Chapter Eight

 1Ki 8:1  Then Solomon gathered the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. 

1Ki 8:2  And all the men of Israel were gathered to King Solomon, in the month of Ethanim, at the feast, which is the seventh month. 

1Ki 8:3  And all the elders of Israel came in, and the priests lifted up the ark, 

1Ki 8:4  and brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those the priests and the Levites brought. 

1Ki 8:5  And King Solomon and all the company of Israel who had assembled to him were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 

1Ki 8:6  And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah to its place, to the holy place of the house, into the Holy of Holies, to the place of the wings of the cherubs; 

1Ki 8:7  for the cherubs were spreading forth their wings to the place of the ark, and the cherubs covered over the ark, and over its staves from above. 

1Ki 8:8  And they lengthened the staves, and the heads of the staves were seen from the holy place on the front of the Holy of Holies, and were not seen outside; and they are there to this day. 

1Ki 8:9  Nothing was in the ark, only the two tables of stone which Moses put there in Horeb, when Jehovah cut a covenant with the sons of Israel as they went out of the land of Egypt. 

1Ki 8:10  And it happened as the priests went out from the Holy of Holies, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah, 

1Ki 8:11  and the priests were not able to stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Jehovah had filled the house of Jehovah. 

1Ki 8:12  And Solomon said, Jehovah has said that He would dwell in the thick darkness. 

1Ki 8:13  Building I have built a house of loftiness for You, a settled place for You to abide in forever. 

1Ki 8:14  And the king turned around his face and blessed the whole assembly of Israel; and all the assembly of Israel was standing. 

1Ki 8:15  And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, God of Israel, who spoke by His mouth with my father David, and by his hand has fulfilled it, saying, 

1Ki 8:16  From the day that I brought out My people, even Israel, from Egypt, I have not chosen a city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house for My name to be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel. 

1Ki 8:17  And it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of Jehovah, God of Israel; 

1Ki 8:18  and Jehovah said to my father David, Because it has been in your heart to build a house for My name, you have done well that it has been in your heart; 

1Ki 8:19  only, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall come out from your loins, he shall build the house for My name. 

1Ki 8:20  And Jehovah has lifted up His Word that He spoke; for I have risen up instead of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah spoke, and have built the house for the name of Jehovah the God of Israel; 

1Ki 8:21  and set there a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of Jehovah which He made with our fathers when He brought them out from the land of Egypt. 

1Ki 8:22  And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah, across from the assembly of Israel, and spread his hands toward the heavens; 

1Ki 8:23  and said, Jehovah, God of Israel, there is no God like You in the heavens above or on the earth beneath; who keeps covenant and mercy with Your servants that walk before You with all their heart; 

1Ki 8:24  who have kept for Your servant David, my father, that which You spoke to him; yea, You spoke with Your mouth, and with Your hand have fulfilled it as it is this day. 

1Ki 8:25  And now, Jehovah, God of Israel, keep for Your servant David, my father, that which You spoke to him, saying, There shall not be cut off from you a man from before Me, sitting on the throne of Israel; only, if your sons watch their way, to walk before Me as you have walked before Me. 

1Ki 8:26  And now, O God of Israel, let it be established, I beseech You, Your Word which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David. 

1Ki 8:27  But will God in truth dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and Heaven of the heavens cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built! 

1Ki 8:28  Yet You have turned toward the prayer of Your servant, and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today; 

1Ki 8:29  for Your eyes are open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, My name shall be there; to listen to the prayer which Your servant prays toward this place. 

1Ki 8:30  And You shall listen to the supplication of Your servant, and of Your people Israel when they shall pray toward this place; yea, You shall listen in Your dwelling-place, in Heaven; and You shall hear and shall forgive. 

1Ki 8:31  If any man sins against his neighbor, and an oath be exacted of him to cause him to swear, and the oath has come before Your altar in this house, 

1Ki 8:32  then You shall hear in Heaven, and shall act, and shall judge Your servants, to declare the wicked to be wicked, to put his way on his head, and to declare the righteous to be righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. 

1Ki 8:33  When Your people Israel are stricken before the enemy, when they sin against You, if they turn again to You, and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this house; 

1Ki 8:34  then You shall hear in Heaven, and shall forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and shall bring them back to the land that You gave to their fathers. 

1Ki 8:35  When the heavens are restrained, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they have prayed toward this place, and confess Your name, and have turned from their sin because You have afflicted them, 

1Ki 8:36  then You shall hear in Heaven, and shall forgive the sin of Your servants, and of Your people Israel, for You shall teach them the good way in which they shall go, and shall give rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance. 

1Ki 8:37  When there is famine in the land; when there is pestilence, blasting, mildew, locusts; when there is the stripping locust; when its enemy has distressed it in the land in its gates; any plague, any sickness, 

1Ki 8:38  any prayer, any supplication that shall come from any man of all of Your people Israel, who shall each know the plague of his own heart, and shall spread his hands toward this house, 

1Ki 8:39  then You shall hear in Heaven Your dwellingplace and shall forgive and shall act, and shall give to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You have known, You alone, the heart of all the sons of Adam), 

1Ki 8:40  so that they shall fear You all the days that they are living on the face of the land that You have given to our fathers. 

1Ki 8:41  And also, to the alien who is not of Your people Israel, and has come from a land afar off for Your name's sake, 

1Ki 8:42  (for they shall hear of Your great name, and of Your strong hand, and of Your stretched out arm, and he shall have come in and prayed toward this house,) 

1Ki 8:43  You shall hear in Heaven, Your dwellingplace, and shall do according to all that the stranger calls to You for, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You like Your people Israel, and to know that Your name has been called on this house which I have built. 

1Ki 8:44  If Your people shall go out to battle against its enemy, in the way that You have sent them, and they have prayed to Jehovah the way of the city which You have chosen, and of the house which I have built for Your name, 

1Ki 8:45  then hear their prayer and their supplication in Heaven, and perform their cause. 

