Shalom Alechem

It means Peace to you.

The well known word Shalom as seen here is a word many people have heard

but there is more to it than that. For example, we can ask someone, “How are you?” Jews can

Hebrew it is ma shlomcha? For men and for women it is ma shlomech?

The question for a group is ma shlomchem?

A typical reply is Shlomi tov that means my peace is good You may notice the similarity to the word Shalom

That word can cover a range of matters. It can refer to health, prosperity, success and the peace we all seek in its literal form. Such peace however is not always simple to obtain, but the Lord said that He would give us His peace—His Shalom He is our Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace). We can trust Him. We can receive that peace by faith, but there are certain things we need to do for it to be truly activated. We can see this in John chapter fourteen, with the opening words as seen to the right.

Another translation opens with: Don’t let yourselves be disturbed. Trust in God and trust in me. A closer inspection indicates that this appears to be in commandment form:

• Do not allow yourselves to be disturbed.

• Trust in God.

• Trust in Me.

Don’t worry or surrender to your fear. For you’ve believed in God, now trust and believe in me also. My Father’s house has many dwelling places. If it were otherwise, I would tell you plainly, because I go to prepare a place for you to rest. And when everything is ready, I will come back and take you to myself so that you will be where I am. And you already know the way to the place where I’m going.”

John 14:1-4

What I am leaving with you is shalom—I am giving you my shalom. I don’t give the way the world gives. Don’t let yourselves be upset or frightened. You heard me tell you, I am leaving, and I will come back to you. John 14:27-18

Human experience exposes people to stress, anxiety and strife for a wide range of reasons and we could easily “blame Adam” for everything, forgetting that Jesus did something about it. He has given us the ability to live in and have the peace we seek and those few words in John lay the foundation for us. They are “actionwords”—not passive words, so there is something we have to do about it. One of the first things He told us to do was not to worry. I looked up the meanings of worry and was surprized at how often it is mentioned. Here are a few examples:

fret, be worried, be concerned, be anxious, agonize, brood, dwell on, panic, lose sleep, get worked up, get in a fluster, get overwrought, be on tenterhooks, get stressed, get in a flap, get in a state, get in a tizz/tizzy, get in a sweat, sweat, get steamed up, get in a lather, stew, torture oneself and torment oneself.

Peter gave us a way to ensure that we do not surrender ourselves to our fears. ... humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the right time he may lift you up. Throw all your anxieties upon him, because he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

In the original language this describes a forcible action like throwing something away, coming from ἐπιρίπτω ἐπί. One meaning states that when doing this, it passes the responsibility for something onto another person who is then responsible for it. According to Peter, the first step is to humble ourselves. Humility is a choice process. God does not “putanything” on us or “sendusatest” to make us humble—it is a deliberate act on our part to stop self-reliance that is idolatry and to let God handle the issue. We do not avoid taking responsibility and accountability for our actions of course, but choose to place our trust and confidence in Him. Most of our worries and concerns are in our thought processes—in the mind and there are many scriptures that speak about the process of renewing our minds. Paul told us in Philippians chapter four to think the right way. David overcame Goliath by casting a stone at him and it struck him in the head. He was wearing a helmet made of brass and brass in the scriptures represents sin. We could well say that his head, or the thoughts and intents of the heart were sin oriented.

The principle of renewing the mind is seen in scriptures like Romans 12: Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you,but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.

This is not necessarily the making of positive “faith affirmations”, or “faith confessions” many people make as they often emanate from man’s viewpoint, especially regarding finances or healing. It is not that they are “incorrect”, but are often self-centered.

of and associate with “peace”,

greet each other like that, but in different ways as follows:

This is the Jewish greeting for hello and goodbye

I believe in the healing ministry and have witnessed astounding miracles, but there are times when it does seem that is not always what God wants.

For example, I have witnessed many miracles of healing such as cancers falling off people after prayer, but when I experienced a sore on my arm that would not go away, despite all the different faith confessions I made and prayers, it did not go away. I spoke to that thing. I laid hands on myself, quoted healing scriptures from the large list I have compiled and it remained. You may see the list on my web site, but clicking here.

