"Rest…Just As He Promised"

Scripture Passage

1 Kings 8:54-66; 2 Chronicles 7:1-10; 1 Kings 9:1-9; 2 Chronicles 7:11-22; 1 Kings 9:10-14

Scripture Focus

“Praise the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses.” (2 Chronicles 6:41-42 NLT)

Observation

Finally, the construction of the temple is complete, along with all the acts of dedication that mark the initiation of temple worship. Solomon wisely recognizes that this “high water mark” in the life of the people of Israel is really a culmination of many moments—the fulfillment of a promise God had made clear back when Israel experienced God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

“Praise the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel.”

Can you imagine how rich “rest” must have sounded to Hebrew slaves? And the people of God had tasted rest in growing measure all along the way. Surely leaving Egypt behind was “rest” in itself…then actually entering the Promised Land…then the increasing stability of life in the land under King David…and now—now Jerusalem was fully established as the religious and political center of Israel, and Solomon’s temple fully established as the “dwelling place” of Israel’s God—Jehovah.

“Praise the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel.”

So it is with us—or at least ought to be, I think. The New Testament book of Hebrews speaks of the rest that is ours in Christ, and exhorts us to “make every effort to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:11 NIV). But like Israel, our experience might best be understood as a journey—a work in progress—with growing levels of ability to appropriate the blessings that are ours in Christ. The question I’m asking myself lately is this: “Where is the evidence of that growth? In what ways does my life reflect progress—growth in Christ?” Oh, how I want to see that today’s blessings are not just random events, but evidence of a rich history of progressively appropriating all of God’s promises!