A Lesson in Old Testament Peace

In the old testament the Hebrew word for peace is shalom.  It held a wide range of connotations (wholeness, health, security, well-being and salvation) and there were many contexts in which shalom was used which include the state of the individual as well as relationships between two people, nation to nation, and the people to God.  It took on an important connotation when the lack of peace separated the people from their belief in God. 

In my last post I mentioned Isaiah and his book which includes a ton of warnings of devastation as a result of not following God and his commands.  It also has some sweet areas where God, through Isaiah, explains what the outcome will be if only they would obey God's commands.
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the rock eternal."  Isaiah 26:3&4  Perfect peace is shalom, a feeling of wholeness, health, security, well-being and the knowledge of salvation.  Salvation in the old testament is not the salvation we talk about today.  It is the constant repentance and offerings and commitment that the Israelites practiced that permeated their culture and affected their hearts.  But we know that often those rituals became only that, a ritual and that they did not feel the source of the ritual in their hearts or live it out in their daily actions.  Things became routine and they sought other things, built other gods and lost the true source of their peace.  To complete those rituals religiously and mean them from their hearts took self-control, commitment, a true love of God and many other fruits of the spirit. 

Where does this put us in terms of peace?  Stick with me a little longer.  It the midst of the potential and then ultimate devastation, God wanted them to turn to him, to remember all he had done for them and to not get caught up in their current circumstance.  This becomes even clearer in the book of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was a prophet in Judah right before and during the exile period.  The exile period was when a good portion of the Israelites were taken captive by the king of Babylon, removed from their land and forced into slavery.  Jeremiah spends his life trying to warn of this, but he also has a call to action from the Lord for the Israelites that are enslaved.  If you remember my very first post, I am big on calls to action!
"Also, seek peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.  Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."  Jeremiah 29:7
In the midst of their fear and slavery, God still wanted them to just turn to him.  And he promised to provide peace if they did.  So, if we are to learn from this, peace is being okay in any situation and in fact being peaceful in it. 

Our kids are bound to encounter many situations where they do not feel peaceful, but our job is to teach them how to flip that situation around.  As we prepare to return to school and my kids will not be with me 24x7, I feel a little angst.  Sending them back into a place where their peace might be affected makes me a little sad.  It also means that they are getting older which holds a whole different set of emotions for me.  Some of you might think I am crazy, but I am that mom.  However, I know that with God I can proactively equip them to live in peace and hopefully that will transfer from our home to their school environment when the time is upon us.  How can I do that?  Maybe I will align school to the Israelites exile and give them the story and tell them to find peace in it...just kidding! 

What I do want them to know is that in all things God wants good for us.  Do good things always happen, no, but can we find good in all situations, probably, if we keep our eyes on him.  I am struggling with how to explain this to my kids.  Love actions were easy for them to grasp, peace is a deeper, more committed topic.  So, in our case, I am going to talk about attitude and how we approach things.  How can they find peace in a given situation?

Cole takes Tae Kwon Do and we have been lax in attending over the summer.  We recently returned for a class and he was hesitant to attend knowing that he may be behind.  I talked with him before and encouraged him to give himself a break and to enjoy the class regardless of the feedback he may receive from the masters.  He went and had a fantastic class, but he went with a positive attitude.  When our circumstances tend to seem overwhelming, what if we just found peace in that exact circumstance.  The thing is, we have control over very little, isn't there peace just in that knowledge.  Cole did not have any control over how the masters would react, the Israelites lost all control over their lives during exile, but still we are called to ..'seek peace and prosperity...' (Jeremiah 29:7)

Bottom line is God intends good for us and wants to be ours and our children's center.  One last scripture to share..."They will be my people and I will be their God.  I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them.  I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me."  Jeremiah 32:38-40

I would love to have my children be inspired by God!  That they would seek him in every area of their life and know that in ALL things he intends good for them, then they would experience true peace.  It can begin with our attitude in all situations.

By His Grace