Jesus Fulfilled the Shalom of God

What Did Jesus Do?

They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11.9

How sad that the Prince of Peace had to confess that he had not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. (Matthew 10.34) Well, Jesus did explain that the peace he was giving to his followers was not of the same order as the “peace” the world gives. But a sword? In truth, the Lord never directed his disciples to strap on a blade, in fact just the opposite. (See Matthew 26.52) But Christ did “arm” his people with the Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God. Tragically, the world rages against the Word, thus battle must be joined in order to establish peace, the Shalom of God.

When the prophet Isaiah foretold the peace which would be established by the “Root of Jesse,” he spoke of the “rod of his mouth” and the “breath of his lips” which would overcome the world (Isaiah 11.4). Again, the Sword of the Spirit, sharper than any blade, would be the instrument by which peace would be won.

For peace is not a matter of conquering kingdoms and subduing people with bombs and guns and swords, that is the world's way of establishing peace. And to this day we can see how fragile and incomplete has been the peace won by the sword. Tragically, the world is doomed to fight war after war, with peace no more lasting than any of humanity's other vanities.

The thing is, the followers of Christ do not have the luxury of being non-combatants. We have a part to play in the struggle for peace. The Root of Jesse is our banner, the Word of God is our weapon, and the goal is to spread knowledge. This knowledge, like the peace of Christ, is qualitatively different from worldly knowledge. One of the chief accomplishments of worldly knowledge is the “advancement” from swords to nuclear bombs and chemical weapons that only destroy. Rather, the knowledge that brings peace, the true Shalom of God, is the knowledge of the LORD (Isaiah 11.9).

The hurting and destruction that is the world's way of making peace will only come to an end when the Knowledge of the LORD fills the earth. And the only way this knowledge can move forward is for those who know to tell those who don't.

Now, don't think for a moment that everyone with whom we share this knowledge will receive it gratefully. Some will laugh at us. Many will take offense at the Word. The world plainly will reject the true way to peace. Nevertheless, we continue to take up the Sword of the Spirit, and share the knowledge of the LORD which alone brings lasting peace, true Shalom. The only way we can share it, of course, is if we first have it ourselves.

Again, we have the great advantage of this season of Advent to prepare our hearts to receive all that Christ came to give us. As they say, “No Christ—no peace; Know Christ—know peace!” Only Jesus fulfills the foretold Shalom of God.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4