Copyright 2024 by Joseph Shulam
"Shalom" is a word that many of you know. More accurately, I would say that many of you think that you know this word:
" S h a l o m."
The vocabulary of the Hebrew language is built from roots. These Hebrew roots share a rich heritage with other Semitic languages, like Arabic, Aramaic, Ugaritic, Akkadian, and more. These roots are mostly made up of three consonants, and although the vowels are not written, they are known today by a particular set of signs designed in the 7th century C.E.
The root for "Shalom" is "SLM". The Basic connotation of the root is "Whole," - "Complete," and "Mature." In the New Testament, there are two Greek words that translate "Shalom" - "Ereni" and "Telios." The first Greek word, "Ereni" is used as a greeting, just like "Shalom" is used today in Israel. "Ereni" is a Greek word for "Peace" in the meaning of "Good Relations" - "no war." The Greek word "Telios" is translated in the New Testament as "Perfect" - "Ideal" - and "End."
In the book Horev, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh explains how to keep the commandment of "seeking Peace." Samson Rephal Hirsh (1808-1888) was a Jewish Rabbi and Educator who also served in the Moravian Parliament.
"And make Peace! Keep Peace! Bring back Peace to whence it had fled. If you will gain the finest laurels in good works, become an angel of Peace among your fellow men. Behold, there is nothing that brings blessings so much as Peace, nothing that is the foundation and condition of all blessings as much as Peace. For in vain does God pour down the abundance of His blessings, where strife reigns; for there, even the most beautiful blessing becomes a curse and an instrument of disaster. If we *** could but dedicate yourself as a shield against that carrier of the curse, dissension-be creator, guardian, champion of the father of all blessings, Peace! If you could but bring together souls which are hostile, hearts that hate each other, and teach them to live as brothers, restore the Peace that has fled from husband and wife, from parents and children, brothers and sisters, families, houses, cities, countries - then you could be sure that Father in heaven looks down upon you as the builder of the happiness of His Children."
Why is there no peace in the Middle East now?
Historical problems: The Middle East problem between Jews and Arabs is one of the Oldest political problems in the world. It started with Isaac and Ishmael - both sons of Abraham who had claims to the Abrahamic inheritance. Later on, this problem of Isaac and Ishmael was added to Jacob and Esau. Through the centuries, Israel stood alone (from a human point of view) against the descendants of these ancient peoples. Different nations have claimed this land at all times. It is the land between the desert and the sea, a land that lies between Egypt in the South and Mesopotamia in the North; it is a land of God, and it is hard to find God in it.
World Power Play. Historically, two major powers have tried hard to control this narrow strip of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Israel is located on the land bridge between the continents of Africa and Asia, which gives world powers a tremendous military advantage, which is why they wanted to control it so desperately.
Land Problems. The agricultural land available in Israel is minimal. It depends on God's goodness and his giving of rain. We see this in the Bible in Deuteronomy 11:10-13: "But the land wither you go to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence you came out, where you sowedst your seed, and waterdst it with your foot, as a garden of herbs: But the land, whither you go to posses it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: A land which the Lord you God careth for: they eyes of the Lord you God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.."
Nationalism and Racism. The Islamic religion is one of the most aggressive religions in the world. Islam believes that all the world must be Muslim and that all means are worthwhile to make the world Muslim. If a person is not Muslim, all means to subdue him and even force him to become Muslim are permissible—Judaism is also a very race-conscious religion. You will have a continual war if you put these two formidable forces together without divine or international constraints. However, if these forces of Judaism and Islam can return to Yeshua's truth, I believe that real-world Peace will result from it.
Religion and culture. Jews came from all over the world to Israel. Most of the Jews who established the land were European. When they entered the land, the local Arab population was incredibly behind in relation to the European Jews, making a very culturally explosive situation. In addition to the religious and political aspects, the cultural differences did not contribute to a better understanding between the Jews and the Arabs. We sometimes have this problem among Jews. David Stern moved to a house in an Old Arab village that was settled by Jews in 1948. David's neighbors are Middle Eastern; I advised him how to act. He did not. Now David has problems that need a court case but could have been solved with just a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.
Peace is a divine attribute commanded by both the Old and New Testaments.
Ps.34:12, "What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good; Kep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; se Peace, and pursue it."
Isaiah 9:5- 6, The name of the Messiah is "Prince of Peace.", one of the divine titles of the Messiah. How can he be a "prince of peace" if those who call themselves his disciples are warring. The World program, according to God, is Peace through the Messiah. Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tiding of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"
II Cor. 13:11, "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in Peace, and the God of love and Peace will all be with you."
