Jehovah Shalom: God’s Benefit of Peace

Tags

Be Magnified, Don Moen, Gideon, Judges 6, Judges 7, Kim Hill, Matthew 14, Peace, Peter Walking on the Water, Psalm 103, Psalm 68:19

We have been commemorating Jesus’ death on Passover, burial on Unleavened Bread, and resurrection on First Fruits. Through Jesus’ fulfillment of these, He gave us salvation and a future hope of eternal life. These benefits of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection are incredible, and if those were not enough, He has still more to give. The Bible says that He daily loads us with benefits (Psalm 68:19).

Through Christ’s death we have received many benefits as listed in Isaiah 53. He bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, was dishonored for our rebellion, was crushed for our depravity, was disciplined for the sake of our peace, and by his wounds and bruises and stripes we are healed. Psalm 103 also lists the benefits of forgiveness, healing, redemption, a crown of lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfaction and restoration of youthfulness.

Let’s focus in on one of these benefits in particular: peace. He was disciplined for our peace.

There is a lot that could be said about this peace. To begin with, this is a peace between God and man. Secondly, it is a peace in spite of circumstances. Thirdly, and most importantly, it is a peace that only God has given and can and will give.

Gideon

In the book of Judges we find a story about Jehovah Shalom, “The LORD is peace.” Judges 6 begins by saying that Israel had done evil in God’s sight and because of that God had given Israel as a gift to Midian. Because of this, Israel was terribly oppressed even to the point of hiding in caves while Midian destroyed their crops and took all of their animals. It would be equivalent today of destroying all of our grocery stores, restaurants, the farms that produce all that, and taking anything edible away.

It is in this destitution and fear that we find Gideon secretly threshing wheat in a winepress. And an messenger of God appears to him as he hides in the winepress and addresses him as a mighty man of valor. One thing leads to another, and Gideon is gripped by the startling realization that he’s just seen a messenger of the LORD face to face. It is then that God speaks to him saying, “…Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.” Gideon is so moved by God’s words that it says, “…Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah shalom…” which means, “The LORD is peace.”

Yet, there was no peace in any of Gideon’s circumstances. Many fearful obstacles still surrounded Gideon and would continue to face him. Nevertheless, he moved forward at the prompting of the LORD. He tore down his father’s altar to Baal and grove of trees wherein the Israelites committed idolatry. He then faced the zealous, idolatrous men who would have killed him on behalf of their fallen idol. He then successfully gathered 32,000 men to do battle against the Midianites, and after getting further confirmation from God, prepared for battle. The man who at the beginning of the story was hiding in a winepress, and who throughout the story kept asking for signs, was unmoved by his and his nation’s overwhelming circumstances in light of the God of peace who had appeared to him and had spoken directly to him.

And things got crazier! God said that 32,000 soldiers was too many! Judges 7:1-3 reads, “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.”

So, there were to be ten thousand to fight against a multitude. Judges 7:12 says that “the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.” Ten thousand against an enemy so countless that they were like a swarm of locusts blackening the sky and devastating all in their path.

But God was not finished. It got crazier! Judges 7:4-8 continues, “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.”

Three hundred men. Three hundred men versus a multitude. But Gideon chose to rest in the LORD of peace, for the battle belonged to Him. And with the faith of that one man and the foolishness of three hundred men smashing pitchers and blowing on ram’s horns, God scattered the host of Midian and in their fear the enemy even killed each other.

The BIG Question

How big is our God? No I mean, how big is He in our lives today? When we are faced with great emotion, who is bigger? God or the emotion? Who is bigger? God or the problem? Who is bigger? God or the roommate issue? Who is bigger? God or the medication issue? Who is bigger? God or the communication issue? Who is bigger? God or the loneliness issue? God or . . . you think of your own situation whatever it might be?

Walking on the Water

In Matthew 14 we come upon a scene of amazing grandeur. There, Jesus has separated from His disciples and gone off to pray. The day had been wearying to Jesus and the disciples. Many had been healed, and it had ended in a mind-boggling multiplication of the five loaves and 2 fishes. The disciples had stood in shock as that meager amount fed a great multitude of hungry men, women and children. Now, Jesus had insisted on dismissing the enormous crowd himself and insisted that the disciples go ahead and sail to the other side of the great lake. He’d meet up with them later. Meanwhile, it says in verse 24 that they were in the middle of an agitated, restless sea that tossed their ship about as the wind blew antagonistically.

That of course is when Jesus appeared . . . walking on the water, and His disciples thought He must be a ghost. That’s when Jesus called out to them, and Peter daringly said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.”

Conclusion

There is a difference between fact and truth. It was a fact that the army of Midian was enormous. But the truth was that God was greater. It was a fact that the wind was contrary and the waves rising, but the truth was that Jesus was the Lord of the wind and the waves. No matter how much Gideon planned or strategized, the army of Midian was still too vast and too numerous that even 32,000 men in their own strength could not have defeated them. General MacArthur himself could not have bombed, blasted or barricaded them away. And as for the sea, no one has ever tamed the sea nor ever will. Only God!

