Jentezen Franklin - The Priority of Peace
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I want you to look with me in the book of Song of Solomon 3. Let’s begin reading with verse 7. «Behold, it is Solomon’s bed, with sixty valiant men around it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert in war. Every man has his sword on his thigh». Sixty valiant men with swords, why? «Being expert in war, every man has his sword on his thigh because of fear in the night».
I want to talk to you about the priority of peace and why it really matters for a few moments. How to defeat fear. In the Bible, there’s a word that you read that has to do with currency and money, and it is a word called talent. They used talents to measure the money and the weight of money. And a talent was considered 75, a talent of gold was 75 pounds. At $1,500 an ounce, around what it is now, up and down. But at $1,500 an ounce, that would be 1.6 million dollars. This text is talking about Solomon and how God blessed him. And he, the scripture said had 666 talents of gold each year valued at 1.9 billion a year that he would receive. He started out very humble, he started out with a generous heart.
And when he dedicated the temple that he built to God, he sacrificed a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and tens of thousands of oxen, the choice ones, and offered 'em to God. And God was so moved by his sacrifice that that night when he was asleep in his bed, God came in his bedroom, and God woke him from his sleep, and God said, «What do you want? What do you want? I’m asking you». I’ve told God what I wanted. I’ve never had God come to me and ask me what I wanted. But he did this man. And he said, «Whatever you want, I’m gonna give it to you». And he said, «I want the wisdom to serve the people. I want to be effective for the people and serve the people. I need the wisdom of God».
And God was so pleased with that answer that He said, «I will not only bless you with that wisdom, but I will bless you beyond anything you can imagine». And so, here he is, the richest man in the world. There’s a book that’s written called, «The Richest Man in the World,» it’s a best seller. And it goes into great detail about the wealth of Solomon. Some of that, I’m gonna share with you right now. 1.9 billion a year he took in in Bible days. At the peak of his leadership, he had a net worth, if you do it in today’s value, of 2 trillion, not billion, 2 trillion dollars. Twenty-five tons of gold were received by him for each of the 35 years of his life.
On top of all of that, gold, just solid gold wealth of 2 trillion dollars. On top of that, he had a fleet of ships that sailed all over the world, and he built them. And he was so rich that according to 1 Kings 10, all of his cups were made of gold, not a cup in his cupboard that was made of silver. He only knew one level and it was the gold level. And he wouldn’t drink out of a silver cup. Solomon, listen to this, he received tribute money from every nation every year on top of that that was brought in, and they would pay him in ivory. They would pay him in precious garments, expensive. Highly, highly tapestry and expensive things that were worth great wealth.
Spices and precious stones. It talks about diamonds and rubies. Some of them paid him in diamonds and rubies. We cannot imagine the wealth this man had. He had a throne, and the Bible describes his throne as being covered with ivory and pure gold. There were six steps that led up to his throne, and on each step there was a lion made of gold, a statue on the left and on the right, and 12 of them up the six steps, all the way up to the gold and ivory throne, he had a foot stool that was made of solid gold. That’s when you know you’re bad, when you have a foot stool made of solid gold. He had 4,000 personal Ferraris called stallions and the garages for 4,000. The stables for 4,000 in Jerusalem alone that he kept his personal favorites.
Thoroughbred, Kentucky Derby, the best of the best-bred horses. And then, because he really liked 'em, he had another 12,000 scattered in case he traveled, and they were ready at his beck and call. On top of all of the wealth that I’ve already described, he was a real estate tycoon. He owned all the land from the Euphrates River to Gaza, and from Gaza all the way to the Egyptian border, the supreme leader of Israel owned it all. So much during his wealth was there in silver that the Bible said it was his common to see stacks of silver as it was to see stacks of rocks. They had to stack it up and just put it anywhere they could put it all over his properties. When he started out and God spoke to him and began to bless him, he had peace. It’s interesting, he was asleep and God woke him from his sleep, and he had rest. He was in love with God. He was serving God supremely.
Wanting to build him a house, was all about the temple of the church, was all about the presence, the Ark of the Covenant, was all about sacrifice and serving the people. And the Bible makes this comment about him in 1 Kings 4:24, «As God began to bless him, he had great wealth, favor, wisdom, and there was rest all around him. Peace with all,» Bible said, «When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him». And he had that kind of favor that there was nothing, notice the words now, rest and peace all around him. He’s sleeping in his bed in his palace. He doesn’t need security, God is his security. And he is blessed and highly, highly, highly favored of God.
And then, something happens. The Bible said that he began to marry strange women meaning they were not of his faith, they were not of the covenant, they worshiped idols, they worshiped, you know, we clean that up. They worshiped idols. If you were an idol worshiper, you were a satanic worshiper in the Bible. Always remember that. Check me out in history. I’m talking about child sacrifice. I’m talking about witchcraft. I’m talking about deep occult. And I just gave you all of his assets, now let me tell you about his liability. He had 700 wives, 700. And that’s not a shade on women, I’m just saying one wife is all I can handle, how can you have 700 wives? And then, he had 300 girlfriends, and every one of them were worshiping different Gods.
Now, this is so important. He has everything, all these possessions. And the text said that his bed is surrounded with 60 personal bodyguards, warriors, the elite in warfare. We’re talking about trained, think of the movie 300, these kinds of warriors, 60 of them. It would have had to be six shoulder after shoulder after shoulder, layer after layer, after layer completely surrounding his bed in his bedroom. One group of ten, another group of ten another group of ten, layer after layer with their swords on their thigh, ready to kill, to fight till the death. Trained all of their life like the Greek warriors used to be. They came up as a little child, being taken and trained to fight and defend and he’s so tormented. Why? Why does he have to have that kind of security? He’s so tormented. He so turned himself over that the enemy has released a spirit of fear. As a matter of fact, I gotta read this verse.
