1 Kings 2:7
Most of chapter 2 is concerned with ?establishing?ESolomon?s kingdom, and this can only be done by eliminating the enemies of the kingdom. Solomon must use the sword if he?s going to promote the peace and welfare of his kingdom, and he must use it wisely and firmly.
But what is it that he?s protecting? What is the kingdom that he?s trying to establish? There?s only a brief glimpse of it in this passage, but the details of that glimpse will be filled out in the following chapters. At the center of Solomon?s kingdom is Solomon?s table; feasting is the heart of the kingdom, for Solomon as for Jesus. In David?s speech in particular, he tells Solomon to reward Barzillai the Gileadite, who fed David when he went out of Jerusalem during the rebellion of Absalom. Barzillai blessed the Lord?s anointed, the true Abrahamic seed, and so he will be blessed. He fed David, and so his sons will be fed. This is what Solomon?s actions aim at: Solomon executes the enemies of the kingdom so that the friends of the kingdom can eat and drink in security, peace, and joy.
And this must be the goal of all discipline, of every effort to root out the enemies of the kingdom, whether that kingdom is a family, a church, or a nation. Executing enemies is not a goal in itself, nor is it designed merely to establish power and exercise control. Enemies must be rooted out to open space for a table; fear must be eliminated to give place to joy; the boundaries of the kingdom must be secured so that the people of the kingdom can eat and drink and rejoice before the Lord.
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