The True Parent

for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood.” 1 Kings 2:9b NASB

You will know what you ought to do – yada’ata et asher ta’ase-lo reads the text. You will recognize the verbs yada and asher. Knowing what to do. We have examined this last statement from David before. It’s more like the final words of the Godfather than the words of a loving parent. But even that might be too kind. After all, the Godfather’s last words were about the safety of his son, not revenge on his old enemies. I know it’s distressing to think that David, the man after God’s own heart, might exhibit some very corrupted morals in his last breath, but it certainly seems as if he is far more concerned with his own legacy than he is with the future of Solomon. The Hargraves make an interesting and applicable comment that pertains here. “When a parent sacrifices what he or she needs in order to meet the needs of the child, the child learns he or she is more important and dear to the parents than even the parents’ lives. This infuses the child with an identity that speaks not only to the importance but also to the worth in which he or she is held in relationship.”[1] Is that what David is doing?

We could read David’s comments as if he is anticipating challenges to the dynasty through the men he wants murdered. We could, but the text isn’t quite so clear. So we can also draw the conclusion that the reason David wants these men dead is because of what they did to him, not what they might do to Solomon. In fact, Solomon seems quite adept at taking care of dynastic challengers as we learn from his execution of his half-brother. No, I’m inclined to follow the Hargraves insight. David’s last words really don’t validate or affirm Solomon at all. In fact, I believe that they offer us insight into just how little importance Solomon had in his father’s eyes. I am sure that too will be distressing since we tend to lump David and Solomon together, but the clues are there. And they show up later in Solomon’s life. When a parent does not sacrifice what he or she needs in order to meet the needs of the child, long-term wounds are inflicted on the child, wounds that have an inconsolable effect on the child’s self-image. What happens to Solomon started long before he was ever born. Both parents seem more occupied with their own agendas than with God’s intention for their son. It makes you wonder if biblical stories like these aren’t much more like our own lives than we could have ever imagined. Try putting yourself in the place of this young man, about fourteen or fifteen, hearing these last words from his dying father. How would it make you feel?

Maybe we need to read the Bible differently. Maybe we need to stop being so theological and start being much more emotionally involved. What do you think?

Topical Index: yada’ata et asher ta’ase-lo, Solomon, David, parents, 2 Kings 2:9

[1] Terry and Sharon Hargrave “Restoring Identity,” in Fuller Magazine, Issue #6, 2016, pp. 40-41.