1Ki 8:46  When they sin against You (for there is not a man who does not sin) and You have been angry with them, and have given them up before an enemy, and they have been led away into captivity to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 

1Ki 8:47  and they have turned their heart back in the land where they have been taken captive, and have repented, and made supplication to You in the land of their captors, saying, We have sinned and done perversely; we have done wickedly; 

1Ki 8:48  and, they have turned back to You with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and have prayed to You the way of their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name, 

1Ki 8:49  then You shall hear their prayer and their supplication in Heaven Your dwellingplace, and shall perform their cause, 

1Ki 8:50  and shall forgive Your people who have sinned against You, even all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and shall give them mercy before their captors, and they shall have mercy on them. 

1Ki 8:51  For they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out of Egypt, out of the midst of the furnace of iron; 

1Ki 8:52  for Your eyes shall be open to the supplication of Your servant, and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them in all that they call to You for; 

1Ki 8:53  for You have separated them to Yourself for an inheritance out of all the peoples of the earth, as You spoke by the hand of Your servant Moses when You brought out our fathers from Egypt, O Lord Jehovah. 

1Ki 8:54  And it happened as Solomon finished praying to Jehovah all this prayer and supplication, he arose from before the altar of Jehovah, from bending on his knees, and his hands spread out to Heaven; 

1Ki 8:55  and he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 

1Ki 8:56  Blessed be Jehovah who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He has spoken; not one word of all His good Word has fallen, which He spoke by the hand of His servant Moses. 

1Ki 8:57  Jehovah our God is with us as He has been with our fathers; He shall not forsake us or leave us, 

1Ki 8:58  to incline our heart to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, and His statutes, and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers; 

1Ki 8:59  and these words of mine which I have prayed before Jehovah be near to Jehovah our God by day and by night, to perform the cause of His servant, and the cause of His people Israel, the matter of each day in its day; 

1Ki 8:60  for all the peoples of the earth know that Jehovah, He is God; there is no other; 

1Ki 8:61  let your heart therefore be perfect with Jehovah our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, as at this day. 

1Ki 8:62  And the king and all Israel with him were offering a sacrifice before Jehovah; 

1Ki 8:63  and Solomon offered the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he had offered to Jehovah: twenty two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep; and the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of Jehovah. 

1Ki 8:64  On that day the king sanctified the middle of the court that was before the house of Jehovah, for he had made the burnt offering there, and the food offering, and the fat of the peace offerings; because the bronze altar that was before Jehovah was too small to contain the burnt offering, and the food offering, and the fat of the peace offerings. 

1Ki 8:65  And at that time Solomon made a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath to the river of Egypt, before Jehovah our God, seven days and seven days, fourteen days. 

1Ki 8:66  On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king, and went to their tents rejoicing and joyous of heart for all the good that Jehovah had done to His servant David, and to His people Israel. 

Summary: Verses 1-13

The ark is brought to the temple and placed. All Israel is there together.

6. Compare verse 9 with 21. This will give you a definition of the "covenant." This is important when studying with the 7th day Adventists who deny that the covenant God made with Israel included the ten commandments.  Compare Hebrews 8:6-13:

Verse 21 confirms the tablets (10 commandments) are certainly part of the covenant. 

Hebrews eight confirms that the law of Moses was simply a model and not the final covenant God would make with mankind. Jesus is the catalyst/fulfilment of that new covenant.

7. What else had been in the ark in the early days? Manna (God provides).  Aaron's rod (God leads/disciplines) . 

Verses 14-21 Summary:

Solomon blesses all Israel, then recounts God's word (promises) with David. Solomon dedicates the temple to God.

Verses 22-53 Summary:

20-26: Solomon's prayer begins by glorifying God

27-30: He understands God does not live on the earth, but God will SEE, LISTEN and RESPOND with FORGIVENESS

31-32: God will judge whether good or evil

33-34: God will forgive the contrite heart of the people who are overrun by the enemy because of their sin.

35-36: God will return the rain after forgiving the sin of the people.

37-39: God will bring pestilence upon Israel for sin, but will forgive them when they repent.

40-43: Even the foreigner will know God

44-50: Sin will lead Israel into captivity. God will soften the captors after Israel returns to God.

51-53: Israel is God's inheritance, separated out from the rest of the world.

8. In Acts 7 Stephen used verse 27 to correct a common Jewish misconception about the temple. What was that misconception? Not sure what this referenced. Later in the chapter Stephen recounts David's ask to God to build the temple, but it was Solomon that builds it. THEN he states that God "does not dwell in temples made by hand"

Note that Solomon in the LITV references FORGIVENESS no less than 5x.

How is repentance evidenced in way only God can know?

Verses 54-66 Summary:

54-60: Solomon blesses Israel and glorifies God

61-66: Solomon finishes the temple dedication, sends the people home rejoicing. 

CHAPTER SEVEN

 1Ki 7:1  And Solomon built his own house for thirteen years. And he finished all his house. 

1Ki 7:2  And he built the house of the forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits, and its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits on four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars. 

1Ki 7:3  And it was covered with cedar above, on the sides that lay on forty-five pillars, fifteen in a row. 

1Ki 7:4  And windows were in three rows, and light was against light in three rows. 

1Ki 7:5  And all the doors and the side posts were square along with the windows; and the front of a window was against a window in three rows. 

1Ki 7:6  And he made the porch of the pillars, its length fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. And the porch was before them; and the pillars and the roof were over them. 

1Ki 7:7  And he made the porch of the throne where he judged, the porch of judgment. And it was covered with cedar from floor to floor. 

1Ki 7:8  As to his house where he lived, the other court was within the porch, as this work was. Solomon also made a house for Pharaoh's daughter whom he had taken, like this porch. 

1Ki 7:9  And these were of costly stones according to the measures of hewn stones, sawed with a saw, inside and out, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside, to the great court. 

1Ki 7:10  And the foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of ten cubits and stones of eight cubits. 

1Ki 7:11  And above were costly stones, according to the measures of hewn stone and cedar. 

1Ki 7:12  And the great court all around was three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams, even for the inner court of the house of Jehovah, and for the porch of the house. 

The Temple Furnishings

1Ki 7:13  And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram out of Tyre. 

1Ki 7:14  He was the son of a widow woman of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father a man of Tyre, an engraver in bronze. And he was filled with the wisdom and understanding and knowledge to do all work in bronze. And he came to King Solomon and did all his work. 

