Read Romans 16:20
What a promise! The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet is the promise that Paul makes in some of his last words to the church at Rome. The origin of this name for God, however, goes back to the Old Testament book of Judges.
If you have read the book of Judges, you are familiar with a cycle the Israelites repeatedly repeated. They were disobedient. They were relegated to the hand of their enemies. They cried out to God, repented, and He rescued them. They were faithful and lived in peace until….they were disobedient….and the cycle once again ran its course.
In the sixth chapter of Judges, an angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, a mighty warrior, while he was threshing wheat in a winepress so that he could protect it from the Israelites’ current oppressors, the Midianites. The angel assured Gideon that the Lord was with him and his people. Gideon replied, “Well, if the Lord is with us, why are all these bad things happening to us? It seems to me that He has abandoned us.” (Betty’s paraphrase)
Has such a thought crossed your mind in the last few months? Have you felt overwhelmed, anxious, fearful, upset, lonely, distressed, or depressed by the effects of the coronavirus all around you in so many aspects of your life? Maybe you can relate to Gideon!
As the conversation continued, Gideon decided to prepare an offering. When he laid the goat and the bread on the rock, the angel touched it with the tip of the staff in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, the offering was burned up, and the angel disappeared. Gideon cried out to the Lord, and the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”
Then Gideon built an altar to the Lord and called it The Lord Is Peace. JEHOVAH SHALOM.
As God’s people, we have the honor and privilege of knowing JEHOVAH SHALOM, the One is the peace that is beyond comprehension. JEHOVAH SHALOM gave His Son to redeem us so we could know Him and His peace.
Jehovah Shalom, I bow before You in praise because You are the God of peace. Your very nature is peace. You are the Lord of Hosts, the captain of our army, the One Who fights our battles for us. You are the Victor Who brings peace in distress. Thank You! Our hope is in You.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen!