SHALOM – WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE GRATEFUL
Numbers 31: 48 Then the officers who were over the units of the army - the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds - went to Moses 49 and said to him, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of them is missing. 50 So we have brought as an offering to the Lord the gold articles each of us acquired - armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces - to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.”
INTRODUCTION: SHALOM - WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE GRATEFUL
Numbers 31:48-50 deals with the confiscated spoils from the war Israel fought with the Midianites which was intended to wipe them out. All captives and goods were to be divided according to a strict formula. Moses told the soldiers not to keep for themselves all the booty they had taken but to give a portion of it to God and another portion was to go to the people who had not gone to war (vv. 26-27). This included over eight hundred thousand animals and approximately 16,750 shekels (v. 52) in gold, worth several million dollars in the current United States economy. Some four centuries later David would establish this as a permanent rule of war (I Sam. 30:24-25).
From This Example we should be reminded that the money we earn is not ours alone. Everything we possess comes directly or indirectly from God and ultimately belongs to Him. We should return a portion to Him and a portion to those in need. When The Officers Counted their men after the battle, they discovered that not one soldier had been lost. Only the Lord could have done such a miracle. The commanders of the troops were so grateful for this miraculous deliverance that they brought a freewill offering of gold to God. They brought this special gift for the sanctuary of God out of the spoils they themselves had received. It is one thing to bring offerings to God because we have to or it is our duty, but quite another because we love Him and appreciate what He’s done for us.
9 COMMON CAUSES OF INGRATITUDE
Luke 17:11-18, Jesus asked: "Where are the nine?" He was sad & surprise. There are more than 9 sources of ingratitude, but there are nine ingrates, and each man may represent someone.
1. Mr. Callous. Stony person who didn’t feel his misery like the others so health meant nothing.
2. Mr. Thoughtless. He never reflects, never introspects, never recollects on God’s goodness.
3. Mr. Proud. Why be thankful for what his respectability, his station, his lineage deserves?
4. Mr. Envious. Though healed, he still does not have what others have.
5. Mr. Coward. Jesus is hated and expressing gratitude may bring some of such hatred on him.
6. Mr. Withhold: He did acknowledge the benefit received and the attending price to be paid.
7. Mr. Worldly. Maybe he has business in Jerusalem and that occupied him more.
8. Mr. Follower: He would have expressed gratitude if the other eight had.
9. Mr. Procrastinator. He can say thanks at another time. After all, Jesus was always there.
MEANING OF SHALOM IN THE BIBLE
Shalom means “nothing missing, nothing broken”. It is having God’s unshakeable promise that makes a man perfect, whole, complete and full. God wants us to have Shalom, that’s why He sent us a Helper - the Holy Spirit. “Shalom” not only means peace, but also complete, intact, and in good health. Jesus has lifted the curse of chaos, sickness, lack, insufficiency, and powerlessness. In Him, we have peace, healing, wholeness, and authority to restore order in our lives that He has.
MULTIPLE MEANINGS OF SHALOM
? Shalom: Typically is Used to Describe an Absence of Hostility or Strife. Peace is the Opposite of the Rivalry, Instability, and Division Brought by Envy and Ambition.
? Shalom: Indicates a Total Fulfillment that Comes When Individuals Experience God’s Presence.
? Shalom: The Final Sacrifice, (of Completion, Christ Has Become Our Peace - Ephesians 2:14).
? Shalom: Used as a Greeting and Also as a Way of Inquiring After Someone’s State of Being & to Want the Very Best For them in Life.
? Shalom: Entering into a State of Wholeness & Unity (Oneness) Signified by a Restored Relationship, Especially Wholeness of the Relationship Between a Person and God.
? Shalom: Signifies a Sense of Well-Being & Harmony Both Within and Without, Health, Happiness, Quietness of Soul, Preservation, Prosperity, Tranquility, Security, Safety and Includes ALL that Makes Life Worthwhile.
? Shalom: Conveys the Sense of Being at Peace with Yahweh and Involves More than Forgiveness of Sin, in that Fullness of Life, Prosperity, and Peace with Men is the Expected Result of Shalom.
There Anything Broken Or Missing in Your Life? Recognize Christ as Lord and you will be repaired and restored. May “The Breath of Yahweh” be upon your life and restore to you what is missing or broken.
10 COMPELLING REASONS WHY WE MUST BE THANKFUL
1. We Must Be Thankful Because God Is Good And Loving. 1 Chronicles 16:34 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 107:8-9 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
2. We Must Be Thankful Because It Is The Will Of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
3. We Must Be Thankful Because We Are Called To Be Part Of God’s Kingdom. I Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
4. We Must Be Thankful Because It Helps Us To Be At Peace. Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Colossians 3:15: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
5. We Must Be Thankful For It Helps Us Worship God. Psalms 100:4 “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name”. Psalms 95:2-3 “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods”.
6. We Must Be Thankful Because God Is Gracious. 2 Corinthians 4:15-16: “For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.”
7. We Must Be Thankful Because God Gave Us A Spiritual Family. Romans 1:8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world”.
8. We Must Be Thankful Because It Is Good For Us. Psalm 92:1-3: It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound.
9. We Must Be Thankful Because Of God’s Blessings. 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
10. We Must Be Thankful Because It Helps Us Avoid Sin. A person who always complains is more prone to sinning compared to a person who is thankful. This is because a grateful heart is less likely to covet. Israel’s murmuring eventually led to pride, dissension, quarrel, rebellion, and ultimately death (Numbers 11). 1 Cor. 10: 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did - and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
BIBLE VERSES ON NOTHING MISSING NOTHING BROKEN
1. James 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
2. Job 5:24 "You will know that your tent is secure, For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.
3. Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.
4. Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
CONCLUSION & PRAISE
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jesus is saying “Nothing must be missing or broken in your life because you have my peace”. God’s supernatural peace surpasses natural understanding. The world’s peace depends on having favorable circumstances: if things are going well, then we feel peaceful; when things go awry, the peace quickly dissipates. Jesus made the distinction between His peace and the world’s peace: John 14:27 “My Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives”.
In Summary, Shalom signifies the greatest measure of contentment and satisfaction in life. Shalom indicates a total fulfillment that comes when individuals experience God’s presence. Another wonderful promise in Philippians 4:6-7 6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”. 7 “The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” God’s peace is available to guard us and make us to be grateful not because we have everything, but because we have God.
