“For he ruled all the area this side of the [Euphrates] River, from Tifsach to ‘Azah. He was over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace all around him, on every side.”-1 Kings 5:4
Verse 4 provides more detail on just how big Solomon’s kingdom was.
We’re told his rulership extended from Tifsach all the way to Azah.
Tifsach was a city located along the Euphrates River.
Azah is just another way of saying Gaza (yes, that Gaza).
So it was one of the Philistine cities.
Now, the key point expressed here is the defining difference between David’s and Solomon’s reigns.
That difference is “peace.”
David was a ruler whose life and reign were characterized by war.
Solomon, on the other hand, inherited peace and security.
This enabled him to build up his nation economically without hindrance.
There are some interesting Hebraic idioms used to describe this situation.
For instance, the phrase from Dan to Be’er Sheva meant all of Israel.
And saying a man lived under his fig tree was the equivalent image of a dude chomping on Cheetos while binging movies on Netflix.
The phrase was meant to evoke a life of ease and abundance.
Anyway, what takeaway can we extract from this?
Well, here’s what’s coming to me.
The peace that Solomon enjoyed was the result of the wars his father, David, fought.
Ya feeling me here?
In other words, the pattern I’m seeing in Scripture is that…
Ruin must precede restoration.
We saw this pattern with the great flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and in the last days, the same pattern will occur at Armageddon.
That will be the war to end all wars, led by Messiah himself, before history enters an unprecedented 1000 years of peace.
So remember…
If you want peace…
More often than not…
The cost is war.
Think about that the next time you criticize Israel for taking the offensive on its enemies who attacked them first.
Done.
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