Astonishing Shalom
Shalom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 36:23
0 ratings
· 6 viewsGod’s salvation shalom is beyond our understanding, yet at the same time we are invited to witness and participate in all that God is doing to restore his world.
Files
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
We are nearly through the season of lent; next week is Palm Sunday and then we enter Holy Week. Every week I begin with the reminder of what shalom means when the Bible uses that word in the Old Testament. Shalom is most often translated into English as “peace.” But the Hebrew concept of shalom is about much more than simply the absence of violence or conflict. Shalom is also the active advancement of thriving, flourishing, and wellbeing in the creation.
Shalom “peace” = thriving, flourishing, wellbeing
We have been looking closely at that idea in scripture because the Old Testament prophets often draw upon shalom when talking about God’s salvation. As we move through this season of lent and approach Easter, the prophets remind us that the salvation which Christ brings into the world through the cross and the resurrection is a salvation that begins this restoration of shalom we read so much about in the prophets. Salvation is eternal life with God. More than that, salvation is an eternal life characterized by shalom. Along with the prophets we declare that the restoration of this shalom has already begun through the actions of Jesus. Even now in this world that still struggles with our broken sinfulness, we can catch small glimpse of shalom. These glimpses of shalom we see in our world today serve a purpose. It beckons us deeper into a life of discipleship by which the Holy Spirit continues sanctifying us into the image of Christ.
Today, let’s look at what the prophet Isaiah says about this invitation into a deeper life of discipleship with God, a life of discipleship that is characterized by shalom.
Isaiah 55:1–13 (NIV)
1 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
Notice the way this passage is divided into sections. Chapter 55 is 13 verses long. Often I note the way in which biblical literature is structured with the main point tucked right in the middle. We can clearly see that structure in this passage marked by the perspective of who is speaking. There are five verses of quoting the voice of the LORD. Then there are two verses of instruction that form the middle. Then there are five more verses of quoting the voice of the LORD. And the passage ends with one verse of conclusion. Recognition of the structure gives us a path forward into this passage to hear what God is saying through Isaiah. It also gives us a framework for understanding how these words to Old Testament Israel through the prophet are still words that speak to us in the church yet today.
structure — God speaks (1-5a), covenant faithfulness (5b), people respond (6-7), God speaks (8-13a), covenant faithfulness (13b)
Let’s start with the five-verse sections that quote the voice of the LORD. This is verses 1-5 and verses 8-12. As a side note, it is unclear if the quoted voice of the LORD ends at verse 12 or continues into verse 13a. To make it even muddier, the NIV places all of verse 13 in the quotation, even though the last phrase of the verse refers to the LORD by name instead of using first-person pronouns as we see exclusively throughout the rest of the quoted section. Not that it matters greatly, but just to give the structure of the passage some clarity in seeing Isaiah’s themes, I have chosen to place the break in the middle of verse 13.
verses 1-5 — invitation to God’s people from God himself
Verses 1-5 lay out an invitation to God’s people coming right from the voice of God himself. Look at this invitation. The language is framed within a banquet. For those who are thirsty it is an offer of something to drink. But it is not just water; rather it is a thirst that is satisfied with milk and wine. For those who are hungry it is an offer of something to eat. But it is not just bread; rather it is a hunger that is satisfied with what verse 2 calls “the richest of fare” (coming from a Hebrew word that means fatness or abundance; a reference to an extravagant amount).
banquet cannot be bought, earned, deserved
What is remarkable is that this banquet spread is offered at no cost. There is nothing that can be offered in exchange for this gift. It cannot be bought or earned or deserved. The two prominent features in this opening scene are that the banquet is extravagant and that the people come empty-handed to receive it.
God’s invitation requires surrender
those who are hungry and thirsty must abandon attempts to approach God with anything of their own to offer
This invitation not only shows the generosity of God, but it also displays the surrender of those who receive his generosity. Those who are hungry and thirsty must abandon all notions be being able to approach God with anything of their own to offer. This is such a hard idea for us to truly accept and embrace. Everything in our world around us is set up to be earned and deserved and bought. When we work hard for a win and achieve success by our efforts, we are often made to feel that we earned that victory or we deserve that success because we worked for it. Isaiah reminds us that there is nothing we can ever earn towards being right with God. All these things we do to follow God’s standards in the Bible, or habits like going to church or doing my devotions, or sacrifices like giving and serving for others; none of these things can ever gain me even one point of credit with God.
swimming from California to Hawaii
If we were to line up a variety of people on a beach in southern California for a swimming contest, some of those people would most certainly do better than others. If one of those people is an elderly person in a wheelchair who cannot walk, and another person happens to be an Olympic swimmer like Michael Phelps, there is no question of who would win a swimming contest between those two. But then if I say the goal of this swimming contest is to swim from California to Hawaii, it no longer matters how good any of the swimmers are. Nobody could ever complete a task like that, not even an Olympic medal winning swimmer. That is how we come before God. It does not matter how good a person you are; your good works don’t count for anything before God. You cannot buy even one crumb of the banquet God has prepared.
