When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying,
David's reign is closing, and the last thing he does as king is speak to the son who will take his place. The verse turns on one word: "commanded." What the dying king says here is not a farewell but orders for the reign that follows.
A Testament at the Close of a Life
One writer calls this speech the old king's will, drawn from all he had learned:
H. L. RossierAs he dies, David leaves a commandment with his son Solomon, and insists upon his responsibility. It is, so to speak, the testament of the aged king and the fruit of his long experience... Solomon at the start of his reign must first of all be armed against anything that could hinder or ruin it.
Why a Dying Man Speaks
David's concern reaches past his own death to God's people — the same concern two apostles had when facing their end:
Leslie M. GrantAs David was about to die, his words to Solomon have serious significance. Paul (2 Tim. 4:1-6) and Peter (2 Pet. 1:12-15) were concerned about the testimony of the Lord after their death. So was David. None of them was moved by selfish motives. They were moved by concern for God's glory among His people.
The Charge Itself: Be a Man, Keep the Word
David asks first for courage. One writer shows what that strength rests on, then takes the next verse word by word:
H. L. RossierThe king must first of all "be of good courage and be a man." Obedience to the Lord and dependence on Him are the proofs of this strength, and the strength is to be used to "walk in His ways"... His statutes are the things He has set up, and His authority is attached to them. His commandments are the expression of His will, and we must submit to it. His ordinances (or judgments) are the principles He passes on to us, and the principles He acts by. His testimonies are the thoughts He has told us, which faith must receive.
(The ESV of the next verse reads "Be strong, and show yourself a man," and has "rules" where older translations read "judgments.")
The Hard Part of the Charge
The charge also named men David had left alive — Joab and Shimei. Some call this the revenge of a bitter old man. One writer answers that:
William KellyIn the second chapter we have David's death. Before he died he charged king Solomon to judge righteously. David clearly feels that, to keep his own word, he had spared more than one wicked man. This lay on his conscience... It is wrong to call this vindictiveness; there was no vindictiveness in it at all... What filled the king's heart was not their personal opposition to himself. It was that this was so grave a sin against the Lord's anointed.
Grace That Never Judged Is Only Weakness
Behind the charge lies a warning about kindness that is never balanced by justice:
H. L. RossierDavid, who represents grace, understood what was appropriate to a reign of righteousness. If there were no righteousness, grace itself would be nothing but guilty weakness... God alone has found, in Christ, the way to reconcile these two things: His perfect hatred for sin and His perfect love for the sinner.
A Picture of a Coming King
One writer reads this handover of the throne — judgment for the guilty, kindness for the faithful — as a small picture of something far larger:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe punishment was well deserved. Joab had killed Abner and Amasa. Shimei had shamefully cursed God's King. Both were wicked men... He therefore asked Solomon to defend God's justice and lift it up from the defeat it had suffered, by punishing Joab and Shimei with death, while kindness is to be shown to the righteous. From the prophetic point of view, we get a glimpse of the coming righteous judgment of the King, our Lord Jesus Christ. He will carry out the vengeance of God and punish the evildoers. He will reward the righteous in His kingdom.
A Father Speaking to a Son
This is also a father guiding a son. Did the son listen?
Truth & TestimonyBefore David died he showed great wisdom in seeking to guide his son, Solomon, into the right paths for God. A very important lesson for fathers who have sons... Did Solomon pay any attention to his father? Yes, he did. Listen to his own words: "When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, 'Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.'"
Summary
- Testament — David's dying command is the fruit of a long life. It arms Solomon against everything that could ruin his reign before it starts.
- Motive — Like Paul and Peter facing death, David's concern is not himself but God's glory among His people after he is gone.
- Content — Be courageous, be a man, and let the whole Word of God — statutes, commandments, rules, testimonies — direct the walk.
- Balance — David had spared guilty men to keep his own word. Grace with no righteousness behind it is only weakness. In Christ alone the two are held together.
- Shadow — A throne handed on, evildoers judged, the faithful rewarded: a glimpse of the righteous reign of Christ still to come.