Home       About Us       Spiritual Growth       Training and Support       Store       Donations       Contact Us

Set 2 - Historical Books

Judges 7:19 - 8:9

The next occurrence of the word “shalom” is in Judges 8:9.  The context is Gideon’s mopping-up actions in his defeat of Midia.  Judges 7 is the famous story of how Gideon defeated the mighty army of Midia through psychological warfare.  Gideon had an army of only 300.  The Midian army was 120,000.  That giant army, frightened and intimidated by Gideon’s 300, fell on each other in the darkness and confusion, killing all but 15,000.  The Midian kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, led their army in a quick retreat, believing the Israelite army to be considerably larger than 300.

As Gideon and his 300 pursued the routed Midianites, they stopped at the towns of Succoth and Penuel, asking for supplies and food.  The leaders of both towns denied them provisions, saying “Do you already have in your possession the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna, that we should give bread to your army” (8:6)?  In other words, the elders of these two towns were operating out of unenlightened self-interest.  They could not do a truly accurate power analysis.  They looked at the 15,000 troops of Zebah and Zalmunna and the 300 of Gideon, and ignored the evidence that, with Yahweh on their side, the 300 had already been responsible for the death of 105,000 of the Midian army and had not suffered one casualty themselves.  These leaders couldn’t envision Gideon conquering Midia, capturing their kings and executing them.  So they denied provisions to Israel’s army.

Gideon’s response to both cities is that when Israel has conquered the Midianites, he will return with the two kings, execute them and destroy the two towns.  It is in this context that he uses the word “shalom”.  Speaking to the people of Penuel, Gideon says, “When I come back victorious (i.e., “shalom”), I will break down this tower” (8:9).

That is exactly what he does (8:10-21).  His 300 slaughter the 15,000, Zebah and Zalmunna are both captured and executed (8:18-21), and Penuel and Succoth are destroyed (8:15-17). 

It is intriguing to note the use of the word “shalom” here.  It is used to describe victory in battle, not passivity or the absence of conflict (our meaning of “peace”).  To capture the sense of the Hebrew sentence of 8:9, “shalom” must be translated “victorious”.  This is an indication of the dynamic nature of the word, for it does not so much communicate a pre-existing state of being as it does a transforming, God-inspired action in progress.

Judges 11:29-40

The next use of shalom is in Judges 11: -- both in verses 13 and 31.  Judges 11 is the story of Jephthah.  It deals with two topics – Jephthah’s defeat of Ammon as a result of their effort to take back territory conquered in the Conquest by Israel (11:1-28), and the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter to fulfill a vow he had made to conquer Ammon (11:29-40).

The first use of shalom occurs in 11:13, when the king of Ammon explains, via messenger, why he has invaded Israel.  He says, “Because Israel, on coming from Egypt, took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jorden, now therefore restore it peaceably.”  This passage is the only place in Judges that it is presented that Israel seeks to negotiate a dispute rather than going to war.  Negotiation is undertaken twice by Jephthah – 11:12-13 and 11:14-28.  But the negotiations fail, so Jephthah leads Israel to war, and soundly defeats the Amorites (vss. 32-33).

The second use of shalom is in regards to the vow Jephthah makes to God that unintentionally results in the sacrifice of his daughter.  It is used in the vow itself: 

And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If you will give the Amorites into my hand, then whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Amorites, shall be the Lord’s, to be offered by me as a burnt offering.”  (11:30-31).

The use of the word “shalom” is translated “victorious”, in this verse.  It is another example of shalom being used to indicate victory in warfare, not the absence of conflict.

There are several things that stand out in this story.  The first is that Jephthah’s vow was unnecessary, and reveals how much he was a man of little faith.  There should have been no doubt in his mind that he had been called and anointed by God for this work, and that he need not convince God of his intent through a vow.  The people had called him to head Israel and to defeat the Amorites (11:6-9).  Second, it had received the blessing of God at Mizpah (11:10-11).  Third, Jephthah had been filled by the “spirit of the Lord”, which was confirmation of God’s choice of him, and in that charisma, Jephthah had successfully called together a sizeable and blessed Israelite army (11:29).  So there was no need of a vow, because God’s blessings on this enterprise had already been abundantly given.  Therefore, the making of the vow exhibited Jephthah’s lack of trust in God or God’s promise, and consequently, the weakness of his own faith.

