1Ki 2:1-11 “I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man.”

[Study Aired July 8, 2021]

1Ki 2:1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 

1Ki 2:2  I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; 

1Ki 2:3  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: 

1Ki 2:4  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. 

1Ki 2:5  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. 

1Ki 2:6  Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. 

1Ki 2:7  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. 

1Ki 2:8  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. 

1Ki 2:9  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. 

1Ki 2:10   So David slept 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: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. 

David’s death is very significant as it signifies that time in Christ’s life when he said “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” of John 16:7.

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

David is charging his son Solomon at this juncture in his life to keep the charge of the Lord thy God by walking “in his ways” while keeping his “statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments“. These statutes, commandments and judgments are types and shadows of “the law of Christ” which we keep when we are doers of the word who bear each other’s burdens (Gal 6:2-3).

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Gal 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

[We deceive ourselves when we think our righteousness is something when it is less than nothing to God who is reminding us day after day as we die daily that only Christ can be Christ (1Co 1:30 , Php 3:9)]

It takes the comforter, the power of the holy spirit within us, to be able to keep “the law of Christ”, and the function of that spirit is being explained to us in type and shadow via David who goes on to describe those who must die in order to avenge his life. The very next two verses in the book of John (Joh 16:7-8) explain the inward application of what David was charging Solomon to do and how we are avenged through God’s holy spirit which gives us the victory over our flesh as our enemies within are destroyed because Christ has gone the way of all flesh as a seed that dies (Joh 12:24 ), making it possible for the holy spirit to be sent so that we can be more than conquerors through him (Rom 8:36-37) who can now bring forth much fruit that “should remain” (Joh 16:7-8).

Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin [1Jn 2:16 , Tit 2:12 ], and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die [Christ and Christ in His elect as our hope of glory (Gal 3:16 , Col 1:27 )], it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit [Joh 15:16 ].

Rom 8:36   As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Rom 8:37   Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

This section of Kings is very much an admonition to God’s elect ‘to be strong and show yourself a man’, which we will learn is only possible through “the man Christ Jesus” (Isa 33:22 , Psa 18:17 , Joh 8:36 , 1Ti 2:5.

Isa 33:22   For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us. 

Psa 18:17   He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me [Rev 13:4]. 

Joh 8:36   If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

The Lord is showing us in this section of scripture the process from start to finish that God has ordained for his children so that we can go “the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man” through Christ our hope of glory within (Col 1:27 ).

Col 1:27   To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

1Ki 2:1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

1Ki 2:2  I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;

1Ki 2:3  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:

As we die daily, we are getting our spiritual house in order, as David typified, by going to Solomon and telling him “be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; 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.” Christ is our strength who tells us also to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” so we can be as He is in this world (1Jn 4:17-18). Our strength will come about as a result of His judgments in our life which will nourish us (Num 14:9) as they teach us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts by putting off our flesh. His love will be perfected in us because of those judgments within our earth (Eph 6:10 , Jer 22:29 ).

1Jn 4:17   Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as