And indeed, it is no different in our lives when faced with the sea of anxiety and fear and emotions of all kinds, as well as army of physical problems, relationship issues, or any circumstance that is overwhelming of unfair. It is then that the enemy of our entire being swarms upon us and rages against us like the fury of Midian, and we like Gideon hide and wonder where God is. The sea comes crashing in and the wind threatens to blow apart our ship. But Jesus said in John 14:27, “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 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

“Be Magnified” Song written by Don Moen

“I have made You too small in my eyes
O Lord, forgive me;
I have believed in a lie
That You were unable to help me.
But now, O Lord, I see my wrong
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong;
And in my eyes and with my song
O Lord, be magnified
O Lord, be magnified.

Be magnified, O Lord
You are highly exalted;
And there is nothing You can’t do
O Lord, my eyes are on You.
Be magnified,
O Lord, be magnified.

I have leaned on the wisdom of men
O Lord, forgive me;
And I have responded to them
Instead of Your light and Your mercy.
But now, O Lord, I see my wrong
Heal my heart and show Yourself strong;
And in my eyes with my song
O Lord, be magnified
O Lord, be magnified.

Be magnified, O Lord
You are highly exalted;
And there is nothing You can’t do
O Lord, my eyes are on You.
Be magnified,
O Lord, be magnified.”

youtube video sung by Kim Hill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX4yYJg-5G8

True Freedom

Tags

2 Corinthians 3:17, Barna Research, Born Again Believers, Christian freedom, Christian liberty, Freedom in Christ, John 8:36, John Carver, Peter Marshall, Quakers, The Pilgrims, The State of the Church 2016, Waldenses, William Bradford

What is freedom?

Throughout the nations of the world and the centuries that have passed, Christianity has been persecuted and still is, from the Apostles, to the early Church fathers, to the Waldenses of France in the 1300s, to the Quakers of England in the 1600s, to the Pilgrims who sought a safe place to practice Christianity in 1620. Those who truly believed in Jesus were imprisoned, unfairly treated, driven in the caves and hidden places of the world, and killed for the bold stance that Jesus is the only way and Scripture is the ultimate authority. Then, the Pilgrims, risking all, sailed across the treacherous Atlantic Ocean.

In the words of Peter Marshall, chaplain of the U.S. Senate in 1947, said in his sermon entitled, “the American Dream”, “Ours…is the only surviving nation on earth that had its origins in the determinations of the Founding Fathers to establish a settlement “to the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.” That was what William Bradford and [John] Carver had in mind when, beneath the swinging lantern in the cabin of the Mayflower, they affixed their signatures to the solemn declaration which established the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They had come from the Old World and were seeking refuge in the New. They had come from tyranny and oppression…they had come from fear and coercion…they had come from faimine and from difficulty…from wars and threats of wars…..and they sought a new life in a new land. Religious liberty to worship god according to the dictates of one’s own conscience and equal opportunity for all men…These are the twin pillars of the American Dream….There have been periods in our history when the American Dream has faded and grown dim. Today there is real danger that the American Dream will become the Forgotten Dream [Reminder: this was a sermon from the late 1940s]. For freedom is not the right to do as one pleases, but the opportunity to do what is right. The Founding Fathers sought freedom…not from the law but freedom in loaw; not freedom from government—but freedom in government; not freedom from speech—but freedom in speech; not freedom from the press—but freedom in the press; no freedom from religion—but freedom in religion. We need to ponder these things today…..” (Quote from book, American Government and Economics, pg 112-113).

The main reason American began, the force driving the Pilgrims across the frothing ocean, was freedom to worship.

But what is true freedom? Can one be free when imprisoned? Can one be free when physically persecuted? Is freedom something physical? Tangible? Something that can be touched?

America has been such a place of tangible freedom. But, even if and when that tangible freedom is wiped away, there is a freedom that still upholds the peasant girl in China who will never attend a university and may never know how to read, but she has Jesus in her heart and she sings songs while sitting in a sweatshop. There is a freedom that still emboldens the young man in Indonesia who preaches Christ and Him crucified in spite of all odds against him and his young family and the threat of imprisonment looms inevitable. There is a freedom that comforts the elderly as they lie in their dirt hut deep in the jungles of South America with no tv, no radio, no telephone, no internet, no nurses or doctors to attend them, but theirs is a deep freedom that cannot be touched by hardship nor pain. The greatest freedom is not that which is merely tangible, but is intangible. For true freedom is inside first, not outside first. There are nations in this world who have tried for freedom, but cannot accomplish it because freedom must first be in the heart.

