June 2, 2026; 1 Kings 2

Daily Dose of Hope June 2, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 2   Prayer:  Holy God, Thank you for this day and thank you for the ways you provide and care for us.  We rejoice in your powerful and mighty name.  As we read through the Scripture today and reflect on what it means for us, help us hear a new word from you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the day and really listen for your voice.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  For the summer, we are digging into 1 and 2 Kings.  These Old Testament texts offer us so much of God's truth and I look forward to what we will learn.  Today, we read 1 Kings 2.   This chapter begins with David about to die.  He wants to provide some advice to his son, Solomon, the new king of Israel. It's troubling advice, as he provides spiritual wisdom quickly followed by political strategizing that will lead to bloodshed. The first part of his advice is Godly and sounds like the wisdom of a man after God's own heart: Follow God's laws and walk in obedience to him and then you will prosper. But the second half of David's advice is about securing the kingdom. All sense of faithfulness is now gone out the window: Avenge your father, kill those people who have done us wrong, and ensure your place on the throne. Hmmm...On the one hand, David tells Solomon to follow God and keep Torah. On the other, he tells Solomon to avenge, kill, and break Torah.   I we were to read 1 & 2 Samuel, we could do a pretty good assessment of David's life. Overall, he was a faithful man who rarely wavered from following the Lord. He definitely had some rough patches though, in which he fell away and sinned horrifically against God and other people. And those times definitely mar how we view him.  At the same time, he was always repentant and turned back toward God. Over this last little portion of his life, however, it seems that David consulted God less and in many ways grew angry and bitter.  He had made a mess of his family life, allowed horrible things to happen in his household, and generally tried to dismiss it.  I'm wondering about his regrets.   What can we learn from King David's life? He is referred to as a man after God's own heart. He wrote many of the Psalms which we read over and over again and use in worship and song. He loved God and his allegiance was undeniable. On the other hand, he was a human king and there were many times in which lust, fear, and arrogance ruled the day.   After David dies, Samuel doesn't waste a lot of time.  He takes his father's advice and runs with it.  This means eliminating political rivals, including his half-brother Adonijah.  You might have noticed that Adonijah asked to marry his father's former attendant, the virgin Abishag.  Solomon sees this request as a covert political ploy to take the throne, as marrying a former king's attendant was seen as a claim to the royal lineage.  He also kills Joab (the general) and Shimei (who was a long-time problem for King David).  There is absolutely no grace.  I can't help but wonder what this means for Soloman's reign as king.  Is this a sign of what's to come?    Blessings, Pastor Vicki