1Ki 7:15  And he formed the two pillars of bronze; eighteen cubits was the height of the one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits went around the second pillar. 

1Ki 7:16  And he made two capitals to put on the tops of the pillars, cast in bronze; five cubits was the height of the one capital, and five cubits the height of the second capital. 

1Ki 7:17  He made gratings of network with twisted threads of chain-work, for the capitals on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital. 

1Ki 7:18  And he made the pillars. And two rows were all around on the one grating, to cover the capitals on the top with the pomegranates. And so he did for the other capital. 

1Ki 7:19  And the capitals on the top of the pillars in the porch were lily-work, four cubits. 

1Ki 7:20  And the capitals were on the two pillars, also above, over against the belly which was by the grating; and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows all around on the other capital. 

1Ki 7:21  And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple. And he set up the right pillar and called its name Jachin. And he set up the left pillar, and called its name of Boaz. 

1Ki 7:22  And on the top of the pillars was lily-work. So the work of the pillars was finished. 

1Ki 7:23  And he made a casted sea of ten cubits from brim to brim; it was round all about. And its height was five cubits; and a line of thirty cubits went around it all about. 

1Ki 7:24  And gourds were below its brim all around, going around it, ten by the cubit, circling the sea all around; the gourds were cast in two rows when it was cast. 

1Ki 7:25  It stood on twelve oxen: three facing the north, and three facing the west, and three facing the south, and three facing the east. And the sea was above on them; and all their hinder parts were inward. 

1Ki 7:26  And its thickness was one hand wide; and its brim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, with a bud of a lily. It contained two thousand baths. 

1Ki 7:27  And he made ten bases of bronze; four cubits the length of the one base, and four cubits the breadth, and three cubits the height. 

1Ki 7:28  And this was the work of the base: they had borders; and there were borders between the stays. 

1Ki 7:29  And on the borders that were between the stays were lions, oxen, and cherubs. And a pedestal was on the stays above. And below the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 

1Ki 7:30  And the one base had four wheels of bronze, and axles of bronze. And its four feet were supports to them; under the basin were casted supports with wreaths at each side. 

1Ki 7:31  And its mouth within and above the capital was a cubit; and its mouth was round like the work of a pedestal, a cubit and half of the cubit. And also on its mouth were carvings; and their borders were square, not round. 

1Ki 7:32  And the four wheels were under the borders. And the hands of the wheels were in the base; and the height of the one wheel was a cubit and a half. 

1Ki 7:33  And the work of the wheels was as the work of a chariot wheel, their hands, and their rims, and their spokes, and their hubs were all casted. 

1Ki 7:34  And there were four supports to the four corners of one base; the supports were of the base itself. 

1Ki 7:35  And in the top of the base was a round compass of half a cubit high. And on the top of the base its sides and its borders were from it. 

1Ki 7:36  And he engraved cherubs, lions, and palm trees on the plates of its sides, and on its borders, as the place of each, with wreaths all around. 

1Ki 7:37  So he made the ten bases, one casting, one measure, one form was to them all. 

1Ki 7:38  And he made ten basins of bronze; the one basin contained forty baths. The one basin was four cubits, one basin on the one base, to the ten bases. 

1Ki 7:39  And he put the five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. And he put the sea on the right side of the house, eastward, across from the south. 

1Ki 7:40  And Hiram made the basins, and the shovels, and the bowls. And Hiram finished all the work that he made for King Solomon for the house of Jehovah: 

1Ki 7:41  two pillars, and two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; and the two gratings to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; 

1Ki 7:42  and the four hundred pomegranates for the two gratings, two rows of pomegranates for each grating, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars; 

1Ki 7:43  and ten bases, and ten basins on the bases; 

1Ki 7:44  and one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea; 

1Ki 7:45  and the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. And all these vessels which Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of Jehovah were of burnished bronze. 

1Ki 7:46  The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the thick soil of the ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 

1Ki 7:47  And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed because they were very, very many; the weight of the bronze was not searched out. 

1Ki 7:48  And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of Jehovah: the altar of gold; and the table of gold on which was the Bread of the Presence; 

1Ki 7:49  and the lampstands, five on the right and five on the left before the Holy of Holies, of refined gold, and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs were of gold; 

1Ki 7:50  and the basins, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and the firepans were of refined gold; and the hinges for the doors of the inner house, for the Holy of Holies, for the doors of the house of the temple were of gold. 

1Ki 7:51  And it was complete, all the work that King Solomon had made for the house of Jehovah. And Solomon brought in the sanctified things of his father David: the silver, and the gold, and the vessels he had put into the treasuries of the house of Jehovah. 

Summary: Solomon builds his house. The temple furnishings receive special craftsmanship attention.

Notes: 

1. (13) The Hiram who crafted the temple implements was not the king.

2. (21) Names of Pillars - Jachin=He will establish, Boaz - (Ancestor of David) - was this a tribute to his father?

3. Visual significance of imagery: 

   (20) pomegranates- Hebrew root word means "to rise"

   (22) lily - root word means "cheerful"

   (24) gourds - "to burst" split with seeds - to represent plenty?

   (25) oxen - "to plow"  to represent strength/prosperity/hope?

   (29) lions - "to pluck (in a violent sense) - to represent superiority?

   (29) cherub - "imaginary figure" - rule over the unknown (spiritual) worlds?

   (36) palm trees - "a palm like pilaster (that is, umbellate)" - palms were associated with fruit, shade                oasis - (pilaster is an architectural term, usually a fascia covering of vertical structural supports)

4. The stones math: if an 8 cubit stone were 12’x12’x12’ cut limestone then:

    Limestone = 150lbs per 1 cubic foot

    12’x12’ square cube = 12x12x12x150/lbs= 259,200 lbs

   12’x15’ rectangle cube = 12x15x12x150/lbs= 324,000 lbs

Does God really care too much about all this? God does not dwell in a house made by hands! (Acts)

How do we reconcile God's no "graven image" law with all this imagery? "Graven images" are themselves objects to be worshiped. The Jewish custom became such that creation of some of this would be prohibited for personal use...i.e cherubs etc. Anything that may be associated with any idolatry was prohibited.

