1Kings 2:10 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.
This line describes the death of one of the great men of the Bible – David, the Son of Jesse, the King of Israel. The phrase rested with his fathers is commonly used throughout 1 and 2 Kings to describe the passing of a king from this world. In David’s case, it was certainly valid. Truly, King David passed from this life to his eternal rest and reward.
This marks the end of the earthly life of one of the greatest men ever to walk the earth. As it says in another place, So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor (1 Chronicles 29:28). In David’s life there were certainly a few scandals and many problems, but we don’t hear a word of those scandals or problems at the end of his life. This was proper, for at least two reasons.
First, David had genuinely repented and made peace with God for his prior sins. We all know of his infamous liaison with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah. But we should also know that this was the last mention of this kind of sin mentioned in David’s life, and this was evidence that he really repented. Second, though such scandals and problems were true of David, it would be unfair to characterize his whole life by them. None of us wants to be judged only by our worst moments, and it would be wrong to judge David only by his scandals.
From one perspective David’s reign as a king was a disaster. He suffered from a dark scandal during his reign. David experienced repeated family crisis. He survived an attempted insurrection from his own son, and then a second rebellion. David also endured from three years of famine.
In contrast to David, his son Solomon’s reign seemed perfect. Solomon enjoyed a reign of peace, great prosperity, prominence, and glory.
Yet the Bible has nothing but praise for David and his reign, reflected in passages like Psalm 89:20, Isaiah 55:3-4, Romans 1:3, and Revelation 22:16. In contrast, Solomon is barely mentioned in the rest of the Scriptures and when he is, it is almost in a backhanded way (Matthew 5:28-29 and Matthew 12:42).
The difference between David and Solomon was found in their different relationships with God. David’s passion in life was simply to be with God (Psalm 84:10), while Solomon’s passion was personal improvement (1 Kings 3:4-15). We can also say that David endured to the end, loving and serving God in the final chapters of his life (2 Samuel 23:1-7), while Solomon forsook God in his later years (1 Kings 11:4-8).
Solomon knew a lot about God. After all, he knew a lot about everything! But David was a true follower of God, a man after His own heart.
In this manner, don’t be caught as a Solomon instead of a David. (Guzik)
