First Kings 2:1-10
‘The days of David drew nigh, that he should die…. So he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the Earth!”… So David fell asleep with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.’ First Kings 2:1-10.
‘When David was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel’ (First Chronicles 23:1). In First Kings 2, are found the last words David gave to Solomon immediately before his death. Such were his last personal admonitions. When David saw his life was drawing to a close, he instructed Solomon to be valiant in observing the Commandments of God. Then David said: ‘I go the way of all the world!’ — and died.
David warned Solomon to punish Joab for his wickedness in killing David’s generals Abner (Second Samuel 3:27-37) and Amasa (Second Samuel 20:9-12). Joab had murdered both of them out of jealousy, in a treacherous and malicious manner. Especially his murder of Abner had exposed David to suspicion in the eyes of the people, as if David himself had instigated the crime.
In the time of peace, Joab shed blood that ought not to have flowed save only in the time of war. For Joab, while saluting them, had stabbed both of them with the sword. David should possibly even then have punished those two crimes. But when Abner was murdered, David felt too weak to punish Joab (Second Samuel 3:29). And when Amasa was slain, the rebellion of Absalom had again crippled the power of David too much. Yet as king of God’s people, it was not right for David to allow such crimes to go unpunished.
So, in dying, David now transferred the punishment of Joab — for which he had lacked the requisite power, to his son Solomon ‘Mark the proper opportunity of punishing him, and do not let his grey hairs go down into the place of the dead unpunished!’ For the demands of justice required that the popular and powerful Joab should still be punished.
Calvin states in his Institutes IV:20:10: “David…towards the end of his life…ordered his son Solomon to put Joab and Shimei to death…. How is it that David who during his whole life showed so much mildness, almost at his last breath leaves with his son the bloody testament not to allow the grey hairs of Joab and Shimei to go to the grave in peace (First Kings 2:5-8)?”
Shimei had shown great hostility to David (Second Samuel 16:5-8). He had cursed the king when the latter fled from Absalom. The insult which Shimei had offered in his person to the anointed of the Lord, as king and representative of the rights of God, David could not forgive. The instruction given by the dying David to Solomon for Shimei not to remain unpunished, did not spring from personal vengeance but was the duty of the king as judge and administrator of the divine right.
After these instructions to Solomon, David fell asleep with his fathers and died — and was buried on Mount Zion where his sepulchre still existed in the later times of Christ (Acts 2:29). Thus did David encourage Solomon, just before he died and went to glory!
