Today's Scripture: I Kings 2:1-14
I Kings 2:1 The time came near for David to die; so he commissioned Shlomo his son as follows: 2 “I am going the way of all the earth. Therefore, be strong; show yourself a man. 3 Observe the charge of Adonai your God to go in his ways and keep his regulations, mitzvot, rulings and instructions in accordance with what is written in the Torah of Moshe; so that you will succeed in all you do and wherever you go. 4 If you do, Adonai will fulfill what he promised me when he said, ‘If your children pay attention to how they live, conducting themselves before me honestly with all their heart and being, you will never lack a man on the throne of Isra’el.’
5 “Moreover, you are aware of what Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah did to me, that is, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Isra’el, Avner the son of Ner and ‘Amasa the son of Yeter — he killed them, shedding the blood of war in peacetime, putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet. 6 Therefore, act according to your wisdom; don’t let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.
7 “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gil‘adi. Include them with those who eat at your table, because they came and stood with me when I was fleeing from Avshalom your brother.
8 “Finally, you have with you Shim‘i the son of Gera the Binyamini, from Bachurim. He laid a terrible curse on me when I was on my way to Machanayim; but he came down to meet me at the Yarden; so I swore to him by Adonai that I would not have him put to death with the sword. 9 Now, however, you should not let him go unpunished. You are a wise man, and you will know what you should do to him — you will bring his gray head down to the grave with blood.”
10 Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. 11 David had ruled Isra’el for forty years — seven years in Hevron and thirty-three years in Yerushalayim.
12 Shlomo sat on the throne of David his father; and his rule had become firmly established, 13 when Adoniyah the son of Haggit came to Bat-Sheva the mother of Shlomo. She asked, “Have you come as a friend?” He answered, “Yes, as a friend.” 14 Then he continued, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Go on.”
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John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for I Kings 2:1-14
Verse 2
[2] I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;
I go the way, … — Even the sons and heirs of heaven, must go the way of all the earth, of all who dwell thereon. But they walk with pleasure in this way, thro' the valley of the shadow of death. Prophets, yea kings must go this way to brighter light and honour than prophecy or sovereignty.
Be strong — For, to govern his people according to the law of God, requires great fortitude, or strength of mind.
And a man — In manly wisdom, and courage, and constancy, though thou art but young in years.
Verse 3
[3] 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:
The law — Which the prince was enjoined to transcribe and read, Deuteronomy 17:11, that be might govern his own and his peoples actions by it.
Mayest profit — Or, behave thyself prudently. Hereby he intimates, that religion is the truest reason of state, and that all true wisdom and good success depend upon piety.
Verse 4
[4] 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.
Confirm his word — Fulfil his promise, the condition upon which it was suspended, being performed.
Verse 5
[5] 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.
To me — That is, against me; in what he did against Abner and Amasa: whose death was a great injury to David, as it was a breach of his laws and peace; a contempt of his person and government; a pernicious example to his subjects, and a great scandal to him, as if Joab had been only David's instrument, to affect what he secretly designed.
And shed — He slew them as if they had been in the state of war, when there was not only a cessation of arms, but also a treaty of peace.
Put the blood — This is added to note his impenitency, that although by his perfidious manner of killing them when he pretended to embrace them, he stained his own garments with their blood, yet he was not ashamed of it, but gloried in it, and marched boldly along with the army, with the same girdle and shoes which were sprinkled with their blood.
Verse 6
[6] Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
Do therefore — That is, what in reason and justice thou seest fit. For tho' I was forced to forbear him, yet I never forgave him; punish him according to his demerits.
Verse 7
[7] 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.
For so — With such kindness.
Verse 8
[8] 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.
I will not, … — The words are, The king said unto Shimei, thou shalt not die: and the king sware unto him, 2 Samuel 19:23. The oath, we see, was absolute. It was not, "I will not put thee to death now." or, "I will not put thee to death with the sword." But who can reconcile his charge to Solomon with this oath? Surely, considering the time of that charge, this next to the matter of Uriah, is the greatest blemish in all David's life.____________________________
Daily Devotion:
Monday, June 1, 2015
- What types of emotions are there when life-changes occur
- What can we learn?