Second, it is an unwise vow, indicating the lack of judgment and mature reflection on the part of Jephthah.  He assumed that, because animals wandered freely in a Hebrew family’s compound, that it would be an animal first out the door.  It never dawned on him that it would be his daughter – his only child.  So, the nature of the vow revealed lack of judgment. 

Third, it is intriguing to note that when his daughter is first out the door, Jephthah blames her for doing so (11:35).  He never perceived that the vow itself was poorly chosen.  In tearing his clothes, Jephthah mourns for himself and his loss, not for his daughter’s loss of life.  All of these exhibited traits raises the question of the capacity of this man to lead Israel in peacetime rather than only in war.  If he lacks judgment, blames others and is insecure in his leadership, what kind of leader will he actually be?

The real hero of this story is not Jephthah, but his daughter!  She recognizes that a vow is a vow – that it is irrevocable – so she bravely does not seek to get Jephthah to void it, but submits to it (11:36).  What must be done must be done.  All she requests is that she be granted two months to “bewail my virginity (with) my companions (or friends)’ (11:37).  She is granted that request. 

Jephthah’s daughter (she is never named) and her friends go off to the mountains and bewail her virginity.  What that means is that they are not sorrowing over her never having sexual intercourse.  Rather, what that means is that she will never fulfill the central role of a woman in that era, and that was to give birth to children and to leave an heir.  Since the Hebrews did not believe in life after death at this time, leaving an heir was the only way to enter into posterity.  For her to die as a virgin was to mean that neither she would have no one left to remember her.  And Jephthah’s line would be snuffed out (since she was his only child).  Without her memory preserved with no heir, she would have no eternal remembrance. 

But the book of Judges remedies her dilemma in one lightning stroke.  The story concludes, “So there arose an Israelite custom that for four days every year the daughters of Israel would go out to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite” (11:39b-40).  Thus, she escapes the potential fate of being among those who are not remembered, but the self-centered Jephthah is forgotten!

I Samuel 1:1-28

The next use of “shalom” is in I Samuel 1:17.  This is the story of the barren Hannah’s prayer for a son, fulfilled in the birth of Samuel.  When she prays in the tabernacle for her son, the chief priest, Eli, sees her and learning of her prayer, blesses her and her intentions with the promise, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him” (1:17).

Hannah gives birth and dedicates her child, Samuel, to God (his name means “He who is from God”).  Samuel is brought to the shrine at Shiloh as a child and there remains, taking on the vow of a Nazarite.

What is notable about this entire story is God’s commitment to raising up the lowly.  In this case, it is Hannah (1:20), but in other places in I Samuel, it is other leaders (2:1-10; 3:1-4; 16:13).  And this theme is picked up by Luke and used in his gospel (Luke 2:41, quoting I Sam. 1:3; Luke 1:46-55 – I Sam. 2:1-10; Acts 2:13-15 – I Sam. 1:12-14), as well as in Acts.  In this case, God comes to the succor of Hannah, and Israel’s greatest judge and one of its finest prophets is born!  Such commitment to lift up the lowly is of the very essence of who God is! 

I Samuel 7:5-17

The next use of “shalom” is in a summary statement regarding the judgeship of Samuel.  The text is as follows:

The Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel; the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.  The towns that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines.  There was peace (shalom) also between Israel and the Amorites.

Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.  He went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all these places.  Then he would come back to Ramah, for his home was there; he administered justice there to Israel, and built there an altar to the Lord.                                  (7:13-17) 

Samuel was the greatest of all the judges.  It is as if the amphictyony, despite the collapse toward which it seemed to be moving (Judges 19-21), had rallied again around the strength and holiness of Samuel who brought order, a depth of spirituality and shalom to the nation.