1 Kings 11:14, «Because he did this thing,» because he married outside of the faith and began to be pulled into idolatry and witchcraft, which is rebellion, «The Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon». And that was a tormenting spirit that took all of his rest, that took all of his peace. He was terrified that he needed more and more and more security from man. There’s no security in material things. I don’t care how much you have, there’s no security, there’s no peace, there’s no real rest. «Oh, if I could just get that house, if I could just get that car».
There’s nothing wrong. The Bible said, God loves to bless us, and He joys in the prosperity of His children. But if it ever becomes about other Gods and not the one God, Jesus Christ, then you don’t understand what you’re playing with, it’s dangerous. «For a man’s life,» Jesus said, «Does not consist of the abundance of things». You will not find life in material things. You can have it temporarily and it’ll have a little bit of pleasure, but it will leave you empty as his words said vanity. «For God has not,» 1 Timothy 1, «For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind».
And when you give yourself over to witchcraft and all of those kinds of things, and even idols of this world, you lose your peace, and you lose your rest, you lose your security. I’m not talking about just physical security. I have spiritual security. I know who I am in Jesus Christ. I know where I’m going. I am not insecure. I am eternally secure. I’m not eternally insecure. I am secure. I know that I have my past forgiven. I have a reason for living, and I have a future in Heaven, and I’m securing that. I lay down my head and I know if I take my last breath while I lay on this pillow, it is well, it is well, it is well with my soul. You know, you ought to shout over that. The Bible didn’t say, «Rejoice if you can cast out demons». It said, «Rejoice if your name is written in the book of life».
So, we’re gon' take a break, and we’re not going another step forward till we just shout over the fact that you got more security than 60 bodyguards. He’s got you and your family in His hand, and He said no demon can pluck you out. Thank you, Lord. There’s no peace in possessions without Jesus Christ. And the problem was not a monster under the bed, the problem was the monster in the bed, who is running from God. This is so interesting. The bed was not the one in the palace, the bed, according to the scholars, the bed they’re referring to is the one that he used to travel with. He had an entourage, and they would go before him. And all the stuff, his food, his clothes, his wardrobes, they would all go on on entourage of guards and elite group of soldiers. And in that was this bed, and it was on wheels, and it was being pulled by his beautiful horses.
The point is, he thought, «If I can’t sleep at home, then I’ll start traveling, and I’ll go here, and I’ll go there, and I can rest». You can’t have the peace of God until you have peace with God. And you need to quit blaming everybody for the reason you don’t have peace in your own life, and you don’t have rest in your own life. It maybe you can’t have the peace of God until you get peace with God, and you repent, and you cry out to Him, and He washes you, and He cleanses you, and He breaks the spirit of fear off of your mind. The man is living on the run for the fear of the night, crippled by paralyzing fear. He’s peace poor and money rich.
I had rather be peace wealthy than prosperity wealthy. I had rather be peace blessed than I had material blessing. The crazy thing is when you put Jesus first, when your priority is the prince of peace, Jesus Christ, when you seek first the kingdom of God, that’s when he takes you into things and blesses you, and helps you when you obey His word, and, «My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus». Peace poor is worse than prosperity poor. If you’re tired of living on the run, if you’re tired of anxiety, see him at the end of his life, bodyguards, cut off from everybody, can’t go, can’t have normal relationships. He’s like, those of you of my generation, Howard Hughes.
That’s what the enemy does. He just seals us off because we’re trying to get security from other things than Jesus, and you can’t find peace and you can’t rest. And I’m telling you, the Lord told me to proclaim this over the people that would hear me today. You may be watching me in a mansion somewhere, and you’re peace poor. You got everything that life is supposed to make you really, really a big deal but inside, you’re peace poor because you don’t have Jesus. He is the greatest treasure. And what you’re looking for can only be found in Him. What you’re looking for has been looking for you a long time. And this is what I felt, that anxiety, and fear, and panic, I just see him. He said, «Behold his bed».
I want you to see this man every night. He’s got everything. He crawls up in that bed with 60 armed security around him, and he’s just laying there in torment of fear, and panic. «What’s gonna happen? What’s gonna happen? What’s the future gonna bring»? 1 John 4 said, «Perfect love casts out all fear». Perfect love is Jesus Christ on a cross bleeding, and dying, taking your sins and saying, «I’ll take all the shame, and all the condemnation, and I’ll take the dark night of their life. I am the light of the world, and I’ll trade it for light». And if fear has tormented you, if anxiety and worry has come over you, if you’re in a situation where you’ve lost your peace, and I’m gonna be very specific in closing this message.
If you don’t know the Prince of peace, Jesus Christ, is Lord of your life, and you keep waiting, God brought you to this service today. Wherever you’re watching me, at all of our campuses, God ordered your steps today. I’m telling you, fear is gonna break off of you. I’m telling you that anxiety, and panic, and worry, and torment, mental torment, self-hatred, suicidal thoughts, self-hatred, it’s gonna break in Jesus' name. I just proclaim it over you. And I tell you, all of God’s word backs up what I’m saying right now. Your security, your peace, and your rest must be in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone, and He’s reaching for you.