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
- What kind of loyalty does Elisha show to
Elijah as they transition leadership? - Why?
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Text to read: I Kings 2:1-14
- How do you suppose the people around
Elijah felt about this transition?
Thursday, June 4, 2015
- What meaning is there when Elisha asks for a “double portion?”
- What can we learn from this?
Friday, June 5, 2015
- As our church faces transitions, what can we learn from this story?
Saturday, June 6, 2015
- What part of the change from Elijah to Elisha is consistent?
- In other words, what does NOT change?
Sunday, June 7, 2015
First United Methodist Church
2111 Camino del Rio South
San Diego, California 92108 United States
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Sermon Story "Instruction from a Dying Person" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 7 June 2015 with Scripture: I Kings 2:1 The time came near for David to die; so he commissioned Shlomo his son as follows: 2 “I am going the way of all the earth. Therefore, be strong; show yourself a man. 3 Observe the charge of Adonai your God to go in his ways and keep his regulations, mitzvot, rulings and instructions in accordance with what is written in the Torah of Moshe; so that you will succeed in all you do and wherever you go. 4 If you do, Adonai will fulfill what he promised me when he said, ‘If your children pay attention to how they live, conducting themselves before me honestly with all their heart and being, you will never lack a man on the throne of Isra’el.’
5 “Moreover, you are aware of what Yo’av the son of Tz’ruyah did to me, that is, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Isra’el, Avner the son of Ner and ‘Amasa the son of Yeter — he killed them, shedding the blood of war in peacetime, putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet. 6 Therefore, act according to your wisdom; don’t let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.
7 “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gil‘adi. Include them with those who eat at your table, because they came and stood with me when I was fleeing from Avshalom your brother.
8 “Finally, you have with you Shim‘i the son of Gera the Binyamini, from Bachurim. He laid a terrible curse on me when I was on my way to Machanayim; but he came down to meet me at the Yarden; so I swore to him by Adonai that I would not have him put to death with the sword. 9 Now, however, you should not let him go unpunished. You are a wise man, and you will know what you should do to him — you will bring his gray head down to the grave with blood.”
10 Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. 11 David had ruled Isra’el for forty years — seven years in Hevron and thirty-three years in Yerushalayim.
12 Shlomo sat on the throne of David his father; and his rule had become firmly established, 13 when Adoniyah the son of Haggit came to Bat-Sheva the mother of Shlomo. She asked, “Have you come as a friend?” He answered, “Yes, as a friend.” 14 Then he continued, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Go on.”
In this story, we hear King David giving instructions to his son, King Solomon. The instructions come from some promises of God that his son will build the Temple of God that God would not allow David to build because his hands was filled with the blood of war. The instructions goes on to the promise that all of King David's heirs would remain Kings of Israel as long as they lived their lives as God calls them to live in His Holiness. Then, David instructs Solomon about some people who have either helped him or hurt him in the time of his distress and trusting solomon to have the wisdom to do what is correct with them. It is amazing because we look at the time when Elijah knew that God was going to take him away and Elisha would not leave him because he knew what was going to happen. As they were walking, Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his God power. Elijah said that that would be a hard thing to do, but if when God took him and Elisha so him go his desire would come to play. How do you react when it is your time to go or someone you reaally cared about and loved? How would you pass on last minute insturctions to them? How do you understand about transitions from life to death or work to retirement or one job to another? We come today to seek God's Grace to live His Holiness in all our transitions whether they are good or bad as well as easy or difficult to take and eat the Body of Jesus and drink His blood through our participation in the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist singing the Hymn "Pass Me Not" by Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915
1. Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.
2. Let me at thy throne of mercy
find a sweet relief,
kneeling there in deep contrition;
help my unbelief.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.
3. Trusting only in thy merit,
would I seek thy face;
heal my wounded, broken spirit,
save me by thy grace.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.
4. Thou the spring of all my comfort,
more than life to me,
whom have I on earth beside thee?
Whom in heaven but thee?
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.
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4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1877 United States
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