 

What do we learn from this? This is a period of secular nation building for Israel and God is simply allowing it. That is all. The bigger lessons will come.

CHAPTER SIX

 1Ki 6:1  And it happened in the four hundred and eightieth year from the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year, in the month of Zif, it is the second month, in the reigning of Solomon over Israel he built the house for Jehovah. 

1Ki 6:2  As to the house that King Solomon built for Jehovah, its length was sixty cubits, its breadth twenty, and its height thirty cubits. 

1Ki 6:3  As to the porch on the front of the temple of the house, its length was twenty cubits according to the breadth of the house; its breadth on the front of the house was ten cubits. 

1Ki 6:4  And he made windows of narrowing frames for the house. 

1Ki 6:5  And he built a side-structure on the wall of the house all around, against the walls of the house all around; to the temple and to the sanctuary. And he made side sections all around. 

1Ki 6:6  The lowest side-structure was five cubits wide; and the middle was six cubits wide; and the third story side-structure was seven cubits wide. For outside of the house he made narrowed ledges for the house all around, so as not to lay hold of the walls of the house. 

1Ki 6:7  And when it was being built, the house was built of finished stone made ready beforehand. And there was not heard in the house a hammer or an axe, or any iron tool, while it was being built. 

1Ki 6:8  The door for the middle side section was in the right side of the house. And they went up with winding stairs into the middle one; and from the middle one into the third. 

1Ki 6:9  And he built the house and finished it, and covered the house with beams and rows of cedars. 

1Ki 6:10  And he built the side-stories on all the house, each five cubits in height; and they held to the house with cedar wood. 

1Ki 6:11  And the Word of Jehovah came to Solomon, saying, 

1Ki 6:12  As to this house that you are building, if you shall walk in My statutes, and shall do My judgments, and shall do all My commandments, to walk in them, then I shall lift up My word with you which I spoke to your father David. 

1Ki 6:13  And I shall dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel, and shall not forsake My people Israel. 

1Ki 6:14  And Solomon built the house, and finished it. 

1Ki 6:15  And he built the walls of the house inside with beams of cedar, from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling. He overlaid the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with boards of fir. 

1Ki 6:16  And he built the twenty cubits on the back part of the house with boards of cedar, from the floor to the walls. And he built for it inside, for the sanctuary, for the Holy of Holies. 

1Ki 6:17  And the house was forty cubits, that is, the temple before it. 

1Ki 6:18  And the cedar for the house inside was with carvings of gourds and flowers spread out; the whole was cedar; not a stone was seen. 

1Ki 6:19  And he prepared the Holy of Holies in the midst of the house, to place the ark of the covenant of Jehovah there. 

1Ki 6:20  And the face of the Holy of Holies was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in height. And he overlaid it with refined gold, and overlaid the altar with cedar. 

1Ki 6:21  And Solomon overlaid the house inside with refined gold, and caused it to pass over in chains of gold to the face of the Holy of Holies, and overlaid it with gold. 

1Ki 6:22  And he overlaid all of the house with gold, until all of the house was complete. And he overlaid with gold all of the altar that belonged to the Holy of Holies. 

1Ki 6:23  And inside the Holy of Holies he made two cherubs of the olive tree; their height was ten cubits. 

1Ki 6:24  And one wing of the cherub was five cubits; and the second wing of the cherub five cubits; ten cubits from the ends of its wings even to the ends of its wings. 

1Ki 6:25  And the second cherub was ten cubits; one measure and one form to the two cherubs. 

1Ki 6:26  The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the second cherub. 

1Ki 6:27  And he set the cherubs in the middle of the inner house. And they spread out the wings of the cherubs. And the wing of the one touched the wall; and the wing of the second touched the second wall; and their wings were to the middle of the house, coming wing against wing. 

1Ki 6:28  And he overlaid the cherubs with gold. 

1Ki 6:29  And all the walls of the house all around he carved with figures of cherubs and palm trees, and spread out flowers inside and out. 

1Ki 6:30  And he overlaid the floor of the house with gold, inside and out. 

1Ki 6:31  As to the entrance of the Holy of Holies, he made doors of the olive tree; the lintel, the side posts, being a fifty part. 

1Ki 6:32  And the two doors were of olive wood. And he carved on them carvings of cherubs, and palm trees, and spread out flowers; and he overlaid them with gold. And he caused the gold to go down on the cherubs and on the palm trees. 

1Ki 6:33  So also he made side posts for the entrance of the temple from the olive tree, a fourth part. 

1Ki 6:34  And the two doors were of fir wood; the two sides of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 

1Ki 6:35  And he carved cherubs, and palm trees, and spread out flowers, and overlaid them with gold fitted on the carved work. 

1Ki 6:36  And he built the inner court, three rows of hewn stone, and a row of cedar beams. 

1Ki 6:37  The house of Jehovah was founded in the fourth year, in the month of Zif. 

1Ki 6:38  And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, the eighth month, the house was finished as to all its parts, and according to all its plans. So he built it for seven years. 

Summary:
The temple is built over a seven year span. Again, God reiterates His covenant with Solomon as in chapter three. 

CONTINGENCIES of the covenant: (For Solomon, or for all Israel?) 

"Walk in my statutes" - chûqqâh  - enactment, appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, site, statute.

"Do My Judgments" - mishpâṭ - properly a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially

"Do all my commandments" - mitsvâh - a command, whether human or divine (collectively the Law)

BLESSING:

" I shall dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel, and shall not forsake My people Israel."

Describe the weight of responsibility on the king when we consider this.

Considering all of the effort and wealth that goes into the temple. What is God telling Solomon He wants? What does He always want....even now?

5. Chapter six begins 480 years after Israel had escaped Egypt. This being so, approximately what year is it at the beginning of Solomon's reign? +- 1000 BC

CHAPTER FIVE

 1Ki 5:1  And Hiram the king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, for he heard that they had anointed him king instead of his father. For Hiram was a lover of David all his days. 

1Ki 5:2  And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, 

1Ki 5:3  You knew my father David, that he was not able to build a house to the name of Jehovah his God because of the wars that were all around him, until Jehovah had put them under the soles of his feet. 

1Ki 5:4  And now Jehovah my God has given me rest all around; there is no adversary nor evil happening. 

