This guide gives you questions and leader’s notes for 1 Kings 2, the chapter where David hands the kingdom to Solomon, charges him to walk in the Lord’s ways, and then sees him act decisively against old rivals. It works for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and each question points to specific verses so you can return to the text quickly.
1 Kings 2 at a Glance
The chapter opens with David’s deathbed instructions to Solomon (verses 1-9), including a charge to keep the law of Moses and a request to deal with Joab and Shimei. Verses 10-12 record David’s death and Solomon’s secure accession to the throne.
The second half moves through a series of confrontations. Adonijah’s request for Abishag is read as a threat to the throne and leads to his execution (verses 13-25). Abiathar is removed from the priesthood (verses 26-27), Joab is put to death at the altar (verses 28-35), and Shimei is executed after he breaks the terms of his house arrest (verses 36-46). The chapter closes with the statement that the kingdom was established in Solomon’s hand.
Observation Questions
Use these questions at the start of the session to make sure everyone has read the text carefully before anyone offers an interpretation. Ask participants to find the answer in the passage before sharing their own thoughts.
1 Kings 2:2-3
2 “I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man; 3 and keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn yourself.
(WEB)
This is David’s charge to Solomon to be strong and to keep the Lord’s instruction. Reading it early in the session sets the tone for the rest of the chapter and gives the group a foundation for discussing faithfulness.
1 Kings 2:4
Then the LORD may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children are careful of their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’
(WEB)
Here David ties Solomon’s walk with the Lord to the continuation of God’s promise. Reading it aloud helps the group see that the verse holds both human responsibility and divine faithfulness together.
1 Kings 2:12
Solomon sat on David his father’s throne; and his kingdom was firmly established.
(WEB)
This short verse marks Solomon’s secure accession and frames the events that follow. Reading it before the more difficult passages helps the group understand what the narrator is working toward.
1 Kings 2:19-20
19 Bathsheba therefore went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny you.”
(WEB)
This passage shows Solomon’s honor for his mother and sets up the request that follows. Reading it aloud allows the group to notice the courtesy of the scene before the tension rises.
1 Kings 2:45-46
45 But king Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will be established before the LORD forever.” 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell on him, so that he died. The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
(WEB)
These final verses state the blessing on Solomon and the establishment of the kingdom. Ending the reading here gives the group a clear close before the prayer and helps them hear the chapter’s conclusion.
Memory Verse for 1 Kings 2
1 Kings 2:3
And keep the instruction of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn yourself.
(WEB)
This verse summarizes the chapter’s call to walk in the Lord’s ways and keep his commandments. Memorizing it gives the group a short reminder that faithfulness is both a daily practice and a response to God’s instruction.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you for the faithfulness you show from one generation to the next, as you kept your promise to David and his house. Teach us to walk before you with truth and with our whole hearts, even in the decisions we find hard to make. Give us wisdom like Solomon’s when we must weigh justice and mercy, and help us keep the commitments we make to others. Where we have been divided in our attention, draw us back to you. Thank you for holding our lives in your hand. Amen.
