843. JDG 6:24. JEHOVAH-SHALOM
Jdg_6:24. Jehovah-Shalom
"Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom."’97Jdg_6:24.
The chapter in which the text is found relates the sin of Israel, and their consequent oppression by Midian: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them unto the hand of Midian seven years:" Jdg_6:1. When their oppression was extremely severe and distressingly great, the children of Israel cried unto the Lord’97"And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord:" Jdg_6:6. The Lord sends a message to them, in which they are reminded of his great goodness to them and their fathers; and the disobedience of which they had been guilty: "And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites, that the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage: and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; and I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land. ye dwell; but ye have not obeyed my voice:" Jdg_6:7-10. Then Gideon is selected to be the leader against the Midianites. The uncreated angel of the Lord called Gideon to the work when at his daily occupation: "And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor:" Jdg_6:11, Jdg_6:12. Gideon’s modesty and diffidence are beautifully expressed’97"And he said unto him, O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house:" Jdg_6:15. God assures him of his divine presence: "And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man:" Jdg_6:16. He also seeks a sign of the Lord: "And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again:" Jdg_6:17, Jdg_6:18. The significant sign is given. "And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth. the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight:" Jdg_6:19-21. But now Gideon’s fear is excited, because he had seen the angel of the
Lord. "And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face:" Jdg_6:22. Then God reassures him of his favor, and blesses him with peace. And then Gideon built an altar to the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: "And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not; thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites:" Jdg_6:23, Jdg_6:24.
Such are the historical circumstances of the text. The word signifies, "the Lord send peace."
Then let us consider,
I. The text, as involving an important admission. Man needs peace.
II. As revealing a great truth. That God only can give it. And,
III. As elucidating the mode of its bestowment.
Look,
I. At the text, as involving an important admission. Man needs peace.
Now you may look at peace, as it respects,
1. Man and God.
Sin has produced contrariety, conflicts, and collision, and warfare. Man is against God, and wars against his holy law,’97strives with God,’97rebels against his authority. God’s anger is therefore justly kindled against him. God can, and as a righteous governor must, punish the rebel who remains impenitent. How obvious, then, that reconciliation and peace with God are most important. Wretchedness must be the result without it; and ultimately, final ruin. But observe,
2. He needs peace with conscience. Conscience is God’s vicegerent in the soul. It has not all its original clearness and power. It has been weakened and defiled with sin. It still, however, can scourge or smile on the sinner, and bless or curse him.
Now, it is said, "The wicked are like the troubled sea," when it cannot rest; whose waters cast up mire and dirt. "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked."’97Isa_57:20.
3. He needs the spirit of peace towards his fellowmen.
No marvel if men hate God, that they should hate one another. The carnal mind is not only enmity towards God, but also often evil and malevolent towards men. Hear the apostle James’97"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"’97Jam_4:1. And the apostle Paul adds, that the fruits of the flesh are’97"Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like."’97Gal_5:20, Gal_5:21. Peace with God, and concord with mankind, are essentially united. Now it is self-evident, that man with God’97man in himself’97and man with men, needs peace; and without it there is no real blessedness.
Notice in the text.
II. A great truth revealed.
That God alone can give peace. Hence his name’97"Jehovah-shalom." Hence also his designation’97"The God of peace." Observe, he has set up,
1. A covenant of peace.
This is beautifully described by Isaiah the prophet, when God offers to make an everlasting covenant with his transgressing people, even the sure mercies of David (Leviticus 3); and also the permanency and graciousness of this covenant is described by the same prophet (liv. 10); and the experimental and practical result of this covenant is given by Ezekiel, where God has provided not only for man’s restoration to favor, but also to holiness and blessedness. "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."’97Eze_36:25-27.
Now God can give both pardon and peace. Bring the sinner into a right state, and give the right spirit.
