Kingdom Peace – ‘Shalom’

By Titto Thomas

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  (ESV)

Over the last few months, we have been considering Kingdom realities. Now we are on the home stretch  and we will be dealing with Kingdom culture. In this first part of a three part series, we deal with the topic, ‘peace’.

Every kingdom has its unique characteristics which is a reflection of the nature of the King. Likewise, in God’s kingdom, the environment is reminiscent of who God is. God upholds peace, joy, and righteousness and projects them as values that His citizens must have. Although this Kingdom is founded on love and operates in faith, there are values demanded of every citizen. In this study we look at the value, ‘peace’.

SHALOM

Most people think that peace means ‘mind at rest’, ‘a truce treaty’ or ‘no wars’, but the Hebrew word ‘Shalom‘ captures an array of meanings.  Some of the words that ‘Shalom‘ stands for are: safety, health, prosperity, well-being, and wholeness. Perhaps the best translation for Shalom is ‘well-being’.

It is also interesting to see how the word is used in Jewish culture. Jews greeted each other with the expression – ‘Shalom Aleichem’. The literal translation of this word is  “Peace be upon you” but it conveys a deeper  revelatory meaning as well. Let me explain. If I greeted you with peace, I was obligated to help you with any situation that you would have been facing at that point in time. For example, after I said peace be upon you and you were to tell me that your daughter is sick, I was bound to come to your house and take care of your daughter till she recovered. Or maybe if your donkey was lost, I was bound to come and look for your donkey till it was found. Even if you asked me for money I was bound to give you the money, if I had it! Shalom was no small word and Jews understood its significance. In the Bible, when we come across the word, peace, we might not appreciate the true meaning that goes with it, but Jews understood the gravity of that word. It’s time we grasped the depth and breadth of this beautiful word. Only then, what God means by ‘peace be upon you’, will truly resonate in our hearts!

PEACE WITH GOD

The cross was an offer of God’s peace to us. We were once estranged from God and were at war with God. But God made peace with man through His son Jesus Christ. Now we are not only at truce with God but also enjoy a close relationship with Him. We now have access to a Father who offers peace to us. I thank God for people who rejoice over this truth.

PEACE LIKE A RIVER

The Jews eagerly waited for the one called the ‘Prince of Peace’ to appear. They were under the heavy yoke of the Roman empire and thought that this Messiah would unite the armies, fight against the Roman empire and liberate them. But when The Anointed One (Jesus) came, He turned out to be  nothing of that sort. Instead of urging people to rise up against the Roman empire, he asked them to do (seemingly) insane things such as  carry Roman Soldier shields for an extra mile (Matt 5:41). Through such examples Jesus was delivering an important message. “I have come to give you peace in your heart which transcends any kind of peace that the world has to offer (John 14:27). Yes, you might think that if I delivered you from the Romans you will have peace in the land, but you still will not have peace in your hearts. But the Peace that I bring is from the heavenly Kingdom and when that peace captures your heart, you won’t care whether it were the Romans or the Babylonians that ruled your land!”

Isn’t it amazing that peace is a highly demanded commodity, which is  on sale today? People turn to alcohol, drugs, vacations, entertainment, yoga, religion, etc. just to get some peace. Billions of dollars are spent so that people can get temporary relief from their circumstances. Contrast this temporary relief with what His kingdom offers you.  Peace that comes from being a part of the kingdom is not an illusion. It is not something that changes your frame of mind so that you can pretend that your problem is not there. Peace, as spoken in the Bible, is not only rest in your heart but a real commitment from God to meet you at your point of need. Acts 12:6-10 clearly illustrates this — Peter is sleeping soundly, as if he were sleeping soundly in a five star bed after a day in the pool; when in reality, he had chains on his hands, Roman guards on his sides and about to be executed the next day. Peter had Kingdom peace (wholeness) inside of him which transcended the situation he was facing.

Again, this peace that God gives is not merely quantitative where you ask God for some measure  of peace. The Bible  talks about peace like a river (Isaiah 66:12). It flows from God, fills you up and then flows out of you. You will be a vessel of peace and spread peace all around you! So you see, you not only have access to peace, but also you can help others partake of the ever-flowing peace which overflows in your life!

HOW DO I OPERATE IN GREATER PEACE?

Now we come to the execution part, where we will look at how we are to walk in peace.

II Peter 1:2 says “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (ESV)

This is the key to walking in abounding peace – Growing in the Knowledge of God. Peace overflows in God’s kingdom and we partake more and more of it as we partake of the King himself.

Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (ESV)

Here is another key that explains the process better. There is a place where you and I need to come to – where we make sure that our mind is stayed on the Lord and not  wandering off. A Kingdom mind, just as what Sidharth and Daniel explained in earlier posts!

To conclude, not only is there peace within the Kingdom of God (because the King is sovereign and no one can challenge his rule) but also an offer of peace from the King to all mankind. If you have accepted that offer of peace, you are now part of this Kingdom where peace abounds. Now, as ambassadors and propagators of this kingdom, you are required to walk in that overflowing peace.

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