S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Commonly translated as "peace" and used as both a greeting and farewell, shalom has rich meaning in Hebrew. "Peace" is an accurate translation of the term, but shalom implies more than lack of conf...

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October 06 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

I loved Hebrew class in seminary so I took it all 3 years (that's all they offered.) It consumed much of my time! But I liked it because I was single then and didn't have much else to do. And there was an awe about it.

First, inward peace was for the righteous who trusted in God (Job 22:21, "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace (shalam {Shalom})"; Ps 4:8; 85:8, "He will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints"; Psalm 119:165; Isa 26:3, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace (Hebrew "peace, peace"), whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee"; also outward peace (Prov 16:7.). 

Secondly, Peace was to be sought and followed by the righteous (Ps 34:14b, "Seek peace, and pursue it"; Zec 8:16,19, "Love truth and peace").

Thirdly, peace should be a big feature of the Messianic times (Isa 2:4; 9:6, "Prince of Peace"--

I always like to relate Col. 1:20 in here for the unsaved because it ties Christ's death on the cross as the only way of getting this lasting peace; Isaiah 11:6; Mic 4:2-4; Zec 9:10).

As Michael has already mentioned Romans 5:1, which I call Judicial Peace(Rom 5:1)—The war with God is over. I’d just like to add a story illustrating this type of peace (shalom). Rick Dellinger relates it: 

I encountered a mean, barking dog. He had the look that said, "If I live long enough, sooner or later, I'm going to bite you!" As is my habit, I tried to entice the dog to let me pet him, to which he of course, wanted no part, and became even more vicious. As I came close enough to see his teeth, I snatched him off his feet and wrapped my arms completely around him, thus disabling his means of attack. 

As I examined him, he had this look of distress, almost desperation in his eyes, and it was then I noticed, the huge thorn he had in his front paw. I decided I must remove the thorn at once, and he decided at once I wouldn't. As the battle eventually I won, I put him down, and imagine my surprise, to find he wasn't near the snarling, mean dog I had imagined, but because of the miracle of the removal of the thorn, he now was a dancing, prancing, full of love puppy-dog, who seemingly had no care in the world. 

Thus is the sin in our lives. It becomes a thorn in our paws, which if allowed to, consumes our very being, and eventually, we become barking dogs. Christ says He can remove the sin if we allow it. Many times we fight the cause, many times we fight the solution, but when it's finally removed, how sweet it is to know His grace.

May 19 2019 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report