24th June 2024
Men of peace
This is the nineteenth study in a series of studies about shadows in scripture
…and he [Solomon] had peace on all sides round about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:24-25 (KJV)
The writer of 1 Kings gestures from the north of the land ruled by Solomon to the south, from Dan to Beersheba – about 160 miles, taking about a week on a donkey. Solomon’s kingdom is reckoned to have covered about 10,500 square miles: about twice the size of Wales and half the size of Scotland, not a huge area but the descriptions show a nation with enormous and unparalleled wealth and influence, and where Solomon built the temple that God called a place where His ‘eyes’ and ‘heart’ would be. (1 Kings 9:3)
About 200 years later this description of peace and plenty was repeated by the prophet Micah: “But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.” (Micah 4:4 NKJV). This is curious because things had changed.
Solomon had departed from keeping God’s laws, led astray by his many pagan wives. His ‘perfect’ kingdom had been torn in two. Micah’s prophecy looks back at the magnificent reign of Solomon as a comparison, as he looks forward to another event, not limited to the geography between Dan and Beersheba: ‘Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways…” ’ (Micah 4:2). This is a worldwide kingdom, and in the following chapter Micah lays down a prophecy that identifies the ruler, “But you, Bethlehem…out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel…” (Micah 5:2). When Herod wanted to know where the “King of the Jews” was to be born, the chief priests and scribes used this 770 year-old prophecy to identify Bethlehem (Matthew 2:5). Then, as though to say, ‘this time it will be different’, Micah adds, ‘And this One shall be peace.’ (Micah 5:5).
Solomon’s name means ‘peace’, and during his reign there was no war (1 Chronicles 22:9-10). The Apostle Paul describes Jesus as ‘…our peace, who has made both one…’ (Ephesians 2:14). This is in the context of bringing Gentiles into Christ’s kingdom. He describes them as ‘fellow citizens’ (v.19), mending broken divisions. Paul also describes the spiritual nature of a very different temple Christ is building: ‘Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?…For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.’ (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). As Christians, we are where God’s Spirit dwells, where his ‘eyes’ and ‘heart’ are.
Isaiah underlines the difference between Solomon’s kingdom and the promised kingdom under Christ: ‘Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever…’ (Isaiah 9:7).
Prayer
We look forward to a time of peace and safety that will have no end, thanking you, Father, for this hope. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Maggie Mitchell
About the writer:
Maggie Mitchell attends the Market Harborough congregation of Grace Communion International
Local congregation:
GCI Market Harborough
9 The Point
Rockingham Road
Market Harborough
LE16 7QU
Meeting time:
Sunday 4.00 pm
Local congregational contact:
Sinead Henderson
Email: sinead.henderson@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church