Apr. 28, 2021

“THE POWERFUL NAMES OF GOD”

“JEHOVAH-SHALOM-THE LORD IS PEACE”

JUDGES 6:1-24

The search for peace and tranquility spans ages and cultures. God’s name that we are going to get to know today speaks directly to our need for calm, security, and stability. It is the name Jehovah Shalom, which means “the Lord is peace.”

Drama or Peace:

The book of Judges is a cyclical book. We see a pattern repeat itself over and over again.

*The Israelites rebel against God through sin.

*Their sin leads to their punishment and discipline.

*This discipline drives them back to repentance.

*God responds to their repentance with deliverance.

Judges 6:1-2 “Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, 2and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.”

The principle is clear: Disobedience disrupts peace- Isaiah 57:20-21 “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21“There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.”

Obedience brings peace- Isaiah 48:18 “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”

Peace accompanies righteousness- Hebrews 7:2 “to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 

James 3:18 “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Judges 6:4-5 “Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 5For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.” 

Judges 6:6 “So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.”

Communication with God becomes more than merely going through the motions. You become serious with God.

God recognizes this as well, and He responds:

Judges 6:7-10 “And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, 8that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; 9and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10Also I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.”

God reminds His people that He was the one who saved, delivered, released, sustained, and protected them.

The Israelites cried out to God because they were in a mess. So the Lord sent an angel to a young man named Gideon.

In this story line of Israel’s struggle to survive, the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and tells him:

Judges 6:12 “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

Have you ever had someone see something in you before you did?

The angel of the Lord addresses Gideon as a valiant warrior.

Gideon questions God:

Judges 6:13 “Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”

Gideon wants to know if God is for him, then where is He? If God says He’s going to be his God, then why can’t he find Him? If He can do miracles, why is there such a mess?

Judges 6:14 “Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

Gideon’s response gives us a special insight into his view of himself.

Judges 6:15 “So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 

Judges 6:17 “Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.”

Gideon then gathers some meat and unleavened bread, along with some broth. He makes a stew and sets it in front of the angel of the Lord.

Judges 6:21-24 “Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.22Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”23Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

Gideon experienced the name of God, Jehovah Shalom, when he experienced God’s presence. He found peace knowing God was near. He built an altar and named it peace.

What is Peace?

The word “shalom” means “wholeness, completeness, or well being.” It means having things properly aligned and ordered.

Being at peace means you’re at rest even when everything else seems to be all wrong.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

How do we enter into the name of God, Jehovah Shalom?

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus is the Prince of Peace:

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Jesus has left His peace with us:

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

With God, you can experience peace in any situation. Without Him, you can spend whatever you want, go wherever you want, do whatever you want…but you won’t have peace.

Judges 7:9-11 “It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp.”

Judges 7:15 “And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” 

In Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, he tells us the secret to experiencing Jehovah Shalom;

Romans 8:5-6 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

Paul instructs us that if we want to have peace, we have to adjust our thinking. Peace begins by having a proper mindset. It’s tied to God’s divine presence, which presents itself through our mind as we set it on the Spirit. God promises to “keep those in perfect peace whose minds are stayed on Him.” Isaiah 26:3

When the right mindset is followed up with the appropriate action, peace is the outcome:

Leviticus 26:3,6 “‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land.”

Isaiah 48:18 “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!

Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”

Do you want peace? Only one person can give it- Jehovah Shalom, but He gives it only on His terms.