I eventually telephoned a skin doctor to make an appointment and the Lord said He was pleased I did that. It was a basal cell carcinoma that was removed by surgery and when I asked Him why he did not heal me of that thing, He simply said that He wanted me to meet that doctor and talk to him. If healing occurred, I would never have met him, ministered to him and shared the gospel with him. I then had absolute inner peace over it.

It is easy to adopt unrealistic attitudes, get “super-spiritual” or fanatical about many things and miss what God really wants to do in many areas. He wants us to learn His ways and live accordingly and the best way to do that it to follow His example. We should look at Him. Philip asked Him to show them the Father and His reply was very simple. “LookatMe.IfyouseeMe,youwillseetheFather”.

Evidence of genuine relationship with God is how one sees things. Our speech can often reveal what is in the heart—the mindset. Other matters may be real but secondary. It may be one thing to be “doctrinallycorrect” about a certain matter but miss something greater. For example, when the Lord and the disciples were walking through a cornfield, it was Shabbat and the disciples plucked some corn because they were hungry. The religious leaders got offended over a “legitimatedoctrine” in The Law, but they were splitting hairs and Jesus didn’t care. He later healed a man with a withered arm, but once more the religious folk got upset. It angered Him! If we are really honest with ourselves, we all adopt dogmatic stances on many things as those pharisees did, prove our point and be “correct” but still not see the complete picture.

Jesus always took things to a much higher level. We may abhor murder, but Jesus stated that an incorrect heart attitude is as bad as committing the deed. Perhaps we should all emulate John the baptist who pointed to Jesus and stood aside.

The Lord considered that man to be the greatest prophet ever. He did not have a church, or sell ministry products et cetera and even told most of his own disciples to leave him to follow Jesus. As a pastor, I would find that a hard thing to do. Jesus continued: Don’t you believe that I am united with the Father, and the Father united with me? What I am telling you, I am not saying on my own initiative; the Father living in me is doing his own works Trust me, that I am united with the Father, and the Father united with me. But if you can’t, then trust because of the works themselves Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever trusts in me will also do the works I do! Indeed, he will do greater ones, because I am going to the Father. In fact, whatever you ask for in my name, I will do; so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me for something in my name, I will do it. John 14:10-14 (emphasis mine)

It is easy to concentrate on the last few words and on doing the same works, but it is a matter of belief and I shall add—a matter of obedience. If we really believe—then we shall do as He commands. If you love me, you will keep my commands John 14:15

When we hear some talk about commands, our minds can often think of “The Law” and get into different forms of legalism and religious observances. God forbid. He has set us free from that and Paul spoke on this in Colossians. When we are in a relationship with the Lord, He offers us a whole new way of life that can be free from the anxieties and stresses that are part of our human experience and allow us to live in total freedom and equipped for anything.

His commands actually liberate us. He continued: ...and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforting Counselor like me, the Spirit of Truth, to be with you forever. The world cannot receive him, because it neither sees nor knows him. You know him, because he is staying with you and will be united with you. John 14:16-17

It starts with a little word and. It links keeping His commandments with His sending the Holy Spirit. I often speak about the Holy Spirit as well as talking about Jesus.

He is our allos parakletos—someone who is just like Jesus and He does not promote Himself in any way. He points to Jesus. He is the Spirit of truth and reveals truth and I hasten to add that He can and will only do that when He is welcomed.

According to the Lord, the world has no idea of such things. We however—those of us who welcome and invite Him into our lives Know Him (not about Him) and will be united with Him. Therefore, Jesus reveals the Father and the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus and they all work together as one. If anyone or any church takes one person out of that equation, it is impossible to know the Father and to do the things that Jesus did. What the Lord said next starts to reveal a pattern:

Jesus replied,“Loving me empowers you to obey my word. And my Father will love you so deeply that we will come to you and make you our dwelling place. But those who don’t love me will not obey my words. The Father did not send me to speak my own revelation, but the words of my Father. I am telling you this while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Spirit of Holiness, the One like me who sets you free, he will teach you all things in my name. And he will inspire you to remember every word that I’ve told you John 14:23–26

One of the major roles of the Holy Spirit is to teach us and inspire us and help us to remember Jesus’ words (commands). It is then that the Lord spoke about His peace. It seems as if obedience and real peace are connected in some way. We really cannot expect to have perfect peace if we are disobedient to God. Surely, our conscience must speak to us. I repeat what the Lord said a few paragraphs back.