I Timothy 2:22, "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord our of a pure heart." Paul's instructions to Timothy are that those saints with these characteristics follow the Lord with "pure hearts."
John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my Peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
The Biblical Examples of our Fathers.
Abraham.
In Genesis 14:22-23, Abraham fought the war with the five kings of the North; upon return, he did not want to take a thing from the booty, although it was his right to take it. Abraham gave up his rights for the sake of the public opinion of their enemy. In Genesis 23, Abraham paid for the cave of Machpelah even though the Lord gave him the whole land of Canaan. He did not take physical advantage of his divine right to the land but paid the price. In Genesis 18, Abraham prayed to save the evil men of Sodom, although they wished him evil.
Isaac
In Genesis 26: 12-17, In verse 3 of the same chapter, the Lord re-states the promises He gave to Abraham. And then comes the story of Isaac and AviMelech. After the Lord blessed Isaac and he grew mighty, AviMelech asked him to leave, and Isaac just picked up and left. No fight, No war. I do not suggest that we do the same today, but I do recommend that the point of attitude Isaac gained because although he lost the "battle" with AviMelech, he won the war with God. In the same chapter, we have the story of the WELLS that Abraham and Isaac dug in Grar. Here, we see a remarkable parallel to the Palestinian problem today. And there is much that needs to be learned from these stories. It should be noted that (Leviticus 25-26) gives a straightforward rule of thumb about the relationship of Israel to this land.
Joseph.
Although Joseph is enslaved in Potiphar's house, he is faithful to his master and does not take advantage of his master's trust. Joseph receives and forgives his brothers, who have done him so much wrong. Joseph acted like Yeshua toward his brothers who had wronged him.
What will it take to make Peace in the Middle East?
Peace is a function of choice. Like faith, people must want Peace and pay the price for it. If a person does not wish for Peace, no one can force him to have it. That is why the Bible speaks of "seeking peace" and "chasing peace."
It is a question of priorities. Peace must be an essential priority on the nation's or the person's agenda before he would be willing to pay the price of Peace. In the case of Israel today, it is still being determined whether the previous governments wanted Peace. They had "the two sides of the Jordan River" in their party platform" - "The land of Israel." For them, these were not just slogans; they were the reason for their existence, and they wanted to possess and keep the east and west banks of the Jordan River.
Often, warring parties must have outside motivation to achieve Peace. People sometimes need someone more significant than themselves to force them to make Peace. However, I wonder if an international peace conference would work on our area disputes. There is Fear of the severe damage of warfare, specifically the Middle East Arms race and its implications for the world.
The Teachings of Yeshua about Peace in this world and the attitudes of the believers toward Peace.
Conversion into the Character of Yeshua Ha Messiah. Of course, this is the hardest of all peace instruments, and I must elaborate.There can not be real Peace between men until they have Peace with God. All situations that we may be tempted to call "peace" that are without God are, in reality, only cease-fires with the devil.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:16, "Now the Lord of Peace himself give you Peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all." See also 2 Corinthians 13:11, "The God of Love and Peace.", and Luke 10:6, "if the son of Peace be there.". Romans 16:20, "And the God of Peace shall bruise Satan." It is essential to know that God is the only source of Peace in our universe.
Yeshua, our Messiah's main task on Earth, was to make Peace between men, especially between Jews and Gentiles. Ephesians 2:14, "For his is our Peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of the two one new man, so making peace;" And in Ephesians 6:15, "and your feet shod with the preparation fo the gospel of Peace." Peace is one of the weapons of the followers of Yeshua, our Lord. At times, some dim themselves as believers who think that they can use the instruments of the world to wage war against it. David knew that he could not win against Goliath with the same weapons that Goliath had; he used the instruments that he knew how to use.
The believers, like Israel, are commanded to do everything possible to keep the Peace. Ephesians 4:3, "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of Peace." Rom. 14:19, "Let us, therefore, follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."
The Gospel of Yeshua, our Lord, is the "Gospel of Peace." Yeshua brought Peace in Heaven and on Earth. Rom. 10:15, "And how shall they preach, except they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of Peace and bring glad tidings of good things? Peace is the essence of the whole task of Yeshua and his disciples here on Earth. Just look at the following passages: Rom. 14:17, "For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." Rom. 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Yeshua our Messiah." Col. 1:20, "And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven."
Kommentare