Solomon crosses the Wadi Kidron
A long poem about the king who just couldn't get enough
January is a long month. Congrats for making it this far.
Today it felt like the right time to share a long poem. Solomon crosses the Wadi Kidron unpacks a moment in the reign of David’s son that has always stood out to me.
His reign was filled with glory. The highest heights. He started so well. He ended so poorly. All the wisdom and riches in the world. But he broke a covenant, breached a promise he was meant to keep.
We all are tempted to cross boundaries. Set off trip wires. This poem explores the tragic, human pull away from the promise. I hope you enjoy it and that it makes you think.
~ AK
Solomon crosses the Wadi Kidron
it was no trick nor was it impossible none of it is ever easy, child none you must understand an old story first when David was king Absalom his son turned against him he was a beautiful son but he had the curse he went into his father’s lovers, his wives and concubines, defiantly before all the people he did it without hiding and claimed to be king David, in humility and fear fled unwilling to go to war against a beloved son heartbroken by the knowledge of his own sin the seeds from his own life planted whose fruit would be rebellion in his own house on the way to a safe place Shimei the son of Gera who belonged to the house of Saul the man David replaced as king (for David waited for the Lord and Saul did not) Shimei came at David running stones and curses in his hand shamed the king with murderer, scoundrel! named him a man of blood David, the man of blood, did not put his hand to his sword but left the words in the hands of God When Solomon was made king it was left to him to cleanse the kingdom and avenge his father’s house Build yourself a house in Jerusalem live there and do not go out from there to any place whatever For on the day you go out, and cross the Wadi Kidron know for certain that you shall die your blood shall be on your own head Solomon said to Shimei and Shimei agreed the sentence was fair Not three years later Shimei saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath the king to whom some of his slaves ran Solomon summoned Shimei when he learned of his trip Did I not make you swear by the Lord? and so Shimei died, for he did not keep the word he had sworn to keep the word he knew would preserve his life you see, child Solomon’s story is Shimei’s if you pare away the flesh and look at the heart of it the circumstances are different, but for Solomon, the same basic transgression occurred his was not the Wadi Kidron crossed but another boundary he knew well defined like Shimei, he was given a house in Jerusalem but his mind wandered and then his heart to Achish in Gath and then beyond after lovers Love is as strong as death passion as fierce as the grave, it’s true its flashes are flashes of fire a raging flame these were the commands he was asked to keep his boundary lines: be strong, be courageous keep the law be faithful in your heart and in your soul Solomon! he began his reign with proof he could navigate the treacherous territory of the throne showing mercy to Adonijah the rebellious but wisely killed him for his deceitful scheme you see, Adonijah, like Saul who sought to establish his own kingdom and did not follow God with his heart, purposed to marry Abishag, King David’s virgin wife in his old age Solomon made the difficult decision to keep the kingly line pure by killing the brother who meant to supplant him, God’s chosen ruler but he was not perfect from the start his first marriage was to the daughter of Pharaoh of Egypt a marriage alliance between a promising country and a great one two nations with a history made ties that were never to be made: he must not acquire many horses for himself or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses since the Lord has said to you, ‘you must never return that way again.’ if Solomon was not to look to Egypt for wealth could he look there for wives? but Solomon loved the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David for a time only he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places at Gibeon, the highest place elaborate sacrifice a thousand burnt offerings on that altar Solomon knew he was sinning This deviant nature in all of us accelerating beyond him already so early in his kingship the standard to live up to so high: God’s law and, the amazing though imperfect example of his father David. already two strikes against him (the Egyptian alliance and the high places) what did he try to do? look at his beautiful heart Solomon loved the Lord wanted to honour God to be clean and yet he could not escape his sinfulness, could not subvert his ability to morally fail Though he wanted to be clean, he sought cleansing at the wrong altar, at Gibeon the high place: If anyone of the house of Israel slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp or slaughters it outside the camp and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord he shall be held guilty of bloodshed he has shed blood and he shall be cut off from the people damning evidence and what did God do? he appeared to Solomon at Gibeon in a dream of the night ask what I should give you his only words no stipulations no strings You have shown great and steadfast love to you servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness righteousness in uprightness of heart toward you and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today God and man at play You have made your servant king in place of my father though I am only a little child I do not know how to go out or come in and your servant is in the midst of a people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted give understanding, discernment so that I might rule wish and command It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this ‘Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies but for understanding to discern what is right I give you a discerning mind; no one like you has been before or will ever be I give you also what you have not asked both honour and riches all your life no other king shall compare to you If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments as your father David then I will lengthen your life’ child do you see that Solomon, though he pleased God by his request did not do the one deed required of him that set him up, morally, for life? he must continue in a path of obedience stay in the city of Jerusalem, the house of God and not wander beyond the Wadi Kidron Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream He came to Jerusalem stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being the law named Solomon a shedder of blood, guilty of great sin the punishment: banishment from his people but there was love behind the law and grace, too God is reckless, child foolish even his kindness could backfire could, potentially, reinforce already rotten behavior the risk of grace when God could throttle you leave you to lie in a pool of your own blood he shows kindness instead ask what I should give you a command, not a question he appears to Solomon at his most helpless at night in his sleep when he’s no longer hard at work at his sin-control appears to Solomon at night to test him, reveal to Solomon what really is in his heart the encounter with God sets Solomon on the right path he does not play the fault finder tests and reveals, changes the heart shows the king he does not require perfection but obedience a narrow but solid line to walk upon It’s your kindness, Lord, that brings us to repentance Somehow in the exchange, Solomon does not become defensive knows enough about God to not shy at admitting he needs practical help to govern his kingdom and his own heart I am only a child and suddenly the multitudes look to me at Gibeon Solomon learned that in light of God’s character it is safe to be honest about who you are and what you need yet Solomon’s path is Shimei’s, for we know the rest of his story like Shimei who stayed within the boundary of the king’s word for three years Solomon kept God’s law for a time but then his heart wandered far, far from Jerusalem far from home Solomon’s path, child, is our own like him we try to appease God confess our sin but in the very act of asking for mercy we do it from an offensive high place at the wrong altar we think of a God who is not pleased with us, we fear God’s reaction in asking for mercy, we fear he won’t be merciful and in so doing misrepresent the very name we must depend on in order to be forgiven how many sacrifices we offer to God to cover up our sin a thousand burnt offerings it can all seem like a dream, child a frightening vision in the night when it does, remember this: God appeared to us not in a dream but in world history, said: ask and it will be given to you seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added to you as well a test of the heart no trick, no King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the Israelites: ‘You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you; for they will surely incline your heart to follow their gods’ Solomon clung to these in love seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines crawled after them flesh bent with desire body hungry for their love When Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods and his heart was not true to the Lord his God as was the heart of his father David Solomon built a high place for all his foreign wives who offered incense and sacrificed at these high places to their gods: Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites Chemosh the abomination of Moab Molech the abomination of the Ammonites when Solomon was old do not grow old, my child Then the Lord was angry with Solomon his heart turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this matter that he should not follow other gods but he did not observe what the Lord commanded The Lord said to Solomon ‘Since this has been your mind and you have not kept my covenant I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant Yet for the sake of your father David I will not do it in your lifetime nor tear away the entire kingdom’ God is reckless but no fool a lover spurned, his guts get turned inside out, too none of it is easy, child none
You made it. If you read this far, thank you.
I hope you enjoyed the poem.
Let me know what you think!



Potent truths, thanks for unveiling this! What a mystery when Jesus crossed the Kidron on the night he was betrayed! Spiritual and physical significance, Absolom, Shimei, Solomon, Judas! A powerful picture you’ve now made much more clear
Wow! Compelling insightful verse. Thank you.