Study Desk

(The Gibeonites were not Israelites. They were a group of Amorites. The Israelites had promised not to hurt them, but Saul tried to kill the Gibeonites. He did this because of his strong feelings for the people of Israel and Judah.) King David called the Gibeonites together and talked to them.

The earth shook and shivered. The foundations of heaven trembled. They shook because he was angry!

The Lord rewarded me for doing what is right. He was good to me because I am innocent.

The Lord did this because I have obeyed him. I have not turned against my God.

David said to Gad, "This is a terrible situation to be in. But it would be better to be punished by the Lord than by anyone else, because he is very merciful."

"Also, be kind to the children of Barzillai from Gilead. Be friends with them, and let them eat at your table, because they helped me when I ran away from your brother Absalom.

Then King Solomon said to Abiathar the priest, "I should kill you, but I will let you go back to your home in Anathoth. I will not kill you now because you helped carry the Holy Box of the Lord God while marching with my father David. And I know that you shared in the hard times with my father."

King Solomon went to Gibeon to offer a sacrifice because that was the most important high place. He offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

The priests could not continue their work because the Temple was filled with the Glory of the Lord .

"Your people will sin against you. I know this because everyone sins. And you will be angry with your people. You will let their enemies defeat them. Their enemies will make them prisoners and carry them to some faraway land.

King Solomon also dedicated the yard right in front of the Lord 's Temple. He offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the animals that were used as fellowship offerings. King Solomon made these offerings there in the yard. He did this because the bronze altar in front of the Lord was too small to hold them all.

The next day Solomon told the people to go home. All the people thanked the king, said goodbye, and went home. They were happy because of all the good things that the Lord had done for David his servant and for his people Israel.

People will say, ‘This happened because they left the Lord their God. He brought their ancestors out of Egypt, but they decided to follow other gods. They worshiped and served those gods. That is why the Lord caused all these bad things to happen to them.'"

Your wives and officers are very fortunate, because they serve you and hear your wisdom every day.

Praise the Lord your God! He was pleased to make you king of Israel. Because of the Lord 's unending love for Israel, he has made you king to rule with justice and fairness."

Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces of this coat for yourself because the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘I will tear the kingdom away from Solomon, and I will give you ten of the tribes.

I will let David's family keep only one tribe. I will do this because of my servant David and because of Jerusalem, the city that I chose from among all the tribes of Israel.

I will take the kingdom from Solomon because he stopped following me and began worshiping Ashtoreth, the goddess of Sidon; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. Solomon stopped following my ways and doing what I say is right. He does not obey my laws and commands as his father David did.

So I will take the kingdom away from Solomon's family. I chose David because he obeyed all my laws and commands. So for my servant David, I will let Solomon be the king for the rest of his life.

I will punish David's descendants because of what Solomon did, but not forever.'"