Unwrap the Gift of Peace

December 8, 2024

Pastor Josh Yancey presented today's message, "Unwrap the Gift of Peace." A video of today's message is here on YouTube.

Probably the most well-known and used Biblical Hebrew word today is shalom (שָׁל֑וֹם). It's used as a greeting and a goodbye. And it's used for peace. It's used for peace over 200 times in the Old Testament.

The most commonly used Greek word in the New Testament for peace is εἰρήνη (ay-rain-ay). Strong's Greek #1515, it's most used to describe the peace of Christ.

But back to the Old Testament shalom... Here's part of the entry from Biblehub.com: "Usage: Shalom is a multifaceted Hebrew word that encompasses a range of meanings related to peace and completeness. It signifies not only the absence of conflict but also the presence of positive blessings such as health, safety, and prosperity. Shalom is used to describe harmonious relationships between individuals, nations, and between God and humanity. It also conveys a sense of wholeness and well-being, both physically and spiritually. Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Israel, shalom was a common greeting and farewell, reflecting a desire for the recipient's overall well-being. The concept of shalom is deeply rooted in the covenant relationship between God and His people, where peace is seen as a divine gift resulting from obedience to God's laws. The pursuit of shalom was central to the social and religious life of the Israelites, influencing their laws, ethics, and community interactions."

For a really deep-dive into the Old Testament shalom, read Peace-Shalom (Hebrew Word Study) from preceptaustin.org.

I strongly related to Josh's notion of peace requiring preparedness. The only time I go into any kind of presentation or event, the more prepared I am the more relaxed I am, that is, the more at peace I am. Much of the Old Testament is about preparing. And it's not just about "preparing the way of the Lord" in the sense of the coming of Christ. It's also preparing yourself for life's challenges, preparing your family, and your community, your society. That's what all the guardrails ("laws") are for, I think.

Possibly related to preparation is being organized. A place for everything and everything in its place also creates a certain kind of peace in my life. And "everything" includes actions and speech.

Bonus

Weightlessness ≠ Zero Gravity

Don't be embarrassed if you thought the two were synonymous. Even the company that offers weightlessness flights calls itself the Zero-Gravity Corporation.

The truth is that there is no such thing as zero gravity. No matter where you are in our universe, gravity is having an effect on you. Gravity is a force, however weak, that causes interactions between objects that have mass. Weightlessness is not the same as having no mass. Gravity, while not having much effect at the micro level (atomic scale), has a great deal of affect at the macro level determining how plants and babies grow and how planets, stars, galaxies, and even light move.

You can't escape gravity. It's always around you. It's always greater than zero.

Astronauts floating about an orbiting spacecraft are not in a zero-gravity environment. They are experiencing relative weightlessness, however, because they are moving in concert with their spacecraft which is in equilibrium between falling into the planet or escaping into space. Spacecraft hurtling through space towards another world are not in a zero-gravity environment either. Again, people inside the spacecraft are weightless because they are moving in conjunction with the spacecraft itself, not because there are no forces of gravity acting on them; there are forces of gravity acting upon them. One can not avoid gravitational forces anywhere, anytime in this universe.

So why do I bring up this little physics lesson? To make a couple points. 1. Even in our own time we misunderstand the very words we created. 2. Things get worse trying to understand words created and used millennia ago. Words mean things (a phrase made famous by Rush Limbaugh), and they may mean different things in different times amongst different peoples. It's important to get down into the weeds and find out what was actually meant in Biblical scripture, particularly the older the material is.

This is a big portion of why I'm so drawn to this aspect of my Torah studies. It's fascinating stuff. And many times, learning the finer points of what was meant "way back then" leads to "Ah-ha" moments in understanding the "bigger picture" of a verse or two.

I'm collecting these interesting word meanings in the Words section of this website.

By the way, I got the idea for this little essay from a mural at the Space Foundation Discovery Center where I volunteer as a docent a few times a month. I tend to hang out in the Mars Robotics Lab or Science on a Sphere. See you there?!