5/17

1 Kings 5:3

³"You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.

Solomon was asking the King of Tyre for cedars of Lebanon. These trees are so durable that some of the wood from the Temple Solomon would build is probably at use in the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount today. It has been carbon dated to the ninth century B.C. The archeological evidence that backs the Biblical accounts is abundant.

Throughout the life of David we have parallels to the Son of David, the Messiah. When we look at the wording of this passage, we are reminded of David's Psalm 110 that pointed to the Messiah. There, the Eternal God of Israel told the Master to sit at His right hand until His enemies are made His footstool. Then the scepter of the Master would go forth.

Just as David could not build the temple until the enemies of Israel were subdued, so God will not begin the thousand year reign of the Messiah until the enemies of the Messiah are subdued. David did subdue all his enemies before the reign of Solomon. The Son of David will subdue all his enemies at the battle of Armageddon and then begin His reign. There will be rest on every side, and the eternal Temple made of living stones will be completed.

The God of history writes the details in the lives of His people. Scripture is filled with these multiple layers of understanding. We are only scratching the surface. How marvelous is the Word of God!

Consider: Even in eternity the Word will be our guide. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will never grow old or useless. It is more durable than the cedars of Lebanon.