Thus, if the Statue of Liberty stands no longer as a beacon of freedom, the Capital dome lies in ruins, the monuments to presidents of the past begin to crumble and fall, and our bold and brilliant flag of red, white and blue fades to gray, and liberty’s song falters off-key, I want you to know that freedom has not died as long as Christ still resides in the hearts of Christians. The verse that embodies this truth is found in John 8:36, “Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” And 2 Corinthians 3:17, “And now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

Back in Peter Marshall’s day, 63% of the American people were “without even a nominal connection with any church.” Today according to Barna Research though a majority of Americas claim to be Christian (as if it is equivalent with being American), only 35% claim to be “born again,” a mere 23% are “Bible-minded”, and only 7% are “Evangelical”. Evangelical, according to Barna did not mean they said they were Evangelical, but it did mean that they met seven criteria including faith is vitally important, salvation is by grace alone, a responsibility to share their faith, belief that Satan exists, Jesus was sinless while here on earth, the Bible is the inerrant, inspired Word of God, and God is sovereign over all. Only 7% believed this in 2016.

In all of our tangible freedom, Americans have forgotten God, and it is God who made America and gave it liberty both physically and in heart. Though the American Dream, to which Peter Marshall referred, has all but completely faded, within its fading light, the light of freedom remains undimmed. Though America has been representative of both tangible and intangible freedom, true freedom is not bound up in a flag or monuments or capitals or presidents or high sounding speeches or the colors of red, white and blue, but is found in Christ and in Him alone. And I emphasize again John 8:36, it is he whom the Son has set free that is free indeed, and 2 Corinthians 3:17, “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.”

Now, we here are a part of that minority of “born again” believers, and as born again believers we must continue to pray for this nation, and choose this day whom we will serve. As for me, and my house, that’s “this” house, we will serve the Lord! And in so doing, freedom will never die.

 

Sources:

American Government and Economics, quote of Peter Marshall on pg 112-113.

“The State of the Church 2016,” by Barna Research, https://www.barna.com/research/state-church-2016/

“William Penn: English Quaker Leader and Colonist,” https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Penn-English-Quaker-leader-and-colonist

“Quakers in America: from Persecution through Toleration to Domination,” by Ryan C. MacPherson, Ph.D., fhttps://www.ryancmacpherson.com/publications/26-research-papers/74-quakers-in-america-from-persecution-through-toleration-to-domination.html

“The Waldenses Religious Movement,” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Waldenses

Taking Up Our Cross Daily

Tags

Colossians 3:2, Crucified with Christ, Dying to Self, Hebrews 12, Philippians 2, Philippians 3, Self Denial, Taking Up Our Cross Daily

We all have a cross to bare, but each cross is as different as the one who bares it. Not all are literally martyrs, yet all of us, in some way, are to die.

Jesus of all people did not have to die. He had no sin nature to crucify, no weakness to overcome. Nevertheless, Jesus, eternally equal with God the Father, enthroned in majesty, awesome in splendor, worshiped and adored, humbled Himself to take on the form of a servant. He

veiled His true identity and glory though remaining equal with God in nature and was conceived as a child, lived as a man, and laid down His life for all. Thus, the infinite God incarnated Himself, and in Him the fullness of the God-head dwelt bodily…for us (Philippians 2).

Think on this:

Jesus did not command us to take up our cross daily without having done so first Himself. Truly, Jesus bore a cross His whole life, and it was completed on the road to Calvary. His cross of humility, incarnation and service He bore well. He was questioned, disbelieved and resisted by those who should have bowed with fear and trembling. He was eagerly sought by thousands of people for free food and miracles, signs and wonders but was not sought for who He was. Indeed, the Great I AM, Creator God who created the very ones who crucified Him, willingly subjected Himself to humiliation, contradiction, reviling, spitting, false accusation, ridicule, dishonor, beating, disbelief, crucifixion, and death. This was the cross He took up for us.

Even as He had a cross, we also have a cross to take up for Him. For some this cross is one of continual physical suffering. Still, others struggle with the cross of loneliness or singleness. Some are unjustly and unfairly treated by fellow-Christians or family and friends for whatever reason. Others are persecuted for their faith, some even to the point of imprisonment or death. But whether these sufferings are short-lived or long-lived, like Jesus we are to “endure the cross” while at the same time despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2).

Yes, it’s unfair that we should be sued by another Christian.

It’s unjust that we should lose our business because of one upset customer.

It’s not right that we should never get ahead financially no matter how hard we try.

It’s painfully unfair that we are always sick or needing something or someone to care.

It’s upsetting that we are always overlooked for promotion.

It’s beyond ridiculous that we are still single.

It’s unfair that we have to raise our kids as a single parent.

Life is unfair.

But in all of our crying and anger and pleading that it’s all so unfair, unjust, and not right, let’s not forget what Jesus–God incarnate–went through and that cross of humiliation and shame that He bore. It’s true. We are not Jesus. We’re not dying for the sins of the world. This means, however, that no matter what HELL we might be enduring, it’s nothing compared to Christ’s suffering.

Jesus took up His cross without complaint or question, and He now bids us to take up our cross and follow Him. But, we keep throwing off our cross. We don’t want to carry it. It goes against the grain and sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard. Nevertheless, we are called by Jesus to bare our cross as He did, and press on to our eternal reward which far outweighs our present pain and shame. Even so, let’s set our minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2) and press on toward the prize (Philippians 3); and may we remember that we are not alone in this, for there is a great cloud of overcoming, cross-bearing witnesses that have gone before us (Hebrews 12).