He Is: Yahweh Shalom - The Lord is Peace Judges 6:1-23

Good Morning, and welcome to FE We are glad you are here this morning and for those of you online welcome. My name is Josh Aguilar, I am one of the elders here at FE and we have been in a series discovering who God Is by looking at the names of God.

When we think about peace as a society or as a culture. We seem to think of peace as the absence of turmoil, trouble, war, chaos. The worlds answer for peace is to try and silence that which they perceive is causing the trouble. Some of you may remember John Lennons famous song “Give Peace a Chance”. This is the solution he was giving, some try to pursue peace through escapism, we try to escape our troubles through avoidance, addictions to alcohol, drugs or through other addictions. Some of us pursue personal peace by trying to ensure everything is good in my own world, who cares what is going on around me.

Jesus said peace I give you, not like the world gives. How does the world try to provide you and I peace?

Political Peace - If we get the right people in office everything will be ok.

Financial Peace - If I have enough money and resources in my bank account, retirement account everything will be ok.

Personal Peace - If I go to the right school, get the right degree, choose the right career everything will be ok.

Relational peace - If I with the right person, have the right relationships, have the right connections, everything will be ok.

Peace I give you, not like the world gives. What is the Peace that Jesus is talking about here? Turn your Bibles to Judges 6:1-23, we are going to look at Gideon’s encounter with the Lord, in this encounter, Gideon discovers that Yahweh is Yahweh Shalom, The Lord is Peace.

Judges 6:1–23 (ESV)

The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.

When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”

Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

Los hijos de Israel hicieron lo malo ante los ojos del Señor, y el Señor los entregó en manos de Madián por siete años. 2 Y el poder de Madián prevaleció sobre Israel. Por causa de los madianitas, los hijos de Israel se hicieron escondites en las montañas y en las cavernas y en los lugares fortificados. 3 Porque sucedía que cuando los hijos de Israel sembraban, los madianitas venían con los amalecitas y los hijos del oriente y subían contra ellos; 4 acampaban frente a ellos y destruían el producto de la tierra hasta Gaza, y no dejaban sustento alguno en Israel, ni oveja, ni buey, ni asno.5 Porque subían con su ganado y sus tiendas, y entraban como langostas en multitud, tanto ellos como sus camellos eran innumerables; y entraban en la tierra para devastarla. 6 Así fue empobrecido Israel en gran manera por causa de Madián, y los hijos de Israel clamaron al Señor.

7 Y cuando los hijos de Israel clamaron al Señor a causa de Madián, 8 el Señor envió a los hijos de Israel un profeta que les dijo: Así dice el Señor, Dios de Israel: «Fui yo el que os hice subir de Egipto, y os saqué de la casa de servidumbre. 9 Os libré de la mano de los egipcios y de la mano de todos vuestros opresores; los desalojé delante de vosotros, os di su tierra,10 y os dije: “Yo soy el Señor vuestro Dios. No temeréis a los dioses de los amorreos en cuya tierra habitáis”. Pero no me habéis obedecido».

11 Y vino el ángel del Señor y se sentó debajo de la encina que estaba en Ofra, la cual pertenecía a Joás abiezerita; y su hijo Gedeón estaba sacudiendo el trigo en el lagar, para esconderlo de los madianitas.

Gideon lived in the time of the Judges, in this era we see Israel go through these cycles, where they sin, the Lord disciplines them, after a period of time they cry out to the Lord for help, the Lord raises a Judge to deliver them. Gideon and Israel have been tormented by the Midianites for 7 years, they have come in like locusts and destroyed their harvests. The people live in fear, they are living in caves. When we are introduced to Gideon we discover he was beating out wheat in the wine press. To beat out wheat, you need to be in open air, because you through it up in the air and the wheat separates, but Gideon is not in the open air, he is in wine press, which is most likely set up in cave. Gideon is afraid and he is trying to protect this wheat from the Midianites. Immediately we discover, for Gideon and the Israelites, their is no peace. They are living in fear. One of the reasons they do not have peace is because of sin.

Sin will keep us from experiencing Yahweh Shalom

We read why Israel is in the situation they are in.

Judges 6:1 (ESV)

The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.

