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It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.Isaiah 2:2-5 (Micah 4:1-5)
Centrality of Shalom
This post is also available to listen to at The Fourth Way Podcast. For more in the Shalom series click here.
The pages of scripture are absolutely bathed in talk of peace. As Alan Kreider said, it is impossible to exaggerate the importance of peace in the Bible. Not only would most be surprised (or skeptical more likely) to read this if their only experience of Christianity was through the actions of the church, but I think most practicing Christians would raise an eyebrow to this assertion as well.
I’m starting a series to help readers understand the centrality of peace within the Christian scriptures and how it needs to be reflected in our lives. It was very difficult for me to sift through what to include and what to leave out, but I hope that after this series you are able to take to the scripture yourself and begin to unearth the peace within its pages that has been lying hidden from most of us our entire lives.
This first post is on the Hebrew Scriptures. One way to go about doing this would have been a more narrative approach. In some ways I regret not taking this approach but I still think the approach I did take is better for our purposes. Surely I’ll come back with more on the topic later and I will be sure to cover take this approach. How I approach this massive topic here is by pulling out from various places within the text how the term shalom, or peace, is used. This will take us all over the Hebrew Scriptures and lay the groundwork for our further exploration of peace within the New Testament.
The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, is an incredibly rich term which has at least 14 different meanings identified. Steven Schweitzer in his essay in Struggles for Shalom tells us that it can mean “a simple greeting (literally, granting someone or inquiring about someone’s shalom), harmonious relationships between individuals or groups, a nonanxious presence in the midst of fear or uncertainty, peace harmonious relationship with God, a blessing from God, prosperity (typically in material forms), righteousness and justice, safety and security, absence of war and violence, well-being, wholeness, dying well, something good and favorable, friendship or companionship (or alliance).” With such an incredibly broad meaning it can be hard to get much of a sense of the word, but many commentators note that the base denomination of all these words constitute wholeness, harmony, prosperity and completeness within the context of a relationship. As we will see, this could mean a person to person relationship, nation to nation, person to creation or person to God. And it is to this completeness that all of scripture points.
To start, let’s look at a few examples of what shalom looks like when it is in practice:
I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations.
Ezekiel 34:25-28
If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.
Leviticus 26:4-6
In these passages, we see the inter-personal dimension to shalom (deliverance from slavery, lack of war). We see the creation dimension (dwell securely in the wilderness, banish the wild beasts, trees and fields will yield fruit, showers in their season), the economic and well-being dimension (have enough to eat as well as the fruit and rains just mentioned) and the God/covenant dimension (a covenant of peace, I am the Lord, walk in my statutes and observe my commandments). Interestingly enough, though we do find this in other passages, there is little in here which could be interpreted as some sort of a calm ‘inner peace’ which is typically what we think of when we think of peace in the Bible.
These two passages give us some of the fullest pictures of shalom in the Hebrew scriptures and we should keep them in mind as we continue through this study. It is also vitally important to notice how communal all of this is. These are not pictures of individual bliss, but of security and harmony with others within the world. Unfortunately, shalom is too often seen as some passive state of comfort. I think it is often envisioned as people basically living about their selfish, albeit non invasive, hedonistic lives. That or it is just some vague, good feeling despite the unfavorable surroundings. That is not how the scriptures, Old or New Testament, talk about it though. Shalom must be seen within community and thus there are moral connotations attached to shalom that are necessary in order for it to flourish. Shalom is not something which simply exists. There are forces which fight very hard to maintain the unshalom status.
Moral Connotations
Love and faithfulness meet together;
Psalm 85:10-15
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
In his [the King’s] days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, til the moon be no more
Psalm 72:7
And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
Isaiah 32:17-18
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Isaiah 48:18
Then your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness.
Isaiah 60:17
As the passages above show, shalom is married to righteousness. I am of the opinion that a situation where everyone has every material possession that they want, where there just happens to be no real conflict between individuals and that there are no wars, embodies shalom even less than a situation where food is sometimes tight but where everyone works together to have enough, whether through shrinking one’s own meal size or helping others to grow or obtain food. It is less shalom than a situation where conflicts may arise amongst the people, but where the love for each other is so great that it is consistently worked out in respect and fairness.