I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous! “Remember what I’ve told you, that I must go away, but I promise to come back to you. So if you truly love me, you will be glad for me, since I’m returning to my Father, who is greater than I.

So when all of these things happen, you will still trust and cling to me. I won’t speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this dark world is coming. But he has no power over me, for he has nothing to use against me.

I am doing exactly what the Father destined for me to accomplish, so that the world will discover how much I love my Father. Now come with me.” John 14:27–31

It seems that He was offering us something that we could describe as an offer to enter into covenant with us.

When I studied for a commerce degree at university, one of the subjects was Contract Law. It applies more to Australian law of course, but the principles remain the same all the world over. In essence, one person makes an offer of some kind to another person saying, “I will do this, if you do that”.

When we drive into a parking lot and a ticket comes out of the machine, that is making an offer. When we take that ticket, we accept that offer and a legal, lawful contract is made.

Similar things occur when we leave an item of clothing at the dry cleaners. When strolling down the aisles in a supermarket and going to the checkout, certain contracts are offered and accepted. One term is called “offer to treat”. It is a fascinating subject.

God offered the man something but Abraham had to respond. It was like entering into contract, because contracts are reciprocal. When Abraham bought the land to bury his wife, he entered into a legal contract, signified by the removal of his sandal.

God told Moses to remove his sandals, because he was walking on holy ground. It was not that the land itself was “holy” but it was symbolic. He was in the presence of God.

Removing one’s sandals signifies a change of habit, or a change of direction.

It symbolizes that the way one walks has changed. It speaks about making a change in our disposition from fierce self-independence to depending on God. There is more to such things in scripture than we often realize.

Jesus was offering us something He owned and it was His peace. We could look on this as a kind of contract in which someone offers something they possess to another person who does not have it. This means we must do something in response. If we cannot offer Him a thing, all that we can really offer Him is our heart, or “our sandal”—our self sufficiency and independence; our freedom of self determination and change our walk so that we depend on Him and Him alone.

The only way we can really do that is to emulate Him in the same way that He emulated and obeyed the Father. He trusted the Father, He relied on the Father and He dwelt in the Father. We should follow suit and in one simple word, it is obedience.

That’s not formal religious legalism at all. To me it makes common sense. When we get out of step with Him, something does not “seem right”. We can feel disturbed inside and lack that peace and in such a position, the enemy has a legal claim to accuse us. He is known as the accuser of the brethren, but if he has no evidence he cannot “accuse us” as in a case of law.

Jesus said that when the ruler of this dark world came, he had no power over Him. That’s why He had such peace.

If we are in covenant relationship with Him, our desires are to please Him and do whatever He wishes... full stop. When we do, the inner turmoil dissipates as we fulfill our part of the covenant and He reciprocates by giving us what He has.

One of the covenant names of God is YHVH Shalom. Our God of Peace wants His children to experience this in the chaos of our fallen world. Without real peace in our hearts, we cannot offer Him the relationship He desires with us as individuals.

This Shalom is so much more than the quietness, harmony and tranquility we think it means. Shalom comes from the word shalem, that means whole or complete as in a debt that has been paid in full or receiving the blessing we need at a given time such as a complete healing, regarded as refu’ah shleimah. Please notice the similarity between the two words Shleimah and Shalom.

It may not seem so sometimes, but the best place to find this is in the Lord Himself and in the City of God—Yeru-shalayim (Yeru-shalem). It certainly is not a beacon of peace today, naturally speaking, but the Book of Revelation reveals that it will change.

...in a vision I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed.

I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, descending out of the heavenly realm from the presence of God, like a pleasing bride that had been prepared for her husband, adorned for her wedding. And I heard a thunderous voice from the throne, saying:

“Look! God’s tabernacle is with human beings. And from now on he will tabernacle with them as their God.

Now God himself will have his home with them—‘God-with-them’ will be their God!

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and eliminate death entirely.

No one will mourn or weep any longer. The pain of wounds will no longer exist, for the old order has ceased.”

And God-Enthroned spoke to me and said, “Consider this! I am making everything to be new and fresh. Write down at once all that I have told you, because each word is trustworthy and dependable.”

