If you ever get the experience to go to the holy land, then let me predict how the trip will begin for you. First you will fly to Tel Aviv and go through the tight security. Then soon after you will meet your holy land tour guide. He will look at the group and then say Shalom.
Shalom means peace. It is more than the absence of war, but completeness and wellbeing. We will look at this word at the compound name for God, Jehovah-Shalom. Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord is our peace. (Judges 6:24)
This is in part of looking at these compound names of God that help us understand the character of God:
Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord is our provider. (Genesis 22:14)
Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord is our healer. (Exodus 15:26)
Jehovah-M’kaddesh: The Lord is our Holiness. (Leviticus 20:8)
Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord is our banner, our victory. (Exodus 17:15)
Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The Lord is our righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:6)
Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord is present (Ezekiel 48:34)
The Lord is our Peace. Peace is a popular subject. We have high profile peace talks. Leaders are together and talking about peace. Does this qualify as true peace? The Hebrew word for peace, shalom is not just the absence of war, it means a completeness and sense of wellbeing.
When world leaders gather for peace talks, others are angered by the talks and have vowed to step up resistance and attacks. A response in violence does not even measure up to a secular definition of peace and falls way short of what shalom really means.
Peace is part of the character of God. God revealed himself as the Lord of Peace to Gideon. The Lord is the only true source of real world peace.
But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace (Jehovah-Shalom). (Judges 6:23-24)
The wider context is the entire chapter of Judges chapter 6. The account unfolds as God calls one of our favorite Old Testament heroes, Gideon. We love to root for the underdog. Gideon is someone we can find easy to identify with. He is the ordinary guy used by God to do great things.
It was Gideon who God revealed himself to as Jehovah-Shalom. The Lord is Peace. The background occurs during the period of the Judges.
The Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot God and worshipped the gods of the land, namely Baal worship. There were a people with no sense of purpose. They had no spiritual vision. Their apostacy brought the discipline of God.
Their discipline came in the form of Midianite oppression. The Midinettes were superior in the battle because of their use of camels (Judges 6:5 & Judges 7:12). They were possibly one of the first to use camels for a military purpose. I once watched a polo match played on camels by an Asian army. I found out later this was an army drill for improving their skill to patrol their desert boarder on camel.
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. (Judges 6:1) For seven consecutive harvest seasons the Israelites would plant crops. In would come the Midianites to plunder the land. They are likened to locusts that swarm and devastate the land and then move on.
When the Midianites moved in Israel would flee. They would go to live in caves and shelters up in the mountains. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. (Judges 6:2)
With this oppression Israel made a cry for help. The first cry for help was answered by a prophet. I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” (Judges 6:10) This unknown prophet did not see response to his message.
Next the Lord would raise up an ordinary young man who would become a hero, Gideon. His call came while he was threshing some grain. It was not in the threshing floor, but in the winepress so that the Midianites would not find him.
A visitor approached Gideon, When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12). “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:13)
Basically, Gideon is asking if the Lord is with us, then why are all these bad things happening? Where is the power of God like when God delivered our forefathers from Egypt? In their troubles Israel was remembering and longing for the power of God.
Then Gideon was told, you will save Israel from Midian. Gideon basically said, Who? Me? He gave his reason why he was not the one to save Israel. His clan is the weakest. I am least in my family. Gideon wants a sign. That is what he is famous for, right?
We think of Gideon and the sign of the fleece. First there is the sign of his meal offering placed on the rock. This visitor, the angel of the Lord, touched the meat and the bread of the offering with his staff. Fire flamed from the rock and consumed the meat and the bread. Then the visitor was gone.
Gideon realized who he was in contact with. When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” (Judges 6:22)
But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” (Judges 6:23) So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. (Judges 6:24)
The Lord is our source of peace. God can give us a peace that passes all understanding because he himself is perfect peace. There is not any internal strife or turmoil within the nature of God. God in three persons Father, Son Holy Spirit is in perfect peace.
You will find in the New Testament the title God of Peace to be a common one. Remember peace is a completeness and wellbeing. For Gideon not only did God reveal himself as the God of peace, but his presence gave Gideon a source of peace.
Gideon knew God’s presence and correspondently Gideon knew God’s peace. The Gideon who said, Who? Me? Now experienced the knowledge of God’s presence and peace to insure victory. It prompted Gideon to bold action. A mission of peace.
The first step for Gideon was to tear down the objects of idol worship and put his life on the line to do that. That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. (Judges 6:25)
In a time of devastation of his land and his people Gideon learned not only does God give peace, but God is peace. God in his very nature is peace. That is how God reveals himself.
In the Old Testament sacrificial system there was a peace offering. The purpose was to restore broken fellowship. The relationship between God and man that was restored is a peace with God. The relationship has been restored by the God of Peace, Jehovah-Shalom.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1)
The Old Testament portrayed the coming messiah as the Prince of Peace. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Peace expresses the deepest need of the human heart. The need for a broken relationship between God and man to be restored. A peace between sinful man and holy God. Israel turned away from God.
We all like sheep have gone astray. The only way we can ever know the true peace with God is through Jesus Christ. Only by faith in Jesus Christ can the relationship between God and man be restored.
Peace is more than wars stopping. Jesus said, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)
You can receive Jesus Christ’s peace by trusting Him to be your savior. This is peace, perfect peace. Put your life in his hands to have peace in the midst of the storm. God’s peace will make a difference in how you live. It will even make a difference in how you die. Gideon knew peace because he knew God’s presence.
The song by John Lennon, “Give peace a chance,” has been an anthem for peace by many. But there is not real peace outside of Jesus Christ. To really have peace Gideon needed Jehovah-Shalom. We need Jesus Christ for peace with God.
Israel stopped listening to God. But there was hope when Gideon met Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord our peace. If you have stopped listing to God, you need the presence of God. You need the prince of peace, Jesus Christ. God’s peace will deliver you from bondage.
Maybe you need God’s peace so you can have God’s boldness. Gideon was not passive when he had God’s peace. Jesus’ offer, my peace I give to you. Praise Jehovah-Shalom. He is our peace.