Los hijos de Israel hicieron lo malo ante los ojos del Señor, y el Señor los entregó en manos de Madián por siete años.

Judges 6:10 (ESV)

And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”

 y os dije: “Yo soy el Señor vuestro Dios. No temeréis a los dioses de los amorreos en cuya tierra habitáis”. Pero no me habéis obedecido».

The people sinned against the Lord, pursued other gods and they did not obey the voice of God. Their sin is keeping them from experiencing the peace of God. Their sin is the root of their restlessness, their fear, their torment. If you are leaving in difficult times, could it be because of sin in your life?

Isaiah 48:22 (ESV)

“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”

No hay paz para los malvados —dice el Señor.

Could it be the difficult times are the mercy of God calling you back to himself, to Yahweh Shalom?

We also discover the people of Israel and Gideon are living in fear. They are looking around them and their circumstances are causing unrest, they are causing them to have no peace because

Focusing and worrying about our circumstances will keep us from experincing Yahweh Shalom.

Too often we focus on the situations we are in and they drive us to worry, fear and even depression and as a result we keep ourselves from experiencing Yahweh Shalom and we run to everything else in search of peace instead of running to The Lord who is peace.

As a result of living without peace it begins to distort our thinking.

Let’s look at the conversation between Gideon and the Angel of the Lord,

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

12 Y el ángel del Señor se le apareció, y le dijo: El Señor está contigo, valiente guerrero. 13 Entonces Gedeón le respondió: Ah señor mío, si el Señor está con nosotros, ¿por qué nos ha ocurrido todo esto? ¿Y dónde están todas sus maravillas que nuestros padres nos han contado, diciendo: «¿No nos hizo el Señor subir de Egipto?». Pero ahora el Señor nos ha abandonado, y nos ha entregado en mano de los madianitas.

Have you ever been like Gideon? Have you ever asked the Lord, why is this happening? God if you can do anything why are you not helping me? Why have you left me?

When we are living in unrest, we begin to think about our situation and circumstances more and we begin to think less of the Lord. We begin to blame the Lord for our failures, instead of offering him repentance we offer him our rebellious complaints. Where were you Lord?

And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Y el Señor lo miró, y dijo: Ve con esta tu fuerza, y libra a Israel de la mano[k] de los madianitas. ¿No te he enviado yo? 15 Y él respondió: Ah Señor, ¿cómo[l] libraré a Israel? He aquí que mi familia es la más pobre en Manasés, y yo el menor de la casa de mi padre. 16 Pero el Señor le dijo: Ciertamente yo estaré contigo, y derrotarás a Madián como a un solo hombre.

The Lord in his mercy is there to help the people of Israel, and his plan is to use Gideon to deliver the people from Midian. Gideon says “put the brakes on that plan Lord, I am a nobody from a clan of nobodies.” To be honest I see much of myself in Gideon, we want the Lord to intervene and when the Lord says ok, here is what I want you to do, we say hold on Lord, I want YOU to do something, not me.

What does the Lord tell Gideon, “But I will be with you”. Here is the answer, here is the key to finding peace.

Peace is the presence of Yaweh with us.

Gideon tells the angel if I have found favor please wait as I go to prepare a gift for you and the angel says he will wait. Gideon goes to prepare some tacos de birria for the angel of the Lord. That is the way I understand it anyway……

So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them.

19 Y Gedeón entró y preparó un cabrito y pan sin levadura de un efa de harina; puso la carne en una cesta y el caldo en un caldero, y se los llevó a él debajo de la encina y se los presentó.

Sounds like tacos de birria to me……

When he presents the food the angel responds

And the angel of God said to him,

“Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”

Y el ángel de Dios le dijo: Toma la carne y el pan sin levadura, ponlos sobre esta peña y derrama el caldo. Y así lo hizo. 21 Entonces el ángel del Señor extendió la punta de la vara que estaba en su mano y tocó la carne y el pan sin levadura; y subió fuego de la roca que consumió la carne y el pan sin levadura. Y el ángel del Señor desapareció de su vista. 22 Al ver Gedeón que era el ángel del Señor, dijo: ¡Ay de mí, Señor Dios! Porque ahora he visto al ángel del Señor cara a cara. 23 Y el Señor le dijo: La paz sea contigo, no temas; no morirás.