Then he said to me, “It has been accomplished! For I am the Aleph and the Tav, the beginning and the end. I will give water to all who are thirsty. As my gracious gift, they will continuously drink from the fountain of living water. The conquering ones will inherit these gifts from me. I will continue to be their God and they will continue being children for me. Revelation 21:1–7

This is God’s perfect peace. Perfection is Shleimut in Hebrew and it is another word related to Shalom Until the New Jerusalem comes and we live in perfect harmony with God, we can experience His Shalom in our daily lives now. Sadly, many Christians and Messianic Jews are turning to the “things of the world” to find peace. We can find meditational yoga, breathing exercises, creative imagery and dependency on medication in churches and they aren’t really working, because that particular Shalom is not there.

Without that, our money, success, and health cannot be fully enjoyed if we are seeking the kind of peace the world offers rather than the kind God offers us in His kingdom. Paul said in Romans 14:17

...the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

It’s difficult to hear God or rest in His Presence when we are preoccupied with worry and fear. Jesus addressed this when he said: Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?

God’s Word has the answer: You will keep in perfect peace [shalom shalom] those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in You. Isaiah 26:3

We can trust God because He is our reliable, unchanging, steadfast rock who does what He said He will do. He is the only one who can give us double Shalom—perfect peace David knew about that, saying: Adonai is my shepherd; I lack nothing. He has me lie down in grassy pastures, he leads me by quiet water, he restores my inner person.

He guides me in right paths for the sake of his own name. Psalm 23:1-3

David learned these things. He learned that his Divine Shepherd was with him doing what shepherds do; guiding, protecting, and providing and David obediently followed his shepherd.

Great peace have those who love your Torah [law, instruction], and nothing can make them stumble. Psalm 119:165

It is a Jewish belief that “all that is written in the Torah was written for the sake of peace.”

It goes on to say that God promises peace time after time in Scripture for those who love and obey His Torah.

As one example, God made a whole covenant of Shalom with Aaron’s descendants—an earthly priesthood. He did this because Aaron’s grandson Phinehas demonstrated a righteous jealousy for God’s Word as seen in Numbers 25:6–18.

Jewish worshipers gather at the Western (Wailing) Wall Plaza on Sukkot to receive the Priestly Blessing seen in Numbers 6:24–26: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Over time, Israel started following the ungodly practices of their neighbors, so He told them quite frankly why they were being exiled to Babylon: If only you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have been like a river, your shalom like the waves of the sea. Isaiah 48:8

Achieving peace through obedience has its challenges.

King David had many problems and stresses. He had a family with its share of dilemmas, the worries of government, the conundrums of war and many enemies, but these things did not overcome him.

David enjoyed Shalom through his love of God’s Word and the assurance that his God was with him through all of it. He started by repentance, called Teshuvah in Hebrew, a study I may share later.

This is a choice process whereby we can turn away from the sins that so easily beset us as seen in Hebrews 12:1 and decide to live in the way that pleases God.

The only real way to know how to do that is living according to God’s Word and we can do that with the help of the Holy Spirit.

As the leader of a mighty army, David asked God how to defeat the Philistines.

He waited for God’s reply, obeyed His instructions and won a mighty victory as seen in 1 Chronicles 14:14–17.

David’s perfect peace was shattered because of his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. Many people today are stressing out today because their marital relationships are ungodly—and they know why. God has the perfect person for us as a partner in a marriage that He ordains.

Genesis 2:8 says: And יהוה Elohim said, “It is not good for the man to be alone, I am going to make a helper for him, as his counterpart.”

The original word for “meet” in the KJV is neged that means a counterpart, similar, equality, a parallel companion, similarity, likeness etcetera. have observed many marital problems—a lack of that Shalom because the man and woman are unequally yoked.

They would not wait to find the perfect match, they cohabited before marriage, they went looking for someone and ignored God’s choice. They not only experienced problems—they cheated some other person from finding their perfect spouse.

It is a serious but prevalent problem that affects other people, even to the point of thwarting God’s plan, so peace and stability in life evades them.

David suffered the loss of his first new-born son and had continual strife in his family as a result. When the prophet confronted him, he did not try to deny it, but He humbly accepted the consequences and prayed.

