Jehovah Shalom

The End of an Era

At the very end of the book of Joshua, there is an interesting little verse:

And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel. Joshua 24:31

Recall that Joshua was the successor of Moses. He was the one who led the people into the promised land. All of the first five books of the Bible, through Deuteronomy, had to do with the patriarchs, the building and establishing of the nation of Israel, and their wilderness journey. 

They forgot their God

Unfortunately, once Joshua and the elders that had out-lived Joshua were gone, this new generation strayed from God’s ways.

And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. Judges 2:10

The book of Judges is a chronicle of Israel’s decline after the death of Joshua. They had no central leadership, and so everyone did what they thought to be right in their own eyes. This spiraled into anarchy and chaos, with a recurring cycle of sin, oppression by their enemies, turning to God in repentance, and deliverance by God.

Some of the most evil and depraved works by Israelites can be found in Judges, with violence, corruption, and moral and spiritual decay found in both the people and their leaders.

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. Judges 2:11

During this time, God continually raised up judges who delivered the people from the oppression of their enemies. But over and over, once the judge had died, the people became even more corrupt than before.

It was a time of upheaval and distress. Israel was not prospering and there was no peace to be found.

Gideon’s Call

Gideon became one of the judges of Israel. 

Gideon was a poor farmer from a poor family when God called him. At that time in Israel’s history, the Midianites were the enemy. They would come like locusts with their flocks and their tents and ravage the land that the Israelites had planted, leaving them with no food or animals. 

 The Israelites hid themselves in caves in order to survive these attacks. It was in one of these hidden places that Gideon was threshing wheat when the angel appeared, calling him a mighty man of valor.

Gideon was as shy as Moses was about stepping into his call. However, when Gideon offered up a sacrifice, the angel accepted it, letting Gideon know that he had been conversing with God, himself. 

Gideon named the altar

Gideon wanted to show hospitality to the angel, so despite being impoverished, he killed a goat and prepared a very generous meal. When he brought the food out, the angel touched it and it went up in flames. As the angel ascended in the smoke Gideon realized that he had been speaking with the angel of the Lord.

Gideon thought he was done-for because he had seen the face of the angel. However, Yahweh spoke to him, saying Peace be unto thee.

Then, Gideon built an altar and called it Jehovah-shalom, or The Lord Is Peace.

Jehovah Shalom

Jehovah Shalom is only found one time in the scriptures right here in Judges. It is not a title of God, but is descriptive of Him, and can be called one of His attributes.

We usually think of the Hebrew word shalom as meaning simply peace. But it embraces not only peace in the midst of outward conflict, but also the presence of inner peace.

Strong’s Concordance Hebrew Dictionary says that shalom encompasses safety, well-being, happiness, friendliness, welfare, health, prosperity, peacefulness, and being at peace. When he named his altar, Gideon was revealing these many attributes of God’s character.

Gideon’s experienced both fear and peace when answering His call. He considered himself unworthy because he was only the poor son of a poor farmer, however, God demonstrated that He could turn Gideon’s  weakness into strength.

Peace throughout the scriptures

Shalom peace can be found over 200 times throughout the Old Testament, representing wholeness, safety and God’s blessings. You can get an idea of the scope of the shalom peace of God from the few examples that follow:

Aaron was instructed to bless the children of Israel in this very well-known blessing that we use today:

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Isaiah promised perfect peace to those who keep Yahweh in their thoughts:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

Jeremiah instructed the captives to seek the peace of Babylon:

And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. Jeremiah 29:7

The psalmist prayed for peaceful sleep:

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Prince of Peace

Jesus was known by several names, one of them being Prince of Peace. Isaiah revealed this name when he prophesied the coming of the Messiah: 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace [Sar Shalom]. Isaiah 9:6

Jesus promoted peace during His ministry on earth in many ways. Think of the times that he ate with the outcasts, breaking down social, religious, and racial barriers. Think of the times that he brought healing, dignity, and peace to the marginalized, challenging the social mores of he day and reconciling all of humanity to the love and care of God.

His work as Prince of Peace established a new spiritual kingdom. During His time on the earth he demonstrated how we  should walk in that peace. Finally, His ultimate sacrifice on the cross secured lasting peace. He said to His followers: 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

The polarizing effect of the Gospel

Have you ever known someone who had to make a choice between their family or the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It is difficult and painful.

Jesus spoke about this when He said:

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. Matthew 10:34-36 

The sword that He spoke of was the conflict that can happen within families, setting one member against another, for the sake of the Gospel. He was letting us know ahead of time that this is something that can happen.

True Shalom

True peace begins with reconciliation with God. In the world that we live in, we are aware of the realities of war and upheavel. As long as we live in the world, these are things that we must endure. 

The peace that God brings us is a trust that no matter what happens, we still belong to Him and He still loves us. As difficult as our circumstances are, it is good to know that we have that inner peace. Being separated from God is being separated from peace. Isaiah said this: 

There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Isaiah 57:21

Jesus came to restore our broken relationship with God. His death was the payment for our sins, the restoration of our lives, and the declaration that eternal shalom awaits us.

Jesus came to restore relationships. In His death and resurrection, we are given shalom as all of the animosity between us is washed away by His blood.

When Jesus returns, we will have shalom with the earth in the new creation. 

Questions for meditation and discussion

Why do you think Gideon called his altar ‘Jehovah Shalom’?

Why did the angel greet Gideon as ‘Mighty man of valor’?

Have you ever had to act as a ‘messenger of peace’?

How can you share shalom at home, at work, at school, at the supermarket, talking to your neighbor or other scenario?