This spot between ethical engagement and peaceful living is precisely where the Jubilee laws reside1. The Jubilee laws are found in Leviticus 25 and are rather remarkable. They were given in direct contrast to the living conditions in Egypt and were meant to create a society within God’s people where no one was in need and where God was honored. These laws state that every 50 years, the entire economy would simply… reset. People would get back their ancestral land, debts were lifted, everyone would start back from ground level. This ensured, against the natural flow of our fallen nature, that certain families or individuals would not continue to accumulate more and more necessarily leaving others with less and less. One thing that fascinates me about these laws is that, despite the loud almost immediate claims that these laws are simply unrealistic, they are surprisingly unstarry-eyed. They exist because it was recognized that greed will run rampant, bad decisions will be made and nature will be unpredictable. It never imagines that all woes will simply disappear with these laws, otherwise they would not need to be reenacted every 50 years. Instead, it calls on all to reside in their heritage as freed slaves and to act with YHWH in continually breaking chains and lifting up slaves.
Now it does seem to me that we will eventually live in a world that is the complete fulfillment of shalom. However, this is not talking about now but eschatologically, in the end. Like the first situation I gave, there will be no shortage of food and there will be no war. However, it will only come to be as we all live selfless lives. The need for righteousness does not end simply because we have enough material possessions and peace does not reign simply because we do have enough. The two are intertwined and cannot truly be separated.
This is why I think a more accurate way to view shalom within the Bible is in positive terms, what it is, rather than in negative terms, what it isn’t. This is the exact opposite of how we normally define peace though. For most of us, peace is primarily associated with the absence of conflict. A country is at peace when it is not engaged in war (despite the conditions of the citizens within itself). Nations are at peace among each other so long as there is no real aggression (though they may still be anything but friendly towards each other). I am at peace when distractors and stressors are absent. Shalom cannot be seen only in that way though because it only exists when other qualities such as righteousness and justice are present.
Positive Shalom (Peacemaking)
Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:14-15
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:16-17
The meek shall inherent the land and delight themselves in abundant peace… The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever… Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.
Psalm 37:11; 29; 37
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14
Notice here that it is not just keeping one’s head down, it is not just avoiding conflict or not doing evil. There is a very strong active ingredient here. “Establish justice” implies that there is injustice and you must work to rid it from the community. “Correct oppression” is similar, and that is followed by “defend the fatherless, plead for the widow”. Once again, these are not passive verses. They recognize injustice and demand that we work to correct it. Working purely on personal growth while blindfolding oneself to the injustices within the world is completely foreign to these prophets. These are strong calls for us to do more than just not be warmongers, but to be peacemakers.
All Encompassing
So we have an idea of what shalom is now. It includes economic stability, health, personal relations, relations with God. But it cannot simply be peace for some. It must encompass the entire community
From the least to the greatest,
Jeremiah 6:13-14
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall.
Ezekiel 13:10-11
Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,
Amos 6:1-7
and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
you notable men of the foremost nation,
to whom the people of Israel come! …
You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.
You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical instruments.
You drink wine by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;
your feasting and lounging will end.
Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry “Peace” when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths… Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight, who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the LORD and say, “Is not the LORD in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.”
Micah 3:5, 9-11
We can never be satisfied with our state of Shalom so long as not everyone has it. These passages are especially damning for me. I grew up hearing these passages interpreted only as the false prophets being soothesayers. There was nothing in these words other than a reminder that God demands a life which often does not lean liberally into pleasure and that God’s judgement for not living such a life is unpleasant judgement. These passages I have quoted here go far beyond that.
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos and Micah here are all denouncing those who say they are living in times of peace when when so many others are not sharing in this peace. I lead a very easy, comfortable life. I currently reside in a country which, in its very short existence, has never been at war. We are generally wealthy and the country is safe. How easy is it for me to recline and speak of peace? Easy enough until these prophets blast away my daydream and bring attention to those elderly littered all across the streets who spend their entire days sitting with an open hat hoping for some charity. They force me to look at the nearby countries with thousands living in poverty, not to mention other countries beset by literal famine or war where you next day is by no means guaranteed. I am rich, comfortable and safe. Yet to claim that I live in shalom is a lie because shalom only comes when we recognize that none can be separated from us and none can be forgotten or left out and to act accordingly.
