Jehovah Shalom: The LORD is Peace
Jehovah Shalom: The LORD Is Peace
Paradox, Peace, and the Tension We Live In
Oxymorons tend to make us smile—phrases like jumbo shrimp, deafening silence, or controlled chaos. They place two seemingly contradictory ideas side by side. But beyond oxymorons is something deeper: a paradox. A paradox holds together two realities that feel opposed yet are both true.
Life is full of these tensions. We can be strong and vulnerable at the same time. Something can be deeply fulfilling and deeply draining. Parenting captures this perfectly. It brings laughter, joy, silliness, and unforgettable moments—but also heartache, exhaustion, tears, and grief. Both are real. Both exist together.
That tension—living between what feels contradictory—is exactly where today’s name of God meets us.
God’s Names Reveal Who He Is
As we continue our Advent series He Shall Be Called, we’re reminded that the names of God are not labels we assign Him, but revelations of His character. God is fully and completely all of these names at all times—like a diamond with many facets. We experience different facets in different seasons.
Last week, we saw El Roi, the God Who Sees—how God saw Hagar in her affliction. Today, we encounter El Roi again through the story of Gideon, where God reveals Himself as Jehovah Shalom: The LORD Is Peace. The God who sees Gideon is also the God who is Gideon’s peace.
And immediately, a paradox confronts us. If the Lord is peace, why does the world feel so painfully unpeaceful?
Peace has already been inaugurated in Christ, yet its fullness is still ahead. That ache we feel for a healed world isn’t naïve optimism—it’s evidence that we were made for more than this brokenness. We live in the tension between promise and fulfillment.
Gideon’s World: Fear Without Peace
Gideon lived in a time where peace felt completely absent. For seven years, Israel had been oppressed by the Midianites and Amalekites. Their crops were stolen. Their livestock taken. Their security stripped away. They hid in caves and strongholds. Fear ruled daily life.
Eventually, the people cried out to the Lord—and God responded.
Encountering the God Who Is Peace
(Judges 6:11–24)
God meets Gideon while he’s hiding, threshing wheat in a winepress. The angel of the Lord greets him with words that seem almost ironic: “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
Gideon pushes back. If God is truly with us, why has all of this happened? Where are the mighty acts we’ve heard about? Hasn’t God abandoned us?
Yet God calls Gideon—not because of who he believes he is, but because of who God knows him to be. Gideon doubts. He questions. He feels small, weak, and unqualified. Still, God promises, “I will be with you.”
When Gideon finally realizes he has encountered the angel of the Lord, fear overwhelms him. He assumes death is inevitable. But instead of judgment, God speaks words that define His name:
“Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”
In response, Gideon builds an altar and names it Jehovah Shalom—The LORD Is Peace.
What Shalom Really Means
Shalom is far more than the absence of conflict. It carries the idea of wholeness, completeness, safety, well-being, contentment, and flourishing. It is peace rooted not in circumstances, but in God’s presence.
Gideon didn’t suddenly experience external peace. The Midianites were still there. The danger remained. But something deeper had changed. God’s presence brought shalom into Gideon’s fear.
External peace is always temporary—globally, politically, relationally, even in our homes. Shalom, however, is a peace that transcends circumstances. It’s a peace that settles the soul.
The Prince of Shalom
During Advent, we remember that this shalom finds its fullest expression in Jesus.
Isaiah prophesied that a child would be born who would be called Prince of Peace—Sar Shalom. Jesus doesn’t just bring peace; He rules over it. Shalom flows from who He is.
God doesn’t hoard peace. As the Ruler of Shalom, He freely gives it to those who live under His reign.
Shalom Comes Near
(Luke 1:26–33)
When the angel Gabriel visits Mary, his words echo Gideon’s experience: Do not be afraid. Mary has found favor with God. Through her, the Prince of Peace will enter the world.
Just as Gideon was invited into God’s shalom to bring peace to others, Mary becomes the vessel through which Shalom Himself arrives.
Jesus Gives Us His Peace
(John 14:25–27)
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus promises His followers something extraordinary:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives.”
This is Jehovah Shalom revealed in flesh. A peace that calms hearts, steadies minds, and anchors souls—even when circumstances don’t change.
Receiving the Gift of Shalom
Scripture tells us that peace with God comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself is our peace. Shalom is not earned—it is received.
And that peace doesn’t stop with us. Through the Holy Spirit, peace becomes a fruit that grows in our lives, shaping how we live, love, forgive, and pursue reconciliation.
Living in Peace This Advent
This Advent season, we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. Because of Jesus, we can experience internal peace now and pursue external peace as far as it depends on us.
If you don’t know this Prince of Peace, today is an invitation. The God who sees you is the God who offers you shalom.
SERMON DETAILS
Speaker: Ben Marshall
Series: He Shall Be Called
Sermon Title: Jehovah Shalom: The LORD is Peace
Date: Dec 14, 2025
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Judges 6:11-24
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