Who is Jehovah-Shalom?
Throughout the centuries God has revealed Himself and His compound nature to humanity in different ways. We have come to know Him as Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord-Who-Provides (Genesis 22:14), Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord-Is-My- Shepherd (Psalm 23:1) and many more besides. Jehovah-Shalom is just one of these many compound names of God and it means The Lord-Is-Peace.
How the Lord Revealed Himself as Jehovah-Shalom
God first revealed Himself to humanity as Jehovah-Shalom, during a time when the nation of Israel was suffering great turmoil and trouble. The Israelites were being severely oppressed by the Midianites and the Amalekites because they had turned away from God. (Joshua 6:1-6)
During this time of tribulation the Angel of the Lord approached Gideon and told him that he would deliver the people of Israel from the hands of the Midianites. When the Angel of the Lord declared this Gideon felt inadequate; he belonged to the weakest clan of the tribe of Manasseh and he was the least in his father’s house. (Joshua 6:15) In Gideon’s eyes he was unworthy and ill-equipped to deliver the people of Israel.
Gideon also doubted whether he was truly hearing from the Angel of the Lord. But sure enough he would deliver Israel and he really was speaking to the Angel of the Lord. When he realised this, he was filled with fear and worried that he might die. But the Lord comforted him saying “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” (Judges 6:23) After this Gideon was calmed and built an altar and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace, written as Yahweh-Shalom in Hebrew, also known as Jehovah -Shalom.
Jehovah-Shalom – The Lord is Peace
The name Jehovah-Shalom doesn’t just mean the Lord brings peace or the Lord likes peace but it means that the Lord Himself is our peace. How beautiful and profound!
In a world filled with tribulations and trials; with bad news and unfortunate circumstances, people are seeking peace. Some people look for it in family or in material things such as money and comfortable homes. Other people even travel to other countries to find peace.
It is true that in all these things one can find some level of comfort and assurance, but they do not give true and lasting peace like God does. Family, money and countries can fail people; they can leave, run out or even kick you out. You cannot rely or rest upon these things. But you can rely and rest upon the Lord, you can find assurance and comfort in God. For only the Lord brings and gives true peace because He is our peace.
The Lord is Our True Peace
We may try to find peace in other things but only the Lord is our true peace. Peace is one of the guarantees of coming to Christ and living a life guided by the Lord. Christ brings us peace with God by making us righteous. (Romans 5:1) Peace is one of the fruits of the spirit. (Galatians 5:22) This makes it clear that peace is something we can only have in God; our Jehovah-Shalom. How awesome!
Sadly, even though some people know Christ they are not experiencing His peace. It’s one thing knowing that God is our peace and that we have peace in Him. But it’s another thing altogether making this a reality in your life.
How to Make Peace a Reality
Some people consider themselves Christians but still suffer from the same fears and anxieties as unbelievers. They worry when things are not going well in the economy. When their money runs out they fear poverty and lack. Some become just as affected by the world system as those who aren’t in Christ. Yet, they know that God is peace; Jehovah-Shalom. But their lives do not reflect that truth.
As believers if you want to truly experience the joy, rest and peace of God, you must stop striving. You need to stop trying to accomplish everything on your own. You need to let go of control and rely on the Lord.
Rely on the Lord
Relying on the Lord does not mean that you just pray and then do nothing. Not at all! It means pray and wait for God’s guidance. Wait for Jehovah-Shalom to tell you when and where to go. Ask Him to lead you.
As humans we are great at trying to figure things out on our own, to do things our own way. That can only work up to certain extent because, at the end of the day, we don’t know everything. We cannot see everything nor do we truly understand all things. But God does.
God knows exactly what is going to happen tomorrow, in the next hour and the next minute. He sees the hearts and minds of all people. God knows what moves you need to take to get what you want. Only He knows how to make you successful. So instead of looking to yourself for the answers, look to God and rely on Him.
Let God’s Peace Rule
If you don’t keep your gaze on God you can fall into the trap of letting worry rule in your life. But you must not fall into such thinking, seek the Lord’s peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:13) Let God’s peace rule in your heart. Surrender control to the Lord, who works all things together for your good. Allow your mind to stay on the Lord. (Isaiah 26:3)
When you do this you will experience the true peace that can only be found in Jehovah-Shalom. Let it be so, in Jesus name. Amen.
