One
of the most powerful concepts expressed in the Old Testament is found in the
Hebrew word, shalom. This word means
a great deal more than the absence of conflict, it is more than just a
greeting. It means to wish that every facet of an individual’s life (financial,
relational, vocational) be blessed with tranquility, health, and prosperity. It
is this peace which David is writing about in Psalm 119:165: "Great peace have they who love thy
law, and nothing can make them stumble."
Isaiah
was also referring to shalom when he
penned the following words: "The
fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be
quietness and confidence forever." (Isa. 32:17)
Jesus,
when He used shalom in the New
Testament, insisted that it include not only our friends and relatives, but
also our enemies and those who would despitefully use us. In this sense the
word shalom and the Greek word agape seem to have quite a bit in
common.
Isaiah's
described Jesus, the Messiah, as the peacemaker who embodies every facet of
what shalom means to the Hebrew mind.
"For unto us a child is born,
to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he
will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his
kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that
time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." (Isa. 9:6-9)
So here again, the concept of the Fear of the Lord,
as described in the Old Testament Wisdom Literature, begins to flower and
blossom in the New Testament. But it goes deeper than that. Paul,
for example, connects the Hebrew understanding of peace with doing good, "but glory, honor and peace for
everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (Rom.
2:10).
In I Thessalonians 5:25, Paul ties the peace of God
to the concept of holiness: "May God
himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole
spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ."
Here,
Jesus is not only peace Himself. He is also the giver of the perfect peace that
everyone is seeking. "Peace I leave with
you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your
hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
With
all of the appliances, electronics, and IT devices available to make our lives
easier, one would think that we would have time to become quiet and achieve at
least a modicum of inner peace. However, it seems that our lives have become
even less peaceful than before.
Where
there is less peace, there is more strife. In the Scriptures, strife is often connected
with pride. Where there is strife, there
is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice (Prov. 13:10). We
see here another connection with the Fear of the Lord being the beginning of
wisdom.
Satan is the archetype of prideful strife in all
of scripture. It was because of pride that He was expelled from heaven.
Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has aspired to
deceive humankind into rebellion against Christ as well, just as he did. Here we see, in our study of the Fear of the Lord, the ultimate conflict
for the soul of humankind. John, the
Apostle, tells us that his ultimate plan is to conspire to draw all of
humankind into making war against God.
“And when the thousand years are expired,
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. And shall go out to deceive the
nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather
them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." (Rev. 20:7-9)
But God will be victorious.
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