For July, each post examines an Old Testament name of God.
YHWH Shalom / YHWH is Peace
(Pronounced: "yahd hay vahv hay shah-LOME")
Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face." Then the LORD said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die." So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace.
~ Judges 6:22-24 (NKJV)
"The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."
~ Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV)
If ever a word lost something in the translation, it is the Hebrew word "shalom."
We translate it into English as simply "peace" because we have no other word that comes close to capturing the essence of shalom, which goes far beyond peace.
Shalom is full peace of heart, soul, mind and body. It is health and wholeness and completion of the person.
To have shalom with others is not simply absence of conflict. It is to have reciprocal tranquility and safety. It is to have friendship.
To have shalom with the Lord of the universe is to stand in His presence—no longer the wandering prodigal, but a beloved child, whom He quiets with His love and over whom He rejoices with singing.
"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way."
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NKJV)
Feedback appreciated! Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
I adore the thought of God singing over me! I have a little something, a tribute to you over at my blog today! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration!
~ Wendy
Hi Anne, I'm linking to these posts from my blog. These are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteStill meditating on YHVH and its full meaning, unknown to me before your sharing.
Anne - Thanks so much for dropping by my blog - because I'm so glad to have found YOURS! Wow!!! God is SO good.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely LOVE learning about the different names for our Creator and more importantly, His true character. I can see that I've got some powerful reading ahead of me. Yay!!!
Sweet blessings,
Amy
I've gained much insight through this posts, Annie. They've become among my favorites.
ReplyDeleteAnne,
ReplyDeleteHis peace does surpass all understanding! I'm so grateful for it....and for you and your prayers.
Love ya!
That was a very sweet post. The donuts of the Bible, only not so fattening. ;] It's always so great to feel God's peace. Love you, Mom!
ReplyDelete- - Michaelle ☺
Wendy, I think He dances, too. And you've been very good to me today. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, thanks for calling this soul food over on your blog. And I'm smiling to know you're still thinking on YHWH/YHVH.
Amy Jo, welcome! I've had a passion for the names of God for a long time now. I'm delighted to share them with a new audience.
Billy, you're an insightful kind of a guy yourself. I'm glad to know I might contribute toward that.
Debra, you remain very much in my prayers. Love ya too.
Michaelle, you make your Mom very happy to call this donuts. Even when I'm serving meat, I do try to make it tender.
Thanks for feeding me such precious words, love you.
ReplyDelete