But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. (Deuteronomy 12:10-11)
Embedded in these verses is the fact that, other than the tabernacle’s residency in Shiloh, Israel would not have a permanent place to worship until their enemies had been put down. In other words, theirs’ would be a life of warfare and driving out the enemies in the land. If they persevered, in time, God would give them rest from their enemies and establish His Presence in Jerusalem. As it turns out, this did not occur until the reign of David as it is written, “Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around…” (2 Samuel 7:1).
It was at that time that David began to develop plans to build a permanent Sanctuary at “The Place” God had chosen. It is important to understand that King David hints at the Messiah, the Son of David who is the true fruition of this promise. Only when He sits upon His Throne in Jerusalem will God’s people truly “dwell in safety.” Which means that, until that time, we will be faced with warfare and conflict with the powers of darkness and wickedness. As of yet, we have not come to our rest — but the day is coming.
Every seventh day, God gives us a time to cease and desist from our labors, effectively putting the world on hold. True, it will be waiting for us as soon as Shabbat has concluded but, for that space of time, we get a taste of what is coming — rest from our labors and all the warfare. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9). We have been given the promise of rest from our labor but it is after we have faithfully executed His Will in the earth according to the purpose He has given us all. Until that wonderful day, we must continue walking in obedience and Godly fear as we contend against the kingdom of darkness and advance the Kingdom of God.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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