Rebecca’s sermons have been interesting. In her first sermon, I found it a good reminder to think of God’s peace as it is described in the bible, shalom. I researched more and The Bible Project explains shalom from a perspective I hadn’t heard of before.
When we think of peace we think of peace being the absence of conflict and war. But the Hebrew word, shalom, and the Greek, eirene, have the most basic meaning of complete or whole. This word can even refer to a stone with no cracks or imperfections, or a completed stone wall that has no gaps and no missing bricks. Shalom refers to something that is complex with lots of pieces that is in a state of completeness.
Even still, Job experienced shalom when he counted all his sheep and none were missing (Job 5:24). When David visited his brothers on the battlefield, he asked about their shalom (1 Samuel 17:22-23).
This understanding of peace allows room for the complexity of life that is full of moving parts, relationships and situations. When any of these are out of alignment or missing, it doesn’t take long to notice you are restless and shalom breaks down. Life is no longer whole and it needs to be restored.
The authors continue to explain that the verb form of shalom, to bring shalom, means ‘to make complete’ or ‘restore’. For example, Solomon brings shalom to the unfinished temple when he completes it (1 Kings 9:25). When an animal destroys your neighbours field, you bring them a repayment to make up for what is missing and you restore it to wholeness. In regard to relationships, to reconcile and heal a broken relationship is to bring shalom. If rival kingdoms were to bring shalom, it means they not only stop fighting, but go further than that and start working together for each other’s benefit. This state of shalom is what Israel’s kings were supposed to cultivate but rarely obtained.
Looking toward the time of Christ, Isaiah looks for a Prince of Shalom and that there will be no end of shalom (Isaiah 9:5-6). For Jesus’ arrival in Luke 2:14 is called the arrival of eirene. Jesus affirms again and again that he came to offer his peace to others, ‘My peace I give to you all’ (John 14:27). Christ himself is our eirene as he has restored to wholeness the broken relationship between humans and our creator, as Paul writes, ‘We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus’ (Romans 5:1) because he has ‘reconciled all things in heaven and earth, making peace through the blood of his cross’ (Colossians 1:19-20). Further, He is the whole, complete human that we have been made to be but failed. Now he restores this eirene, shalom, peace in us as a gift of life. To complete the circle, Jesus’ followers are then called to create eirene and restore it to others and creation, keeping the bond of peace.
So with all of this, the biblical concept of peace is not just an absence of conflict, it is Christ himself. We experience this shalom as we participate in restoring what is broken to wholeness, in our lives, in our relationships, and in our world.
The Bible Project: Shalom – Peace
Ash
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