“The LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” – Numbers 6:26
Shalom
As we come to the end of this blessing we see God invoking peace. Shalom. As mentioned in a prior lesson this is not just the absence of conflict. “Shalom means fullness of life and wholeness in all areas of life: material, societal, and religious. It is a state of fulfillment that results from God’s presence.” I like that last sentence. A state of fulfillment that results from God’s presence. How else can we have wholeness in all areas of life? Let’s look at just the three listed.
Material Wholeness
Do you ever worry about finances? How about struggling with covetousness? Keeping up with the Jones’s? Any anxiety about your retirement account? Stressed about the new furnace you need or the roof repair? How heavy is the debt load on your back? Shoulders getting tired from the financial burden? Are you fretting over the loan that hasn’t been paid back to you? Are you keeping score of who owes for the next meal? Are you afraid you are being taken advantage of? We never have enough and what we do have is decaying. Just like us. God’s remedy. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). Need more convincing? “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing…And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried…Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:22-23, 29, 31-34). We are to be wise stewards, but we are also to place our faith in God who has promised to give us the kingdom. Worry is a lack of faith. God offers peace.
Societal Wholeness
Can’t we all just get along? Look at what divides us. Abortion rights. Gay marriage. Religious freedom. Euthanasia. Immigration. Gender identity. Government mandates. Unfortunately, the list of things that divide us as a society seems to be multiplying exponentially. Worse yet, the divisions seem to be getting deeper. How can we have peace in this area? What does wholeness at the societal level look like? Space doesn’t allow for all of the passages, but God is not silent on these issues. The Bible addresses the sanctity of human life. Marriage between a man and a woman was God’s idea. Same with Governments to reward good and punish evil. God has established lines of authority for the home and church as well. The problem isn’t that God is silent. Society at large has chosen to ignore Him. We’ve given into pride and sin is running rampant. I believe that most of our societal issues stem from relational problems. Our problems are many, but we have a great weapon. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). I am not promoting compromising Biblical Truth. We are to be salt and light. But if we are going to make any progress, we need to be the hands and feet of Christ. We have to win the lost with His love. Ultimately we have to rest in His sovereignty. In His time He will make all things right. Until then, “You shall love your enemy as yourself” (Mark 12:31).
Religious Wholeness
This is where it all begins. We are born in sin. We are born dead; dead in our trespasses and sin. We struggled with our bondage to Satan. Although spiritually dead we feared physical death. The father of lies wanted to keep us in darkness. We wanted peace but we looked for it in all the wrong places. Nothing the world has to offer could fill the void in our souls. But light entered our dark world and penetrated our souls. We exchanged the lies of the world for the Truth of the Gospel. “You will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Because we embraced the Gospel and put our faith in the atoning work of Jesus we became Sons of God instead of His enemies. “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him” (Colossians 1:21-22). We cannot have shalom unless we have peace with God. His enemies will never experience fullness of life. They cannot have wholeness in any other area of their lives apart from Him. But as His children, we can. When He offers us shalom, that is what He is blessing us with. A state of fulfillment that results from God’s presence.
In Jesus, the peace of God was made incarnate. He is the Prince of Peace. He offers a peace that passes all understanding. He provides the peace that puts everything else in perspective. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all” (1 Thessalonians 3:18).