1Ki 5:5  And, behold, I am commanding a house to be built to the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spoke to my father David, saying, Your son whom I will appoint in your place on your throne, he shall build the house for My name. 

1Ki 5:6  And now, command and they shall cut down for me cedars out of Lebanon. And my servants shall be with your servants. And I will give you hire for your servants according to all that you say. For you know that there is not a man among us knowing to cut timber like the Sidonians. 

1Ki 5:7  And it happened, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced exceedingly, and said, Blessed be Jehovah today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people. 

1Ki 5:8  And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard that for which you have sent to me. I will do all your will as to cedar wood and fir wood. 

1Ki 5:9  My servants will bring it down from Lebanon to the sea. And I will make floats for them in the sea to go to the place that you tell me. And I will spread them out there; and you shall take them up. And you shall do what I desire, to give food for my house. 

1Ki 5:10  And Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees, all his desire. 

1Ki 5:11  And Solomon gave to Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat, food for his house; and twenty measures of beaten oil. This Solomon gave to Hiram year by year. 

1Ki 5:12  And Jehovah gave wisdom to Solomon, as He had spoken to him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they cut a covenant, the two of them. 

1Ki 5:13  And King Solomon caused a labor force to go out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. 

1Ki 5:14  And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses. They were a month in Lebanon, two months in their own house. And Adoniram was over the labor force. 

1Ki 5:15  And Solomon had seventy thousand bearing burdens, and eighty thousand hewing in the mountain; 

1Ki 5:16  besides the rulers of Solomon's overseers who were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, those ruling over the people who were working in the work. 

1Ki 5:17  And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, quarried stones, to lay the foundation of the house. 

1Ki 5:18  And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders, and the Giblites, cut and prepared the wood and the stones to build the house. 

 Summary: Solomon contacts Hiram and asks him for resources to build the temple. Specifically, he asked for lumber. Hiram loved David and was pleased to help David's son. Solomon supplied food to Hiram. This was a covenant agreement. 30000 laborers were conscripted for the work. Also working on projects were another 150000 + 3300 administrators. 

3. Why was Hiram so happy to provide cedars to help Solomon in building the temple? "Hiram was a lover of David all his days" - It's interesting to see the level of affection this king has for David. We really do not know much about Hiram, which informs us that MUCH of David's movements are likely not recorded. David was very good at giving Jehovah the glory publicly. Hiram apparently found a measure of faith and sees jehovah as a good God. 
What must not be lost is that many kings may carry some faith, but still cling to their own regional god(s). 

Note that the Giblites were part of the land left to be conquered in God's charge to Joshua and Israel. Here they are these many years later still intact and likely still very idolatrous. 

Israel has peace and great prosperity, but there is an underlying current of compromise that can go very wrong if not kept in check.

4. To completely understand 5:15 and who who Solomon's work force was, compare 2Chron. 2:17-18. The 153600 hard labor work force were "aliens/strangers" in the land, counted during David's census. It does not indicate that these were captured or conquered people (though it might apply). 

Concretely, they were not Israelites, and so as in all the systems of the day, were subject to the governing authorities. It seems reasonable to assume this was "forced labor." It may have been a preference to have this than nothing.

CHAPTER FOUR

 CHAPTER FOUR

1Ki 4:1  And King Solomon was king over all Israel. 

1Ki 4:2  And these were the rulers he had: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest. 

1Ki 4:3  Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, were the scribes, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud the recorder. 

1Ki 4:4  And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army. And Zadok and Abiathar were priests. 

1Ki 4:5  And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers. And Zabud the son of Nathan was the minister and friend of the king. 

1Ki 4:6  And Ahishar was over the household. And Adoniram the son of Abda was over the forced labor. 

1Ki 4:7  And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel. And they sustained the king and his household. Each man had one month in the year to provide. 

1Ki 4:8  And these are their names: Ben-hur in the hills of Ephraim; 

1Ki 4:9  the son of Dekar in Makaz and in Shaalbim, and Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 

1Ki 4:10  the son of Hesed, in Aruboth (to him was Sochoh and all the land of Hepher); 

1Ki 4:11  the son of Abinadab in all the height of Dor, Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife; 

1Ki 4:12  Baana the son of Ahilud to whom was Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean (which is by Zartanah below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, to the place that is beyond Jokneam); 

1Ki 4:13  the son of Geber in Ramoth-gilead (to him were the towns of Jair, Manasseh's son, which are in Gilead; and to him was the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); 

1Ki 4:14  Ahinadab the son of Iddo had Mahanaim; 

1Ki 4:15  Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon for a wife; 

1Ki 4:16  Baanah the son of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth; 

1Ki 4:17  Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah was in Issachar; 

1Ki 4:18  Shimei the son of Elah was in Benjamin; 

1Ki 4:19  Geber the son of Uri was in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan; and there was one officer who was in the land; 

1Ki 4:20  Judah and Israel were many, as the sand by the sea in multitude; eating and drinking and rejoicing. 

1Ki 4:21  And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. They brought presents and served Solomon all the days of his life. 

1Ki 4:22  And Solomon's food for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of meal, 

1Ki 4:23  ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, besides deer and gazelles, and roebucks, and fattened fowl. 

1Ki 4:24  For he had the rule over all on this side of the River, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side of the River. And he had peace on all sides from around him. 

1Ki 4:25  And Judah and Israel lived securely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree; from Dan even to Beer-sheba all the days of Solomon. 

1Ki 4:26  And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 

1Ki 4:27  And those officers provided food for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon's table, a man in his month: they did not lack anything. 

1Ki 4:28  They also brought barley and straw for the horses and mules to the place where the officers were, each man according to his charge. 

1Ki 4:29  And God gave Solomon exceeding great wisdom and understanding, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the lip of the sea. 

1Ki 4:30  And Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the sons of the east, and than all the wisdom of Egypt. 

1Ki 4:31  For he was wiser than all men; wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his name was in all nations all around. 

1Ki 4:32  And he spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and five. 

1Ki 4:33  And he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree in Lebanon, even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fish. 

1Ki 4:34  And there came some from all the people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom. 

Verses 1-19 Summary: Verses 1-7 appear to be the court to Solomon. His closest advisors and protectors. It includes no less than two priests. It is interesting that Azariah is listed separately even though he is of the same household of the priests (Zadok). Other versions name Zadok's son Azariah as a "prince." The Hebrew words means "head person, or captain." 

NOTE: Adoniram's job was over "forced labor." We see this in 5:14 when it comes time to retrieve the lumber (cedar from Hiram) for the temple build-out. Strong's describes the "tribute" as "properly a burden (as causing to faint), that is, a tax in the form of forced labor: - discomfited, levy, task [-master], tribute (-tary)." 
See 1Sam. 8:10-19 to remember God's warning through Samuel. Is it happening? (Also consider the 12 officers it took just to feed and sustain the king's household. verses 8-19)

Verses 20-34 Summary: Peace and prosperity defines Solomon's reign. His wisdom is beyond anyone else. Besides this, he was prolific in song writing and proverbs. To add to it, he was a naturalist as well. What could go wrong? It seems God had provided everything for Solomon's success!

CHAPTER 3

 1Ki 3:1  And Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh the king of Egypt. And he took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David, until he finished building his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall of Jerusalem all around. 

1Ki 3:2  Only, the people were sacrificing in high places, for a house for the name of Jehovah had not been built until those days. 

1Ki 3:3  And Solomon loved Jehovah, to walk in the statutes of his father David. Only, he was sacrificing in high places and burning incense. 

1Ki 3:4  And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for it was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 

1Ki 3:5  Jehovah appeared to Solomon in Gibeon in a dream of the night. And God said, Ask. What shall I give to you? 

1Ki 3:6  And Solomon said, You have done great kindness to Your servant, my father David, as he walked before You in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with You. And You have kept for him this great kindness, and have given to him a son sitting on his throne, as today. 

1Ki 3:7  And now, O Jehovah my God, You have caused Your servant to reign instead of my father David. And I am a little man-child; I do not know to go out and to come in. 

1Ki 3:8  And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a numerous people that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. 

1Ki 3:9  Also give to Your servant an understanding heart, to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this, Your great people? 

1Ki 3:10  And the word was good in the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 

1Ki 3:11  And God said to him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself many days, nor asked riches for yourself, nor asked the life of your enemies, and have asked for discernment for yourself, to understand judgment, 

1Ki 3:12  behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given to you a wise and understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you, and after you none shall rise up like you. 

1Ki 3:13  And also, I have given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, that there shall not be a man like you among the kings all your days. 

1Ki 3:14  And if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commands, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days. 

1Ki 3:15  And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream! And he came into Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and offered burnt offerings, and made peace offerings. And he made a banquet for all his servants. 

1Ki 3:16  Then two women, harlots, came in to the king and stood before him. 

1Ki 3:17  And the one woman said, O my lord, this woman and I were living in one house. And I gave birth, with her in the house. 

1Ki 3:18  And it happened on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no stranger was with us in the house, only we two in the house. 

1Ki 3:19  And the son of this woman died at night, because she laid on it. 

1Ki 3:20  And she rose up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me and laid it in her bosom; and your handmaid was asleep. And she laid her dead son in my bosom. 

1Ki 3:21  And I rose up in the morning to suckle my son; and behold! It was dead. And I looked at it in the morning; and, behold, it was not my son whom I had borne. 

1Ki 3:22  And the other woman said, No, but my son is the living, and your son the dead. And this one said, No, but your son is dead, and my son the living. And they spoke before the king. 

1Ki 3:23  And the king said, This one says, This is my son, the living one, and your son the dead. And that one says, No, but your son is the dead, and my son the living. 

1Ki 3:24  And the king said, Bring a sword to me. And they brought the sword before the king. 

1Ki 3:25  And the king said, Divide the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the other. 

1Ki 3:26  And the woman whose son was the living one said to the king (for her womb yearned over her son) yea, she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and do not at all put it to death. And this one said, Let it be neither yours or mine, divide it. 

1Ki 3:27  And the king answered and said, Give to her the living child, and do not put it to death at all; she is its mother. 

1Ki 3:28  And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had judged, and feared from the face of the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment. 

Summary: Solomon makes an alliance with Egypt. There is sacrificing in the high places. Solomon asks God for wisdom. God is pleased and offers more. Solomon reveals his wisdom in something that could have blown up in his face.

1. What was wrong with sacrificing on the high places? Was this a spill over practice? Did this happen in David's time too? The order of sacrifice is clear throughout the judicial dispensation through Moses. Leviticus makes it clear that it was to take place at the tabernacle. Deuteronomy 12 makes it clear that God would dictate the location. 

One issue with "high places" is indicated with the beginning word of the verse "only". This indicates there was something amiss or incomplete in the offering worship. The verse completes the thought "for a house had not yet been built." (See question 2) Note that the ark is not held in the tabernacle as was required by law. Why not? These clues point to what was to come in the temple, a coming together of what God had joined together earlier for His worship.

A bigger issue with "high places" is that many times these were abandoned Canaanite sites of idolatry. We will see many of these places restored to their original cult god worship site status. Over time, Solomon would yield to pressures to restore these places of idolatry.

2. The significance of the Lord appearing to Solomon at Gibeon is found in 1Chron. 16:37-39.

    Where is the ark of the covenant at this time? Jerusalem (2Sam. 6)

    Where was the tabernacle? Gibeon

- What is glaring about verse 1? An alliance with Egypt? Can this be good? Consider the instructions to the kings in Deuteronomy:

Deu 17:16  Only, he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to turn back to Egypt so as to multiply horses, since Jehovah has said to you, You shall not again return in this way any more. 

- How old was Solomon when he asked God for wisdom? Unknown. From the sources I read, it varies from 12-20. He calls himself a little boy in verse seven. That word denotes someone no older than adolescence. It is interesting that in his inaugurating year, Rehaboam is 1-year old. As should be considered, some writings may not be in chronological order. That being said, the text reads as a continual thought. He has the dream, then sacrifices and throws a banquet, then exhibits his wisdom.