Why was Gideon filled with fear when he discovered he was talking to the Lord himself? Do you remember what the Lord told Moses, no one can see the Lord and live. Gideon remembered and thought I have been talking face to face with the Lord, now I am going to die. But what does the Lord say? “Peace be to you, do not fear, you shall not die”

Peace be to you…… Peace is the presence of Yahweh with us because of what the Lord who is peace does for us.

Yahweh Shalom brings peace to the conflict between God and man.

Gideon, fearing for his life because he was with the Lord, maybe he was afraid because of the way he talked to the Lord, blaming him for Israel’s unrest. Gideon was no longer without peace and in fear because of the Midianites, he was without peace and in fear because he talked face to face with the Lord. What does the Lord do?

Peace be to you. Yahweh Shalom brings peace to the conflict between God and man and settles the conflict. Look what Romans 5:1 says

Romans 5:1 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Por tanto, habiendo sido justificados por la fe, tenemos paz para con Dios por medio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo,

Yahweh Shalom, came to earth to be our peace, he came and died in our place as the sin offering before God so that he can take away our sin, the sin which keeps us from God, and forgive us of our sin and he gives us his righteousness which results in peace with God. Yahweh Shalom is the initiator of peace, deliverer of peace, seals our peace in the person of Jesus Christ and if you do not have peace with God, you can through the person of Jesus Christ.

When you have peace with God,

Yahweh Shalom brings peace in the midst of our difficulties.

Did you notice, when Gideon is in the presence of Yahweh Shalom, his fear changed from being afraid of the Midianites to being afraid of the Lord. His perspective changed. Now I am not saying to be afraid of the Lord. What I am saying is that when we know the Lord, when we know Yahweh Shalom, our perspective changes because the Lord who controls all things, the Lord who sits on the throne, who is in control of all things. is the same Lord who is working in my life to conform me to the image of his Son. If Yahweh Shalom is in control of all things, then the difficulties in my life have a purpose and if they have a purpose, then I can trust Yahweh Shalom to give me peace in the midst of my difficulties as he is working in my life. Peace is trusting Yahweh Shalom that he working all things for the good in my life, if the difficult things, to conform to be more like him.

Listen to what Paul says in Phil 4:6-7

Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV)

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

6 Por nada estéis afanosos; antes bien, en todo, mediante oración y súplica con acción de gracias, sean dadas a conocer vuestras peticiones delante de Dios. 7 Y la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa todo entendimiento[b], guardará vuestros corazones y vuestras mentes en Cristo Jesús.

When you are lacking peace because of all that is happening around, the Lord says run to him in prayer and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind.

The peace of God is the presence of the Lord in our life who eliminates the conflict between God and man through the person of Jesus and through his Spirit, he is present with us at all times and we have access to the peace of God even in the midst of difficult times, which surpasses all understanding and this peace will guard out hearts and minds.

When Gideon encountered Yahweh Shalom, we are told

Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

  24 Y Gedeón edificó allí un altar al Señor y lo llamó El Señor es Paz, el cual permanece en Ofra de los abiezeritas hasta hoy.

One day, Yahweh Shalom will bring final peace when all is made right at his second coming.

We read this in Rev 21:1-5

Revelation 21:1–5 (ESV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Y vi un cielo nuevo y una tierra nueva, porque el primer cielo y la primera tierra pasaron, y el mar ya no existe. 2 Y vi la ciudad santa, la nueva Jerusalén, que descendía del cielo, de Dios, preparada como una novia ataviada para su esposo. 3 Entonces oí una gran voz que decía desde el trono: He aquí, el tabernáculo de Dios está entre los hombres, y Él habitará entre ellos y ellos serán su pueblo[a], y Dios mismo estará entre ellos[b]. 4 Él enjugará toda lágrima de sus ojos, y ya no habrá muerte, ni habrá más duelo, ni clamor, ni dolor, porque las primeras cosas han pasado. 5 Y el que está sentado en el trono dijo: He aquí, yo hago nuevas todas las cosas. Y añadió*: Escribe, porque estas palabras son fieles y verdaderas.

Behold Yahweh Shalom, The Lord Is Peace.