The Tepid Waters of Peace

"Then [David] called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, 'My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quite to Israel in his days..." ' "

David was a man of bloodshed, running from enemies, entering into battles, defending himself and the people entrusted to him. Because of that God wouldn't let him build the temple; instead that honor was given to Solomon, along with a promise of peace during his entire reign. You would think that peace matched with Solomon's eventual unmatched wisdom would set the stage for him to become one of the best kings ever. And he did start out well... but the end of his life was a different story. He had all the wisdom in the world, and no enemies to boot, yet he screwed up in worse ways than his father (murder, adulter

y, pride, etc.).

It is a wonder how often the blessing of peace in our lives can lead us from swimming in the cool refreshment of the Lord, to the tepid, stagnant pools of self-reliance and pride. It doesn't have to. We can enjoy the peace of the Lord to its fullest because it is a beautiful gift from Him. He longs to pour out His favor on His kids. But sometimes we can royally screw up and think we have everything figured out and that is why we have peace. Solomon didn't have too many roadblocks in his life or leadership experience. I wonder if that is why he didn't turn out like his dad who was called a man after God's own heart even though he had his own vices to deal with. David was constantly turning back to the Lord when trouble came across his path. Pain was a sheep dog that herded David back into the fold of the Good Shepherd time and time again. But Solomon didn't have enemies, or wars, or famine to deal with. Yet look how he turned out--a overbearing and idolatrous leader of his people, taxing and working them to death, while he indulged in countless women and unimaginable wealth. He started out so well! And he finished a loser, letting his heart be turned from the One True God.

Solomon didn't treat God's peace as a gift. Rather he let the lack of trouble lead him to spiritual atrophy and his life ended with God's anger and judgment upon him.

So is unrest sometimes a good thing? Unfortunately I have to say yes. Sometimes I wander away from my Shepherd because things are easy, and I need one of those annoying sheep dogs to come bite me in the butt until I turn around and head back to the One who takes care of me. Trouble or pain isn't always a punishment though. Sometimes it is just the result of a busted world. Sometimes it is merely the result of my twisted perspective on life that doesn't fully take into account the goodness and provision of a God who promises to never leave my side. Whatever the reason for the pain, I have found (mainly through hindsight) that my trouble or anxiety can be embraced if it pushes me back into the arms of the Unshakeable God. Sometimes I just need a smack in the face to snap me out of my own spiritual atrophy. And even though I won't pray for troubles to heaped upon me and my family, I have found that there are blessings to be discovered through the process. I never want to turn out to be like Solomon at the end of his life. He had so much and threw it away... and maybe that would have changed if there were a few more potholes he had to deal with.