Kingdom of God
The last aspect of shalom that I want to talk about is in relation to the idea of the Kingdom of God. I need to say in relation to the idea because the phrase itself is never actually used in the Old Testament. The concept, however, is very strong. One thing that we need to note when looking at this is that Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek all have a more abstract understanding of the word “kingdom” than we do in English. In English, when we hear “kingdom” we generally think of the actual territory that is owned and controlled by royalty. It is usually better accurately understood in the Bible though, as lordship or rule, reign, sovereignty, perhaps dominion. We need to understand it as designating God’s sphere of influence or control which is any person or group who acknowledges His sovereignty.
When we understand it like that, we can see that it is widely discussed in the Bible. We have even gone over some verses in this post which discuss it. So why is this important to the discussion of shalom? Because perhaps one of the best ways of describing shalom is through the concept of the kingdom of God. When we follow His commandments and statutes, shalom follows. The writers of the Bible are all yearning for the time when God is in control rather than other forces, whether those forces stem directly from who, or what, is often referred to as the adversary or from human will. Thus, anytime we see a verse or passage praying for God’s reign, discussing following his commandments, referring to God as king or Lord, we need to step back and recognize the big picture here.
You may already understand that God’s dominion is perfect shalom, but we should have and clearer view of what that means now. Whenever the Bible discusses God as King, we need to picture in our minds this vibrant and inclusive community that is characterized by unity, righteousness, safety and care among for all those who follow Him as king. It can be helpful when we are meditating on such passages to actually flip over to a verse or passage which describes what His reign will look like. Coming to the verse we are studying, we will more fully understand the picture the author is trying to convey.
I am sure there are exceptions, I do not want to give the impression that anytime we see any of these key words it must necessarily refer to the kingdom of God or to shalom, but on the whole I think you will discover that what is being described is a situation in which God is sovereign over all, His will is being done and the result is perfect shalom. The two are perfectly intertwined: What will result when His will is done but perfect shalom and what is shalom but His will being done?
Shalom Comes from God
I want to finally mention what is generally considered to be the ultimate peace passage. The passage is Isaiah 2:2-5 (or Micah 4:1-5) and was quoted at the beginning of this post. This is the famous ‘swords into plowshares’ passage. That is the most commonly quoted part of the passage, and for good reason. However, when we are not aware of the text surrounding it, we get a very truncated view of what is actually being described here. It is not simply people deciding to convert their tools of war into tools of agriculture. Look at it: It is describing all nations flocking to God (all the nations shall flow to it). They ask Him to teach them His ways and then they follow those ways (Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord… that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths). That is when He becomes our judge, clearly in this case our peacemaker because it allows us to convert our death dealing weapons into life providing tools. It is not individualistic, it is not through our own ideas and efforts, it is a gift and a promise that when we all come together to worship, listen to and follow our God there will be shalom.
Conclusion
I hope that after reading this you have a bit stronger understanding of what peace means in the Hebrew scriptures. It encompasses every aspect of a positive relationship, whether it be towards ourselves, others, another group, other nations, God or creation. It is not simply good feelings or a lack of conflict, but indicates wholeness and completeness. And it is not something which simply exists. Though it always comes from God and is truly a gift from God rather than of our own making, we must reach out in order to receive it. This means that we must strive to stop everything that is unshalom, whether it be oppression, inequality or corruption. We also cannot separate shalom from righteousness which implies that one cannot use unrighteous means to obtain it.
Lastly, I hope that you are able to at least begin to the see the centrality of peace or shalom in the Old Testament as well as be able to see it more clearly as you read through the Bible yourself. Perhaps passages that you have read numerous times will show a different color this time around as there was a shade of peace within it that you had simply never noticed before.
In the next post we will discuss peace as understood within the New Testament. Click here to read.
Notes
1 See also Exodus 21:2-3; 22:10-12, 21-22, 25-26; 23:6, 9; Deuteronomy 14:28; 15:2, 12; 23:20; 24:6; Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22
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