The Life You've Always Wanted: Part 3
February 19, 2023Pastor Patrick presented "Peace" as the next Fruit of the Spirit in our current series, "The Life You've Always Wanted." A video of the message is here. Our Conversation Starter for this week is here.
The word for peace in Biblical Hebrew is shalom (שָׁלוֹם). More than what we think of as peace (i.e. absence of conflict, restful, etc.), shalom's bigger meaning is completeness or wholesness. Watch this video from The Bible Project.
In the verb form, shalom refers to restoring that completeness. For an example in the Torah, see Exodus 22:4 where you must restore (shalam, verb form) a person's field to wholeness after your ox tramples it (via payment).
This meaning carried over into the Greek eirene (ay-ray-nay) in the New Testament as Patrick described in his message,
In the Torah, peace is often accompanied or established as part of a covenant (see Leviticus 26:3-6, part of the covenant of the Ten Commandments being explained). Seems to me this fits well with Patrick's message suggesting that peace only comes in right relationship with God, in coming closer to God, being in covenant with God.
Bonus
If a case is too baffling...
Deuteronomy 17:8-13. Moses recognizes that the Torah cannot directly answer what to do justly in all possible situations. Therefore, Moses explains, a system of courts shall be established. See Prager's Rational Bible: Deuteronomy pages 280-285.