In Judges 6 we find that the Israelites were still doing evil in God's sight so He turned them over the the Midianites for seven years. The Midianites so oppressed and impoverished the Israelites, destroying everything that they had so they hid out in caves and began calling out to God for help. We meet Gideon hiding out in a winepress to thresh wheat to keep it from the Midianites. An angel of the LORD shows up and commissions Gideon to strike down the Midianites with the assurance that the LORD will be with him.
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. Judges 6:24 (emphasis mine)This is the first use of the Name Yahweh-Shalom in the Bible. When we think of peace we usually think of tranquility, serenity, and harmony with others, but as Kay pointed out, the Hebrew word Shalom takes the meaning to a deeper level. At it's root, Shalom means to be whole. The relationship is one of harmony and wholeness. It carries the idea of completeness, perfection, safety and wellness. According to Vines shalom as a harmonious state of the soul and mind encourages the development of the faculties and powers. The state of being at ease is experienced both externally and internally. This is a peace that is beyond our comprehension and it comes from living in harmony with Yahweh. Yahweh-Shalom is the source of all peace so it makes sense that His Son is called the Prince of Peace.
This study came at just the right time for me as I have been filled with much tension and anxiety lately but through this study I found Yahweh-Shalom again, and the peace that He offers in the midst of any circumstances.
Shalom my friends~
"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou
3 comments:
I love that...wholeness...in our relationship with Father God...He's Daddy and He WILL care for me...that is peace.
Thanks Edie, I need His peace every day.
Beautiful message dear friend. I'm listening to the video above in your most current post as I read this message.
I'm praying for you and I am thankful for Jehovah Shalom for indeed He is the ONLY REAL Peace that we have. My soul is thankful...
Love you. I'm on break this week enjoying family vac time and the LORD but thought I'd drop in on a few friends and you were on the list.
I love you.
Just read in Philippians this morning about the peace that passes all understanding. The peace you're describing here seems to be that kind - passing all understanding!
So glad God brought you through this study at just the right time. He's so good at that! *grin*
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