His prayer is recorded in Psalm 51: Have pity on me, O God, in keeping with your mercy. In keeping with your unlimited compassion, wipe out my rebellious acts. Wash me thoroughly from my guilt, and cleanse me from my sin.

I admit that I am rebellious.

My sin is always in front of me. I have sinned against you, especially you. I have done what you consider evil.

So you hand down justice when you speak, and you are blameless when you judge.

Indeed, I was born guilty. I was a sinner when my mother conceived me. Yet, you desire truth and sincerity.

Deep down inside me you teach me wisdom.

Purify me from sin with hyssop, and I will be clean.

Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness. Let the bones that you have broken dance.

Hide your face from my sins, and wipe out all that I have done wrong.

Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a faithful spirit within me.

Do not force me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and provide me with a spirit of willing obedience.

Then I will teach your ways to those who are rebellious, and sinners will return to you.

Rescue me from the guilt of murder, O God, my savior.

Let my tongue sing joyfully about your righteousness!

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will tell about your praise.

For you don’t want sacrifices, or I would give them; you don’t take pleasure in burnt offerings.

My sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God, you won’t spurn a broken, chastened heart.

David asked for a spirit of willing obedience and it was only after that he said that he qualified to teach others, to talk to others and to minister to others.

He had committed murder and Jesus once compared murder and adultery with the attitude of our hearts and with our mouths. He also spoke about being able to cast the first stone...

Ezekiel warned what would happen if there is no real repentance in Ezekiel 18:30 and this is still valid today. When Jesus started His ministry, His opening words in Mark 1:15 were:

The kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.

I am so glad that He has dealt with the sin issue, but without sounding legalistic or condemning anyone and without suggesting that we start the confessionals approach of some, with accompanying “penance”, perhaps we would all be wise to keep checking ourselves.

We preach all kinds of things today, but perhaps we need to return to simple fundamental truths that never change.

Jesus paid the eternal consequences of our sin, which is death. It is only because of Him that we can be brought back into the family of our heavenly Father where a home is even now being prepared for us forever:

So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One. For the “law” of the Spirit of life flowing through the anointing of Jesus has liberated us from the “law” of sin and death. For God achieved what the law was unable to accomplish, because the law was limited by the weakness of human nature.

Yet God sent us his Son in human form to identify with human weakness. Clothed with humanity, God’s Son gave his body to be the sin-offering so that God could once and for all condemn the guilt and power of sin. So now every righteous requirement of the law can be fulfilled through the Anointed One living his life in us. And we are free to live, not according to our flesh, but by the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit!

Those who are motivated by the flesh only pursue what benefits themselves. But those who live by the impulses of the Holy Spirit are motivated to pursue spiritual realities.

For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mindset controlled by the Spirit finds life and peace.

In fact, the mind-set focused on the flesh fights God’s plan and refuses to submit to his direction,because it cannot! For no matter how hard they try, God finds no pleasure with those who are controlled by the flesh.

But when the Spirit of Christ empowers your life, you are not dominated by the flesh but by the Spirit. And if you are not joined to the Spirit of the Anointed One, you are not of him.

Now Christ lives his life in you! And even though your body may be dead because of the effects of sin, his life-giving Spirit imparts life to you because you are fully accepted by God. Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you! Romans 8:1-11

The outcome of obeying God is peace through any storm that comes our way—peace through upheaval and bad news and peace through the floods or the earthquakes of life. It is that peace that passes all understanding because our sight or vision is fixed on the author and creator of life.

And the consequence of Believing in Yeshua as Messiah is a peace in knowing that our Father in Heaven loves us so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16

When Yeshua rose from the grave, the first words He said to His discouraged disciples were simply: Shalom Alechem; Peace to you. Luke 24:36

He could have wished for them anything, but He wished for them everything with those words of Peace, and He wishes those same words to us today. I know many faith preachers personally who describe Shalom as, “nothing missing...nothing broken” and whilst it does have such implications, they have not quite seen the full picture. It means much more. I shall close with a final scripture that might illustrate what I mean. It says, Grace and peace. We can have both...

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord, Messiah Yeshua, who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3–5

Bashan Ministries

PO Box 109 Stirling South Australia 5152 Email bashanministries@mac.com