that these were the last words of David, who had been raised up to a high position and anointed king of Israel by God.  He was also noted as the sweet psalmist of Israel.  Our last words may not be noted, but we are raised up high if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, and though we are not made a king, we are a child of the King, which is all that really matters.  Verse two adds, The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.  David said the Spirit of the LORD spoke to him and put His words on David’s tongue.  We, as Christians, should be guided by the Holy Spirit in all that we say and do.  Verse three continues, The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.  David said that God, the Rock of Israel, told him that people must be just in ruling over Israel.  We need rulers in the world today who rule based on justice and never see themselves as above it, and justice should be God's justice and not their own.  Verse four states, And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.  David compared the leader to a sunny day and to grass shining after the rain.  I believe he was saying that a Godly leader should bring good things to those that he or she serves over instead of gloom and doom.  Verse five adds, Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.  David said that his house, his children, were not as dedicated to God as they should have been and were not going to grow.  The time of their rule here on earth was coming to an end.  Even if we are devoted to God, our children may not be, but even if they are, our days on earth are numbered.  David also said that he had an everlasting covenant with God that was all for his salvation and this was fulfilled through Jesus Christ, a descendant of David.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we enter into this same everlasting covenant with God. Verse six continues, But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:  David said that the sons of Belial would always cause problems for those who are serving God.  We as Christians need to understand that we will always face opposition from the world.  Satan and his forces will always be at work attempting to keep people from accepting salvation and trying to keep those who have from being effective in doing God's work.  Verse seven concludes, But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.  David said that those who would touch God's people to destroy them must be utterly destroyed and then burned with fire.  As I have stated before, I don't believe that we as Christians are called on to destroy our enemies, but we can also be certain that if we are faithful to God, He has spiritually fenced them in and one day they will be cast into the lake of fire forever.