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This Week’s Devotional Topic
GO IN PEACE
The phrase ‘go in peace’ appears several times in scripture where that benediction proclaiming peace is as the Hebrew “Shalom”. It may have a similar intent as using the word “goodbye”. Goodbye is a contraction of “God be with ye” which conveys a blessing, like a prayer or hope that the other person will travel safely. I’ve read that to ‘go in peace’ used in the new testament may refer to the anticipated peaceful rule of Christ. Please join me as we look at that phrase in scripture.
Judges 18:5,6 Then they said, “Ask God whether or not our journey will be successful.” “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “For the LORD is watching over your journey.”
Isaiah 55:10-12 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands”.
We find this phrase twice in I Samuel chapter 20 where we read the account of Jonathan warning David of his father’s intentions.
I Samuel 20:13, 42 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father. Vs 42 At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the LORD’s name. The LORD is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.
And we find at least two occasions when Jesus Christ Himself uses this phrase.
Mark 5:21-34 [also found in Luke 8] A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
Listen to Luke 7, the account of Jesus healing a sinful woman.
Luke 7:44-50 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
We could say that ‘peace’ is the absence of strife. It also refers to silence as the phrase “hold your peace” is used. And when it comes to God’s perfect peace (shalom) it is a miraculous gift of an almighty God.
“Peace” is not just something we can request of God as a blessing for others, it is ours as we keep the right perspective and as we pray and communicate with our Savior.
Isaiah 26:3,4 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
Philippians 4:5-7 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 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.
This week’s Scripture:
Judges 8:5,6; Isaiah 26:3,4; 55: 10-12; I Samuel 20:13,42; Mark 5:21-34; Luke 7:44-50 and Philippians 4:5-7
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