1 Kings 5:4
But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.
It was his father David’s desire but Solomon’s task to get the temple in Jerusalem built, and build it he would in a splendor that my mind cannot imagine. There was many factors as to why Solomon was God’s man for the job but one factor was the factor of absence. The absence of the Devil. Not that he wasn’t in existence during Solomon’s reign and very evident through idol worship; but when it came to the temple Solomon said that there was “rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.”
Wow! To live in such a day where I did not feel Satan’s presence around me, that would be splendiferous would it not? This morning I awoke with the aches and pains of the day, frustrations, concerns and disappointments weighing on my mind. A to do list that grows longer by the minute and my next “But Now” verse is my buddy Solomon bragging about how wonderful his life is. In the words of my favorite Christian comedian Chonda Pierece “Well isnt’ that special.” I cannot remember the last time I felt “rest on every side”, if there has ever even been a day like that. Today is certainly not one.
Solomon’s rest on every side did not mean he was without the adversary messing in his life. John Gil’s expository on this verse breaks it down like this:
But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side
From foreign enemies; for Solomon had no wars with any:
[so that there is] neither adversary;
or Satan, no internal enemy in his kingdom, as well as no external ones, Adonijah, Joab, and other ill-designing persons, being cut off:
nor evil occurrent;
nothing that rose up, and met him, to discourage or hinder the prosecution of the good work he had in view.
Reading this verse today in my state of mind caused me to cop an attitude with Jesus. Let me tell you… that’s not a good idea. But I was there this morning. “God, I’m glad it was workin’ out for Solomon, deed I am, but it’s not working out so well for me. I feel the adversary on every side and I feel the very presence of evil, so what am I supposed to do with Solomon’s wonderful “But now” moment?”
And God said read on…
I’ll be right back.
And so I read, and with tears in my eyes and a heart overflowing this was God’s response. In Chapter 6 God tells in great details of the work that He had done through Solomon building the temple. Again… far greater than my mind can imagine until I get to the room He created to house the ark of the covenant of the Lord. And then I got it…
Verse 19 reads “And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.”
And then above the ark in verse 27 He describes the cherubims:
“And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.”
The world outside the temple was not without the adversary Satan stirring, but the world within was pure and holy. And God reminded me this morning that He has a work to do in my life. And where He dwells, is not in a room built by any man, but by the blood of Jesus Christ Who now dwells within the throne room of my heart. I am under His wings! It is because of that that I too have rest on every side because He is there. Now that is special!!!!
God told Solomon “Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:” And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. (I Kings 6:12-13)
Solomon finished the temple in 7 years and then began his own home. God’s temple is finished through our Salvation in Christ Jesus alone, but there’s still plenty of work to do at home and we’ll have rest on every side if we walk in His path.