- In the Case of the two harlots what does Solomon do to exhibit his wisdom? Was this risky?
Verse 26 - (for her womb yearned over her son) - what does this mean? Does this really happen? Of course it does! Solomon understands the power of love and emotion. It is stronger than any perpetrated lie. Solomon manipulates these two women to expose their rightful place in the situation...through their emotion and intent. This was absolutely risky business. If they both said no or yes, his plan would have failed and he would have lost face. 
The foundation of WHY the risk was not an issue is found in the sentence "they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment."   Verse three gives us insight to Solomon "And Solomon loved Jehovah, to walk in the statutes of his father." Was it not faith that was driving Solomon?

-Where else have we seen the general thought "if you walk in my ways?" 
(Abraham) Gen 17:12, 18:19 - (Levite Priesthood) Lev. 26/27 - (David) 2Sam. 22:33 - (Israel) Deut. 5:33, 8:6, 10:12, 19:9. Many of these passages are closely tied to the law, as well as walking with Him. 

Deut 19:9  if you will keep these commandments which I am commanding you today, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in His ways forever....

Are we under a system of law with Jesus the Christ? The Hebrew writer is clear that we are not. Are we to continue to "keep commands?" If so, what commands? Paul clearly showed that the law was fulfilled by the Christ and a new covenant has been initiated!
Jesus says in John 14:15 "If you love Me keep my commandments."
How does the Christian reconcile these two? How does a system of mercy/grace work?

CHAPTER 2

 Verses 1-12

1Ki 2:1  And the days of David drew near for him to die. And he commanded his son Solomon, saying, 

1Ki 2:2  I am going in the way of all the earth. And you be strong, and be a man, 

1Ki 2:3  and keep the charge of Jehovah your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commands, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may do wisely all that you do, and there wherever you may turn, 

1Ki 2:4  so that Jehovah may establish His Word which He spoke to me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul, saying, There shall not be a man to you cut off from the throne of Israel. 

1Ki 2:5  And also, you know that which Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, that which he did to the two army commanders of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, that he murdered them, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his girdle, on his loins and in his sandals on his feet; 

1Ki 2:6  and you shall do according to your wisdom, and shall not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace. 

1Ki 2:7  You shall be merciful to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and they shall be among those eating at your table, for so they drew near to me when I fled from the face of your brother Absalom. 

1Ki 2:8  And, behold, with you is Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim. And he cursed me with a grievous cursing in the day I went to Mahanaim. And he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Jehovah, saying, I will not cause you to die by the sword. 

1Ki 2:9  And now, do not acquit him, for you are a wise man, and you know that which you shall do to him and shall bring his old age down with blood to Sheol. 

1Ki 2:10  And David lay with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. 

1Ki 2:11  And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty three years in Jerusalem. 

1Ki 2:12  And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established. 

Summary: David is near death. He instructs Solomon. He also addresses Solomon as "wise." David convicts Joab and Shimei to death for their misdeeds. David endorses Barzillai for helping him in his time of need.

1. The judgement against Joab seems fairly cut and dry. Joab was rebellious and murderous. Why would David wait until now to pass this judgement? a. Joab was David's cousin (as was Amasa)! 2Chr 2:16-17. He was family, AND Joab was long with David fighting for him and with him. It was Joab's cruelty that was his own undoing. By passing on his judgement, justice is served, it is not at the hand of David directly, and it removes a possible 2nd treason by Joab (or his influence) 

2. Recount Shimei's curses against David and subsequent repentance (what is Shimei's motivation?). 2Sam 16:5-14, 19:15-23. David swore not to kill Shimei. Is David breaking his promise? Is it ok to break promises on technicalities? Shimei is of the house of Saul and is apparently very bitter towards David. His actions are suicidal actually, but David spares him. Shimei's repentance is questionable in that he shows up with 1000 soldiers. David was done fighting and says "Should any man be put to death in Israel today?" (2Sam 19:22)
David's son was dead. There was great fighting and death already. At that point, he was done with it. If he had struck out against Shimei, there may have been another 1000 deaths. David just wanted to unify his country.
It is evident that David felt Shimei may have negative influence during Solomon's reign, and Shimei's sin had not been dealt with. He is king and judge, anointed by God. That day, he did not die, but because of his actions Solomon was to execution judgement on Shimei.
We may look at this as David breaking a promise or using a technical workaround. However his concern is justice and peace for Solomon.

3.Review The special relationship between David and Barzillai: 2Sam 19:31-39.

What event did all three of these men participate in to deserve David's judgements? What does that say about that event? Most of these activities revolve around Absalom's rebellion. It was an extremely low point in David's life. It was something that grieved him to the core.

Verses 13-25:

 1Ki 2:13  And Adonijah the son of Haggith came in to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. And she said, Do you come in peace? And he said, Peace. 

1Ki 2:14  And he said, A word to you and to me? And she said, Speak. 

1Ki 2:15  And he said, You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set their faces toward me to reign. Yet the kingdom has been turned around and is my brother's, because it was his from Jehovah. 

1Ki 2:16  And now I am asking one petition of you. Do not turn away your face. And she said to him, Speak. 

1Ki 2:17  And he said, Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not turn away your face, that he give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife. 

1Ki 2:18  And Bathsheba said, Well! I will speak to the king for you. 

1Ki 2:19  And Bathsheba came in to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat on his throne, and placed a throne for the king's mother. And she sat at his right hand. 

1Ki 2:20  And she said, I ask one small petition of you. Do not turn away my face. And the king said to her, Ask, my mother, for I will not turn away your face. 

1Ki 2:21  And she said, let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah for a wife. 

1Ki 2:22  And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Also ask the kingdom for him, for he is my older brother; yea, for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 

1Ki 2:23  And King Solomon swore by Jehovah, saying, So shall God do to me, and so shall He do more, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his life. 

1Ki 2:24  And now, as Jehovah lives, who has established me and caused me to sit on the throne of my father David, and who has made a house for me, as He spoke, surely today Adonijah shall be made to die. 

1Ki 2:25  And King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he fell on him, and he died. 

Summary: Adonijah goes to Bathsheba and asks her to ask Solomon for Abishag as a wife. Bathsheba agrees and asks. Solomon becomes enraged and promises to kill Adonijah. He orders Benaiah to execute Adonijah. 