The accomplishments under Samuel are remarkable, especially in the light of the fact that, unlike the other judges, he was not a warlord.  The encroachments of a new and powerful invader of Palestine – the Philistines – is held back.  All the territory Philistia had captured from Israel was returned, and for the duration of Samuel’s judgeship, Philistia was held at bay (only to attack once again when Saul was king).  Shalom existed between Israel and all its enemies.  Syncretistic worship of Yahweh, Baal and Ashteroth was stopped – so that worship was only of Yahweh.  A systematic and thorough judgeship was practiced, so that Israel became a nation of law, not of personalities.  And Yahweh worship was renewed throughout the land.

It is remarkable, given the peace, stability and security of Samuel’s tenure as judge, that the people demanded a king in the person of Saul (chs. 8-9).  But they did, because they wanted the power, the centralization of authority and the seeming security (even if it came at a great price) of a monarchy.  God said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (8:7).  So Samuel listened to the people, anointed Saul king, and Israel moved from being a community of shalom under God to a nation ruled by greed, lust for power and control that led to the exploitation, oppression and domination of the people – just like every other nation in the world! 

I Samuel 20:1-42

The next use of the word “shalom” occurs in I Samuel 20 – the well-known story of David’s discovery that Saul intends to kill him, shared with David by his close friend and the heir to the throne, Jonathan.  And it occurs in this story four time – 20:7, 13, 21 and 42. 

The story is well-known.  Jonathan, the son of King Saul, and David (the general of Saul’s army) are close fiends.  Jonathan believes that David will succeed Saul as king, not himself – even though he is heir to the throne.  David believes that Saul intends to kill him in order to remove the threat to Jonathan’s accession.  Jonathan can’t believe that of his father!  So the two men hatch a plot to “smoke Saul out”.  David will not appear at a banquet at which he is to be present.  If Saul asks about his absence, Jonathan is to say he gave David permission to be absent to take care of some family obligations.  If Saul reacts peaceably, that’s an indication that everything is all right.  But if he gets angry, that’s an indication that he meant to kill David at this feast, and that opportunity has now been denied him. 

The feast begins ominously enough because Abner, the former general of the army, is present and sits “by Saul’s side” where Jonathan would normally sit.  Jonathan is made to stand, indicating disfavor with Saul. 

The scenario then unfolds around the missing David as the two friends had surmised it would.  Saul gets exceedingly angry with David’s absence, accusing Jonathan of being blind to the threat David poses to his possession of the royal seat.  Saul becomes exceedingly angry with Jonathan, he stats that Jonathan doesn’t even act like one of his sons, directly says he wants to kill David to remove this threat, and throws a spear at Jonathan. 

Jonathan then goes to a field in which David is hiding, and through his use of arrows, notifies David of his impending death.  Then, the two old friends part with the knowledge that David would someday be king and as such, would be kind to Jonathan’s children. 

The uses of shalom are as follows: 

1.      “If (Saul) says (at the dinner over David’s absence), “Good!” it will be well (shalom) with your servant; but if he is angry, then know that evil has been determined by him” (20:7).

2.      “But if my father intends to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan, and more also, if I did not disclose it to you, and send you away, so that you may go in safety (shalom).  May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father” (20:13).

3.      “Then I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’  If I say to the boy, “Look, the arrows are on this side of you, collect them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe (shalom) for you and there is no danger” (20:21).

4.      “Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Go in peace (shalom), since both of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, “The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever” (20:42). 

It is intriguing to note how “shalom” is translated into English here:  “be well” (vs. 7), “go in safety” (vs. 15), “it is safe” (vs. 21), and “peace” (vs. 42).  All deal with shalom the same way – that it is God’s gift of security and safety in the midst of the worst danger, threat and insecurity.  It will sustain you when all the rest of life has tumbled in.  It is the peace we can depend upon in even the worst of situations.  

