Kingdom Issues

Yesterday, Alyssa and I were reading through 1 Kings 2. It is actually a pretty cool chapter. It is when David gives his final advice to Solomon before dying. It is also when David tells Solomon all the people that need...well, let's just say taken care of. It actually all feels somewhat Mafia-like. "No one messes with the family." So after David died, Solomon had the people that wronged David executed.

This is what got me thinking, though. At the end of the chapter, verse 46b, it says "thus the kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon." This was how Solomon established his rule. It was by killing all those that opposed him. Those that had opposed his father.

This wasn't really an uncommon practice, either. This was how kings established their reign. It was almost always with the blood of those who stood in their way, their enemies. They wouldn't allow a potential threat to their crown remain. Especially in the first days of their rule.

Then we often hear about Christ's rule. His kingdom. His reign was completely the opposite. His reign was established by his own blood. It wasn't the blood of his enemies that truly secured his kingdom but rather his own that he poured out willingly.

I for one am particularly thankful that this wasn't how Christ established his rule. Because to kill those that opposed his father wouldn't leave very many people. Sin itself is an act of defiance. Thus, if Christ were to "take care of" all those that defied his father, there wouldn't be anyone left.

I suppose that is just one more reason why Christ's kingdom is unlike any other kingdom on earth.