Question 5 in the book asks: "Why was Solomon so upset about Adonijah requesting Abishag for a wife?" The action is reminiscent of Absalom's taking of David's concubines. To take the wife of a king was equal to taking his power. These were the perceptions of the day. The virility of a king was very important. The inability to stop such actions were reason enough to be removed from power.

What is going on with Bathsheba? Why is she complicit, or is she complicit, or....more? What is the significance of Solomon seating her on a "throne/seat?" 
It's difficult to know Bathsheba's intent. She may have know what Solomon would do, or maybe she just wanted to get rid of Abishag. Solomon bows to his mother and gives her a place at his right hand. Obviously he loved and respected her. But putting her in that position elevated her status in the house.

Verses 26-35:

1Ki 2:26  And the king said to Abiathar the priest, Go to Anathoth, to your fields. For you are a man of death. But I will not at this time cause you to die, because you have borne the ark of the Lord Jehovah before my father David, and because you were afflicted in all the things with which my father was afflicted. 

1Ki 2:27  And Solomon drove Abiathar from being priest to Jehovah, to fulfill the Word of Jehovah which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 

1Ki 2:28  And the report came to Joab, for Joab had turned aside after Adonijah though he did not turn aside after Absalom. And Joab fled to the tabernacle of Jehovah, and lay hold on the horns of the altar. 

1Ki 2:29  And it was told to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tabernacle of Jehovah, and, behold, he was by the altar. And Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall on him. 

1Ki 2:30  And Benaiah came into the tabernacle of Jehovah and said to him, So says the king, Come out. And he said, No, but I will die here. And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, So says Joab. Yea, so he answered me. 

1Ki 2:31  And the king said to him, Do as he has said, and fall on him, and bury him, and turn aside the innocent blood which Joab shed, off of me and off of my father's house. 

1Ki 2:32  And Jehovah shall turn back his blood on his own head, who has fallen on two men more righteous and better than he, and murdered them with the sword; and my father David not knowing: Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah. 

1Ki 2:33  Yea, He shall turn back their blood on the head of Joab, and on the head of his seed forever. And as for David and for his seed, and for his house, and for his throne, there shall be peace forever from Jehovah. 

1Ki 2:34  And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell on him, and caused him to die. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 

1Ki 2:35  And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army. And the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar. 

Summary: Solomon fires Abiathar as priest and sends him away. He states he is worthy of death but will live since he carried the ark. Joab hears of this and fears for his life. He grabs the horns of the altar. Solomon hears of this and sends Benaiah to execute him. Benaiah calls out Joab, but he refuses to come out and says "No, but I will die here."
Benaiah reports this to Solomon and Solomon says, do it, so he does.

Question 6 of the book: What promise of the Lord is fulfilled in 2:27?  Read -1Sam 2:27-34. Eli was cursed for not respecting God's sacrifices enough to remove his sons from priestly duty. The curse is pretty harsh: "Behold, days come when I shall cut off your arm, and the arm of your father's house, that no old man shall be in your house." This among other yucky stuff comes to pass.

7. Who were the two sons of Aaron through which the priests descended? Eleazar/Ithamar. Which one of the sons had the high priesthood gone through? Eleazar From which son had Abiathar descended? Ithamar   Zadok? Eleazar 1Chron 24:3
Shows God's long standing will coming to pass. These events may seem small but together show God's providence and power...control.

It may seem disrespectful to execute someone at the altar. What was the altar for and what does Solomon say about this execution that removes its unseemliness? Solomon sees the value of removing the bloodguilt that Joab performed while in service to his dad. Remember that injustices cry out to God (Cain/Abel). Joab's nefarious dealings simply caught up to him and justice was finally served. His execution turns any suspicion away from David's house and places cause at Joab's feet. The altar saw sacrifices all the time because of sin for atonement. This was beyond that, it was because of sin for justice (judgment meted out, not atoned). Joab's death was merciless as was his actions towards others. In this case it was shameful as well.

Verses 36-46: 

1Ki 2:36  And the king sent and called Shimei and said to him, Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, and do not go out from there anywhere. 

1Ki 2:37  And it shall be, in the day you go out and cross the torrent Kidron, knowing you shall know that dying you shall die; your blood shall be on your head. 

1Ki 2:38  And Shimei said to the king, The word is good. As my lord the king has spoken, so your servant shall do. And Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. 

1Ki 2:39  And it happened at the end of three years, two of Shimei's servants fled to Achish the son of Maachah, the king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, your servants are in Gath. 

1Ki 2:40  And Shimei rose up and saddled his ass and went to Gath, to Achish, to seek his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 

1Ki 2:41  And it was told to Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had returned. 

1Ki 2:42  And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, Did I not cause you to swear by Jehovah, and testify to you, saying, In the day you go out, and you have gone anywhere, knowing you shall know that dying you shall die. And you said to me, The word I have heard is good. 

1Ki 2:43  And why have you not kept the oath of Jehovah, and the charge that I commanded you? 

1Ki 2:44  And the king said to Shimei, You shall know all the evil that your heart has known, that which you did to my father David. Now Jehovah has turned back your evil on your head. 

1Ki 2:45  And King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before Jehovah forever. 

1Ki 2:46  And the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell on him, and he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. 

Summary: Solomon puts Shimei under house arrest, restricting him to his property. Shimei disobeys and Solomon has Shimei executed.

NOTE: Chapter three tells the story of Solomon asking God for wisdom. Find the verses in this chapter that indicate that perhaps that happened before chapter 2: 6 "act according to your wisdom" - 9 'for you are a wise man"

Why did Shimei disobey? We have already seen Shimei's willingness to disrespect the king of Judah. As a Benjamite of the house of Saul, he must have felt above it all. It just didn't matter to him.

About Banaiah: He was a captain for David over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites. These were considered an elite fighting force, possibly mercenaries from the region of Edom. 
The two functions translate "executioner" and  "messenger." Hmmm.

Cherethites:

כְּרֵתִי

kerêthı̂y

ker-ay-thee'

Probably from H3772 in the sense of executioner; a Kerethite or life guardsman (compare H3876), (only collectively in the singular as plural): - Cherethims, Cherethites.

Pelethites:

פְּלֵתִי

pelêthı̂y

pel-ay-thee'

From the same form as H6431; a courier (collectively) or official messenger: - Pelethites.