FRIENDS: GODS PEACE (SHALOM) LIKE A RIVER !! ISAIAH 48:16-22. Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and His Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me. Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed His servant Jacob. And they thirsted not when He led them through the deserts: He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: He clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. God is speaking to the nation Judah through Isaiah the prophet, concerning their release from Babylonian captivity. God had placed Cyrus as king over the Chaldeans, and soon by his policy, Judah would be allowed to return to her homeland. In verse 18, God laments at what might have been. God tells His captive people how much better it would have been, if they had listened to Him through the prophets in the past. The past seventy years of captivity, would have never been necessary. Instead of pain and suffering, God would have sent His ...peace like a river. This month, we are giving thought to a particular name of God in the Old Testament. The name is Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace. The passage before us speaks about this peace that flows from God, who is the fountainhead of true, lasting, peace. In verse 17, the Lord tells Judah and He tells us today, I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. God desires to be our teacher! He longs to teach us about His peace. God desires to lead us! God longs to lead us in paths of peace. Why settle for what might have been? We need not repeat the mistakes of Judah! Instead of being captives of sin and experiencing the consequences of disobedience, we can live lives that are characterized by Gods peace! What would God teach us as we stand beside the mighty river of His peace? First: God is the source of all peace. Verse 18b says, then had thy peace been as a river. God is Jehovah Shalom, the source of all true peace. The word peace is actually found in the Bible about 430 times. Obviously, God has a lot to say about peace. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, which can be used to say hello or goodbye. It speaks of safety, well-being, happiness, prosperity and favor. The Greek word for peace in the New Testament is eirene (i-ray-nay). This is where we get the name Irene. It means to be at rest, quietness and prosperity. (You can experience this peace either by living with Irene, or living with God. Ha!) God is the source of all peace, and His peace is like a river! What are some of the characteristics of a river? A river is constant. The level of a river may rise and fall, but it is always flowing. It ceases to be a river, if it stops flowing or dries up. A river flows over all sorts of terrain. You can find rivers flowing through the mountains, valleys, plains, and even through deserts. Like a river, Gods peace continues, it keeps flowing in all sorts of circumstances. This is not the case as man defines peace. The Webster dictionary definition of peace is a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, harmony in personal relationships. This kind of peace, can be interrupted by noise, a nuisance, natural disasters, or a never ending set of situations and circumstances. Gods peace is different. It is constantly available regardless of the situation or circumstances! A river receives fresh supplies of water from feeder streams. Gods peace is sustained by fresh supplies of grace from the Holy Spirit. The Lord told the apostle Paul as he was experiencing a trial which he had allowed to rob him of peace, My grace is sufficient for thee! If God chooses not to remove the thorn, the hardship, or trial, He will give you fresh grace to bear it, and thereby give you peace as the thorn or trial remains in your life! A river grows in size as it moves from its headwaters. Gods peace grows as we grow spiritually. A little babys peace is disturbed very easily. Children get upset over trivial things! The older and more mature we become, our temperament should become more stable. As we mature, it should take greater, more important things, to disturb our peace! This same growth should take place in our lives as Christians. Where there is depth, there is peace. In the Christian life, our depth comes by learning to abide in Christ, through getting into the Word, and seeking His face. Isaiah 26:3 promises that the believer who is able to focus and fix his or her mind on the Lord, will be kept in perfect peace. Paul in Philippians 4:6-7 promises the believer that the more he or she refuses to be anxious about things, but instead prays about them, the God of peace which passes all understanding or comprehension, will keep their hearts and minds through Jesus Christ! What threatened your peace as a young Christian, need not threaten it today. The peace that Jesus gives, is not the absence of trouble, but is rather the confidence that He is there with you always. Is there a growing, maturing confidence in the Lord in your life, fellow Christian? What a great picture of Gods peace! Gods peace flows from His throne like a mighty river! The first three verses of Psalm 46 describes a scene filled with conflict, chaos, catastrophe. The seas are raging. Mountains are being shaken, even removed and cast into the sea. Then we come to verse 4, which says, There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. Hallelujah! A river of peace flows from the throne of God today to every believer! A bumper sticker reads, No God, No peace. Know God, know peace. Job 22:21 says, Acquaint now thyself with Him (God), and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:57:28 +0000
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