Shalom: The Peace of God
By First Lady Vivian Pruitte
Shalom is a common greeting used by Jewish people which means peace. In truth, shalom has a much richer and deeper meaning than just peace. The word peace is common in most languages. People can talk about peace treaties or times of peace; it means the absence of war, violence, or chaos.
In the Bible, the word peace can refer to the absence of conflict, but it also points to the presence of something better in its place. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for peace is “shalom,” and in the New Testament, the Greek word is “eirene.” The most basic meaning of shalom is complete or whole. The word can refer to a stone that has a perfect whole shape with no cracks. It can also refer to a completed stone wall that has no gaps or missing bricks, such as the altar God commanded Moses to build of uncut stones.
Shalom refers to something that is complex, with lots of pieces, that is in a state of completeness and wholeness. It’s like when Job says his tents are in a state of shalom because he counted his flock and no animals are missing (Job 5:24).
Shalom can refer to a person’s well-being. It’s like when David visited his brothers on the battlefield and asked about their shalom (1 Samuel 17:22).
The core idea is that life is complex, full of moving parts, relationships and situations. When any of these are out of alignment or missing, our shalom breaks down. Life is no longer whole; it needs to be restored.
Shalom, when used as a verb, literally means to make complete or restore. Solomon brought shalom to the unfinished temple when he completed it. In the Old Testament, if your animal accidentally damages your neighbor’s field, you shalom them by giving them a complete repayment for their loss. In essense, you take what’s missing, and you restore it to wholeness.
The same goes for human relationships. In the book of Proverbs, to reconcile and heal a broken relationship is to bring shalom. And when rival kingdoms make shalom in the Bible, it doesn’t just mean they stop fighting; it also means they start working together for each other’s benefit.
The prophet Isaiah looked forward to a future king, The Prince of Shalom (or peace). His reign would bring shalom without end. This is when God makes a covenant of shalom (peace) with His people, making right all wrongs and healing all that’s been broken, just as He promised in Ezekiel 37:26.
When Adam sinned, mankind lost the peace and harmony it had with God. We became at enmity with Him and a blood sacrifice, or peace offerings, had to be offered to restore our relationship with the Father. Unfortunately, this offering was temporary because but there was not much change on our part, so it had to be offered regularly.
That is until Jesus came and gave us more than just peace – He gave us shalom. Not only do we now have peace with God, but He replaced it with salvation and a personal relationship. We can now go boldly before the throne because Jesus was the ultimate blood sacrifice.
Jesus’ birth in the New Testament was announced as the arrival of Shalom because Jesus came to offer His peace to us. He says in, John 14:27 (NLT), “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.”
Our shalom had broken down and God sent Jesus to restore our Shalom. But, shalom comes at a cost – Jesus had to pay the price for our shalom. He was chastised to restore our shalom with God and received stripes, a crown of thorns, rejection, and humiliation.
Philippians 4:7 talks about the peace of God, “which passeth all understanding.” It is difficult for us to completely understand this peace. Jesus made peace between messed up humans and God when He died and rose from the dead. He restored to wholeness the broken relationship between humans and their Creator. This is why the Apostle Paul can say Jesus himself is our Peace. Ephesians 2:14 calls him the embodiment of peace, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”
Jesus came to unite Jews and Gentiles as one body in Him, thereby by giving us the gift of peace. He now calls us to be creators of peace (or shalom).
Hebrews 12:14 commands us to, “Follow peace with all men.” Not just to stop fighting one another, but to also work together as a unified body, then we will have shalom.
Paul instructed local churches to keep their “unity through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3), which requires humility, patience and bearing with others in love. For us to become people of peace we must participate in the life of Jesus who reconciled all things in heaven on earth. He restored peace through His death and resurrection. Without Jesus we can have no peace
Shalom takes a lot of work because it’s not just the absence of conflict. True peace requires taking what’s broken and restoring it to wholeness, whether it’s in our lives, our relationships, or in our world.