Then observe,
2. He has published and offered peace. He sent his son’97the Prince of Peace.
The gospel’97the message of peace. His apostles’97to preach peace. (See Isa_52:7; Isa_57:19.) "In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth."’97Psa_72:7. See this also in the language of the apostle’97"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."’972Co_5:18. Ministers therefore are ambassadors of peace.
3. He imparts to his people the Holy Spirit of peace.
"Being justified by faith, they have peace with God." The fruit of the Spirit within them is given. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law."’97Gal_5:22, Gal_5:23. Then, when experimental religion is embodied under the idea of wisdom; it is not only pure, but peaceable. Thus we see that God giveth peace.
But, observe, he only can do it. It is his prerogative. Hence it is said emphatically of him’97"He blesseth his people with peace." And the present peace he confers, is the emblem of blessedness and peace forever. His people, when they die, enter into peace. The wicked there cease from troubling. In the celestial Canaan, all is calm, and joy, and peace.
But consider,
III. The text, as elucidating the mode of its bestowal.
How did God send peace to Gideon?
1. By the angel of the covenant.
Now, observe, Christ is the peace-maker and bestower. Hence the Apostles went forth preaching peace, by Jesus Christ. He is the Prince of Peace. He came to bring peace to earth and goodwill to men. So that without Christ, there is no peace; and so long as men are aliens to him, there is no peace.
To the obtaining of peace,
2. There must be personal consecration. The angel required an offering of Gideon; and hence the kid and the unleavened cake were laid on the rock, and consumed by fire (Gal_5:19).
Now Christ requires the unfeigned offering of the whole man, as the Apostle indicates. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."’97Rom_12:1. We have nothing to do to make God peaceful towards us. But the peace Christ has obtained, must be received by us in the way of the Divine appointment. And that way is by yielding ourselves up to God. By repentance and godly contrition and real faith’97receiving his grace and mercy into our souls. We cannot be benefited by Christ’s work, except we surrender to him the body and soul he has bought with his own blood.
We remark, when this peace is received,
3. It insures all needful good. Deliverance from guilt, oppression, wrath, and death. It insures all the blessings of a good providence’97the precious promises’97and the enjoyment in our hearts of the Holy Spirit of God. And the Spirit dwells in our hearts as the pledge of God’s peace; and as the fruitful and blessed source of all peacefulness of heart both towards God and men. And the peace that rules in the soul, prepares for, and terminates in, all the joys and glories of eternal life. But we add,
4. This peace should be kept in grateful remembrance.
The altar should be built, and the name given to it’97"Jehovah-shalom." We should remember God’s mercies and loving kindnesses.’97We should have them engraven on our hearts.’97We should often refer to this all-important subject, and with love and gratefulness celebrate it. Our daily motto and song should be in harmony with the language of the text.
Application
We ask,
1. Do you know God as Jehovah-shalom? That is, as the sender of peace? If not, your condition is one of heinous guilt and fearful peril! To be at war with God, and rebel against him, must end in your certain and everlasting ruin. And if you do not thus know God, what is the reason? The hindrance is not with God; for he has taken all difficulties out of the way. He has, by a process the most costly, brought peace to you by the Lord Jesus Christ. Be at once concerned then to seek this peace by faith, in his precious blood.
2. Let the Christian cherish, and expect this peace. The peace of God must be daily, prayerfully sought. It will grow in the humble, and contrite, and devout soul. We should desire its overflowing influence, that it may be as a river of comfort to our souls. And as we possess it, we should exhibit it to all around,’97to the disciples of Jesus, first and chiefly; but also, as far as is possible, to all men. We are to be manifestly the disciples of the Prince of Peace; and must do honor, both to our Divine master and his peaceful kingdom, which we profess to have been set up within our hearts. And in this we shall find both comfort and dignity; and we shall realize the fulfilment of that promise, that God will keep in perfect peace, those whose hearts are stayed on him, because they place their trust in him.
Autor: JABEZ BURNS