40 Days of PEACE
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of PEACE
Day 39 | YAHWEH-SHALOM | Judges 6:24
40 Days of PEACE
Day 39 | YAHWEH-SHALOM | Judges 6:24
YAHWEH-SHALOM
Judges 6:24
“And Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the LORD is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.” (NLT)
The story in Judges 6 is quite interesting and makes a good read (hint-hint). Still, the verse we’re focused on is this one, and I liked how the NLT version emphasizes the Hebrew word “shalom” not by simply using the English word “peace” but by translating it Yahweh-Shalom.
We are living in a time of unrest. As far as world history goes, unrest is not rare. But today, in America, this level of turmoil is unusual… at least for the majority of American’s who are younger and did not live through WW2.
Back in Gideon’s time there were many clashes, and Gideon – as well as all of God’s leaders – needed to rely on Almighty God for their victories. In Judges 6 we read about one of these clashes and about Gideon’s worship of God and his sacrifice to God to gain the confidence he needed that God was with him and would cause him to be victorious.
In America today, people – even Christians – have gotten… well, lazy. We seldom reach out to God for anything of consequence. Often it is only when someone is deathly sick, do we PRAY and seek His face. Otherwise, we have become so self-sufficient that we live as though we don’t need the Lord God.
But today, we’re facing – perhaps for the first time for most in our country – the need for SHALOM, God’s peace. And this is more than just the absence of conflict. This peace… this Shalom (found 110 times in the Old Testament) – means completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace. (Strong’s concordance).
Prayer: Lord, we need your shalom today. I need your shalom, in my life, day to day. Please help me to rest in you, trust you, and follow you. And thank you for all you do for me. Amen.
Judges 6:24
“And Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the LORD is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.” (NLT)
The story in Judges 6 is quite interesting and makes a good read (hint-hint). Still, the verse we’re focused on is this one, and I liked how the NLT version emphasizes the Hebrew word “shalom” not by simply using the English word “peace” but by translating it Yahweh-Shalom.
We are living in a time of unrest. As far as world history goes, unrest is not rare. But today, in America, this level of turmoil is unusual… at least for the majority of American’s who are younger and did not live through WW2.
Back in Gideon’s time there were many clashes, and Gideon – as well as all of God’s leaders – needed to rely on Almighty God for their victories. In Judges 6 we read about one of these clashes and about Gideon’s worship of God and his sacrifice to God to gain the confidence he needed that God was with him and would cause him to be victorious.
In America today, people – even Christians – have gotten… well, lazy. We seldom reach out to God for anything of consequence. Often it is only when someone is deathly sick, do we PRAY and seek His face. Otherwise, we have become so self-sufficient that we live as though we don’t need the Lord God.
But today, we’re facing – perhaps for the first time for most in our country – the need for SHALOM, God’s peace. And this is more than just the absence of conflict. This peace… this Shalom (found 110 times in the Old Testament) – means completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace. (Strong’s concordance).
Prayer: Lord, we need your shalom today. I need your shalom, in my life, day to day. Please help me to rest in you, trust you, and follow you. And thank you for all you do for me. Amen.