Peace Forever

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

PEACE FOREVER

1 Kings 2:26-35

26 To Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign LORD before my father David and shared all my father's hardships." 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD, fulfilling the word the LORD had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli. 28 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, "Go, strike him down!" 30 So Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, "The king says, 'Come out!'" But he answered, "No, I will die here." Benaiah reported to the king, "This is how Joab answered me." 31 Then the king commanded Benaiah, "Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my father's house of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. 32 The LORD will repay him for the blood he shed, because without the knowledge of my father David he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them — Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army — were better men and more upright than he. 33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the LORD's peace forever." 34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried on his own land in the desert. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.  

NIV

More judgment from the hand of God through Solomon. Abiathar was a descendant of Eli, the priest who was the mentor of Samson. However, his sons did something contemptible before the Lord, and thus the house of Eli would be judged. No longer was a priest left in the house of Eli, as the Lord had spoken. But now it was time to put an end to all the insurrection against the throne of David, which had now been passed on to Solomon. It is now Joab’s turn to receive his due reward for his unfaithfulness to King David. Joab was the commander of all the armies of Israel, a position of honor and likely a well-off life. Joab was the commander under David’s orders put Uriah in the front line so he would surely die. But it was also Joab who struck David’s son Absalom with three javelins, killing him as he hung from a tree, defenseless. However, our story is about what Solomon said about David and his descendants, his house and his throne, that they be the LORD’s peace forever. This is the gospel message we hear time and time again throughout the scriptures. Jesus came as a descendant of David, and Jesus is the one who brings peace. He promised he would give his followers peace, not as the world gives, but he would give us His peace. Thus, the words of Solomon are prophetic about Jesus. However, just as we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we also must accept his peace. This peace has several aspects as we experience the peace of Jesus. First, we are no longer at war with God and He is no longer at war with us. It is not that we could ever win against God, as those who war against him are subject  to his wrath. However, we accepted his grace, Jesus, and now we are at peace with God, and He is at peace with us. We are now subject to his grace instead of wrath. Peace with God is everything; without it, we are nothing. Second, as we experience the peace of Christ in our hearts, it does away with all anxiety and fear. We are told not to be anxious about anything, but in everything by petitions and prayer with thanksgiving present our requests to God, and we will have peace. Living with the peace of God in our hearts brings a life of contentment. Stress is a killer, but Jesus gives us peace forever.