But you don’t have to. All the goodness of God’s love is offered as a gift of his grace. Our acceptance of this gift requires just one thing: surrender. You and I must surrender any and all reliance on our own efforts to be worthy of God’s love by our own doing.
verses 8-13 — shalom to God’s people from God himself
vs 8-9 | God’s actions are incomprehensible
The second section of quotation from God moves in a different direction. Verses 8-9 speak of the ways in which God is incomprehensible. The almighty creator of the entire universe who exists for all eternity outside of time is beyond our knowledge. What we know of God we know because of what God has chosen to reveal about himself to us—we see it in scripture. However, by no means does that encompass a full and complete understanding of everything there is to know about God. There will always be things about who God is and what God does and why God does it which remain beyond our ability to grasp. We are left in a place in which the only thing we can do is trust in what God is doing even if we cannot fully understand or explain it.
vs 10-11 | God’s actions are effective
computer technology
Verses 10-11 frame the actions of God a bit further. Even though humans may not be able to know all the actions of God or why he does them, God’s actions and ways are still effective. God still accomplishes the purpose for his actions even if we do not always understand what those purposes are. When I stand in the front of church on a Sunday morning during worship, there is a pile of technology in the back of the room supporting what I do. I wear a microphone which somehow takes the sound of my voice and wirelessly floats it through the air into electronic boxes. And all the notes and video come through a computer filled with silicone chips and resistors and wires. All I know is that you plug these things into an outlet and put some electricity into it, and out comes sound and light and video. Don’t ask me to explain how any of these things work; it is beyond my understanding. But I see the effects of it. It still accomplishes its purpose here even if I don’t understand how it works. I simply have to trust that all this electronic technology works on a Sunday morning even though I cannot fully understand it or explain it.
God’s shalom requires trust
And so, Isaiah says, the things that God decrees by his divine sovereignty fulfil their purposes even if we do not always understand how or why God works as he does. Verses 12-13 point towards the resulting outcome of God’s actions.
Isaiah 55:12a (NIV)
Isaiah 55:12a (NIV)
12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace
Here is the one place in Isaiah 55 where we see that Hebrew word shalom. It will be the result of God’s actions beyond our knowledge. And verses 12-13 make clear that it will be all the creation which experiences this restoration of shalom brought about by God’s actions.
What is it that ties together all these sayings of the LORD in Isaiah 55? The instruction comes right in the middle—as I often point out in biblical literature. Verses 6-7 are the only place in this passage which give attention to our response as those who hear these words spoken from God through the prophet.
Isaiah 55:6–7 (NIV)
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
verses 6-7 — response of God’s people to God himself
Seek the LORD; call on him. Those two actions are the imperative commands. Let the wicked forsake their ways; let them turn to the LORD. Those two actions are imperfect tense verbs in Hebrew, meaning that they are the things which result from doing the first two actions. The act of seeking the LORD and the act of calling on him produces the result of forsaking wickedness in the lives of those who seek the LORD, and produces the result of turning to the LORD in the lives of those who call on him.
Yahweh | four mentions provides connection between God’s covenant and God’s people
It is interesting how the divine name of God shows up in this chapter. God’s divine name that he revealed to Moses at the burning bush is Yahweh in Hebrew. Our English NIV Bibles translate it as the LORD spelled with all capital letters. If you prefer an older version such as the King James Bible the name Yahweh is translated as Jehovah. The name of God shows up four times in this chapter. It concludes each of the quotations; so, we see it at the end of verse 5 and again at the end of verse 13. And then we see it twice in that middle section, once in verse 6 and once in verse 7. There is intentional connection here between the divine actions of Yahweh and the people’s personal connection to Yahweh.
my faith requires surrender and trust
What is the nature of that connection which Yahweh creates between himself and the people of his creation? Yes, we see a nod towards shalom in this passage, and yes we see the covenant of God’s faithfulness in this passage (an everlasting covenant which can never be taken away). Yet there is one other connector I think we see as this passage points forward to Jesus. We can summarize it in one word: faith. Isaiah is giving us a glimpse into the nature of faith. It comes back around to the themes we see pulling through this passage: surrender and trust. Christian faith is about both surrender and trust. Let’s push forward to the gospels and see an example of how this plays out.
Matthew 14:25–33 (NIV)
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Faith involves both surrender and trust. We see that in this story. Peter needed to trust Jesus in order to step out of the boat and walk on the water towards Jesus. Peter needed to surrender any confidence in his own ability to walk towards Jesus on his own. When his faith falters and he begins to sink, in surrender and trust he calls out to Jesus for help. And what does Jesus do? Too bad, Peter; if your faith was up to the task, you wouldn’t be sinking; I guess you’ll just have to drown now. No. Jesus reaches out and saves Peter, even in the moment Peter’s own faith is too weak carry him.
disciples cannot fully understand it or explain Christ’s salvation shalom, but they see and experience its effects
This is what Isaiah is saying. Seek the LORD; call on him. God will have mercy; he will freely pardon. When Jesus climbs into the boat with Peter the storm calms and there is peace—Jesus brings about a moment of shalom. And it is astonishing. Astonishing because Peter along with the other disciples cannot fully understand it or explain it, but they see and experience its effects. We are given the gift of that same faith today; a faith that is characterized by both surrender and trust. And even though God’s shalom remains astonishing—we may not be able to fully understand or explain it—we are still invited into it by God’s grace and we experience it by the surrender and trust of our faith.