II Kings 9:1-28

The word “shalom” is used seven times in II Kings 9, with different nuances of its use.  This chapter is the story of the assassinations of King Joram of Israel, his brother-in-law King Ahaziah of Judah and the queen mother Jezebel.  It is the obliteration of the family of Ahab and the dynasty of Omri of Israel, in fulfillment of Elijah’s prophecies (I Kings 21:19-29).  It is poetic justice that all by Jezebel’s death occurs on the field that Ahab took from Nabaoth through his oppressive use of a monarch’s rights and through Habaoth’s murder.  Intriguingly, although it had now been in Ahab’s family for more than a decade, it was still called by the Israelites, “Nabaoth’s field”. 

The person leading this successful revolt and personally responsible for the deaths of Joram, Ahaziah and Jezebel was Jehu, the commander of the Israelite army, who had been anointed king of Israel by an unknown prophet commissioned by Elisha to the task. 

Jehu and his army return to Jezreel where Joram and Ahaziah are in residence.   Seeing Jehu and his army approaching, Joram sends out a messenger and then goes himself with the message, “Is it peace?” (vss. 17, 18, 23, 31) to which Jehu responds in the first two instances, “What have you to do with peace?  Fall in behind me” (vss. 18, 19).  In the third instance, when Jehu confronts Joram directly, he is far more concrete in his reply:  “What peace can there be, so long as the many whoredoms and sorceries of your mother Jezebel continue” (9:22)? 

What the translation into English doesn’t capture is the nuance of the Hebrew.  What it says (using the many meanings of shalom) is “Is it well?” implying “Is it going well on the battlefield” (since Jehu and his army is engaged in combat with the Arameans at Ramoth-gilead)?  Joram, on seeing Jehu and his army approaching, logically assumes that Israel has won the battle against Aram and is returning with good news.  Thus, he asis, “Has the battle gone well”? 

Jehu’s answer to the question, “Has it gone well?” is “How can there be any true shalom presently”, implying (“while that man sits on the throne”)?  To the two messengers, therefore, he then says, “Join my troops rather than remaining loyal to Joram”.  When they realize a rebellion is afoot and Jehu has all the military power on his side, they quickly switch allegiances. 

We know this is Jehu’s meaning by his response, “What have you to do with peace?” because of his more detailed and explicit response to Joram so that the king immediately sizes up the situation, cries, “Treason, Ahaziah” to his comrade king, and flees – only to be struck dead by Jehu.  It is a powerful story – and a great illustration of the way the word “shalom” can be nuanced in the Hebrew language.

I Chronicles 12:8-18

The next use of “shalom” is found in I Chronicles 12:18, in which Amasi, the leader of some of Israel’s best troops, joins David with the words: 

We are yours, O David;

            And with you, O son of Jesse!

Shalom, shalom to you,

            And shalom to the one who helps you!

            For your God is the one who helps you.

The commentator in the New Interpreter’s Study Bible develops this statement in the most profound way: 

Amasai delivers a prophetic oracle in support of David that wishes them shalom.  The richness of this gift is not captured by this word’s usual English translation, “peace”.  “Prosperity” and “success” are closer, but still fall short of the emphasis on wholeness, coherence, integrity, and the sense of all things working together that shalom connotes.  The help and support that will carry David through to victory, exemplified here as military might and commitment (12:1, 17-19, 21-22), has its true source in the one who helps, David’s God. (p. 590)  

When one reads ch. 12, one gets the sense of how the people and tribes are abandoning Saul and coming over to David.  Even the “Benjaminites, Saul’s kindred” were coming over to David (12:2).  I Chronicles as continues the list of pivotal leaders bringing thousands with them (2:3-7, 9-14, 19-20, 23-37), coming over to David’s side.  “Indeed,” the Chronicler wrote, “from day to day people kept coming to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God” (vs. 22). 

What is particularly significant about this account is that the writer does not tell of Saul and Jonathan’s defeat and death in battle with the Philistines, nor that David was king of Judah for seven years before becoming king of Israel.  Instead, it is as if power keeps eroding away from Saul and to David until a transition takes place, David becomes king, and Saul simply disappears.