Isaiah 59-66: The Program of Peace

After judgment day, peace will reign supreme in our world. That will be a glorious time indeed. Isaiah spends the last chapters of his book describing this peace and what we will have to go through to achieve it.

Introduction

Isaiah 59-66 is full of prophecy that describes how the world will be once peace is restored. There are other little tidbits, like the new name of Israel, God's ability to forgive, and the armor of God, but most of the narrative centers around God's coming Kingdom. I'll highlight some of the interesting points below.

God Can Always Forgive

Sometimes we feel like we've done things that are absolutely unforgivable—and sometimes we think other people are unforgivable. However, God can always save and forgive; there is no limit to His power. The problem is that when we walk away from God, we cause separation. Think about the Adam and Eve in that garden of Eden. After they sinned, it was not God who hid from them but them who hid from God. Before we can return to God and resume conversation, repentance is necessary.

Pushing God Away

God describes the type of people who are separated from Him; these people are the unrighteous. Included in this group are murderers, those who revel in sin, liars, and those who speak perverse things. What's beautiful about Isaiah's description of the unrighteous is that it does not stop with those who commit injustice or who lie, but includes those who sit by idly without intervening. When we know lies are being taught; when we know injustice is being done, if we sit by and allow it to happen, we might as well be the liar or the inflict-er of injustice ourselves.

No Peace for the Wicked

Throughout Isaiah, we are reminded that peace is only for those who surrender to God. Remember, peace is actually a Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). So the more you turn away from God, the more you turn away from peace. The people who refuse God will be troubled. Guilt from their actions, as well as, the punishments they receive, will keep them from experiencing true and lasting peace. Isaiah describes this as stumbling in dark.

Finding the Light

Speaking of darkness, God is light. The Messiah is the Light of the world. When we find God, we find light to get out of the darkness. Have you been in a dark room fumbling for a light switch before? It's hard to find the light when you can't see where you're going. God recognizes this, and that is why He sent His son as an intercessor. Without His mercy going off like a flare, we would never be able to find the light in our darkness; we would simply wander about hopelessly.

Group Think

Isaiah tells us that people trying to do right in the world will be mocked and persecuted. Any time you go against the grain, we we see this. In college I took a class called "Science and Technology in Society," one of the questions posed was that of giving up weapons or giving up the internet.

Countries that are told to disarm are always reluctant or downright defiant, because why should they be defenseless when everyone else has weapons of mass destruction? We could all agree that weapons are evil in nature, but as long as everyone else has weapons, we feel the need to not only keep ours but to have better weapons.

The same dilemma plays out with the internet. When I started college, I didn't have a Facebook account and I never knew what was going on. That's generally the case today if you aren't on the "hippest" social media platform. I can live with being out of touch socially, but if I gave up the use of technology all together I wouldn't be able to function in society at all! First, as a computer scientist I spend 90% of my day on a computer, probably 75% of what I do requires access to the internet. So, I wouldn't be able to do my job. Almost every job uses email. In school, I had to submit assignments through portals on line. We live in a society where it would be almost impossible to not use the internet at all; despite the fact that people lived without it for thousands of years.

This is how society works. We are bound to certain structures to fit it. As we get closer and closer to judgment day, they things that bind us to society get further and further from God. Eventually the things we need to survive in the world will be downright blasphemous. Being about to participate in society will require taking the Mark of the Beast and we will have to make the choice to stand out. While Isaiah could be talking about any time in history, because the pressure to conform has always been and will always be in society, I think this is also a prophecy of what is to come.

Armor of God

Garment	Isaiah 59	Ephesians 6
Breastplate	Righteousness	Righteousness
Helmet	Salvation	Salvation
Clothing	Vengeance	—
Cloak/Coat	Zeal	—
Sword	—	The Word of God
Shoes	—	Gospel of Peace
Shield	—	Faith

You're probably familiar with the armor of God. Most people site Ephesians 6:10-17 as their reference for this, but Isaiah talks about the armor of God in Isaiah 59:17 as well. To the right is a comparison. In the future I'd like to do a whole post dedicated to the armor of God. For now I think it's enough to say that because we live in a fallen world, reclaiming peace is a battle and maintaining peace requires the ability to defend your ground (sanity). As such you must prepare with the proper armor. Isaiah calls out the breastplate, helmet, attire, and coat you wear specifically.

The breastplate is important because it protects your vital organs (i.e., heart, lungs, etc.), whereas the helmet protects your brain (i.e., mind and thoughts). Clothing is was your outward apparel; it serves multiple functions. It keeps you from being naked, but it also says something about you. It's what other people see first, and while it may be wrong, it usually sparks assumptions about your character to those who view you. The additional layer of a cloak or coat is to protect you from the elements. This garment provides warmth in the cold as well as protection from wind and/or rain.

From a spiritual perspective it is easy to see how righteousness can protect your heart and salvation can protect your mind. What you fight for, or rather what you take vengeance for, says a lot about who you are as a person, and you need zeal to protect you when the world is against you. Need to really study the description that follows, sounds like the armor of God

As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord;
My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth,
shall not depart out of thy mouth,
nor out of the mouth of thy seed,
nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord,
from henceforth and for ever.Isaiah 59:21 KJV

The Coming Light

The more sin takes over our world, the more it is enveloped with darkness. The only way out of the darkness is with the Light, which is promised to Israel. Indeed the Messiah is the Light of the World (John 8:12). Isaiah tells us that even though this Light will be given to Israel, the Gentiles will benefit from the Light as well. The Gentiles seek out the Light and flock to Israel.

The Black Israelite Theory in Isaiah

If you've read my post on Deuteronomy 28 and/or The Black Israelite Theory, some of the verses might mean something different to you.[1][2]

Flocking to a People

In Isaiah 60:2-3, what stood out to me is not just that the Gentiles are drawn to the Messiah (the Light), but that they are drawn to Israel. Throughout the book of Isaiah, we see that Israel is a standard for other nations. If you look at pop culture, not just in the US but around the world, much of it is actually heavily influenced by Black people. When I heard rap loudly blasting from the speakers of a car, 99% of the time the driver is not Black. I just left Spokane where I saw the same 3 Black people for a whole week, and yet the style of many of the people I saw pass by was that which is associated with Black culture. Even my coworker, who is Indian, wore a different pair of Jordans to work each day. Whether it's good or bad, whether they like Black people or not, society seems to flock toward Black culture.

Flying as a People

In Isaiah 60:8, Isaiah asks about people flying like doves. It's obviously a metaphor, but the first thing that popped into my head after reading this was a book I loved as a child: The People Could Fly. It's a collection of short stories, myths, and sayings from Black culture. Black culture is (or at least used to be) rooted in storytelling (remember God told the Israelites to pass everything down to their children verbally!). One of the stories in this book is the titular "The People Could Fly," and it's about a group of slaves who simply flew to freedom. Flight has always been a representation of freedom, but it struck me as odd that Isaiah is talking about the Israelites who are "flying" like doves, and Black folklore includes stories about people who can fly!

Beulah & Hephzibah

Isaiah 62:8, God says He will give His people a new name. The name "Israel" was given to God's people by God Himself, and if you follow the Black Israelite Theory, His people have been called by the names men have given them for centuries. They have been disassociated with their original name. (Even if you don't believe the Black Israelite Theory, this would still be true for the lost tribes of Israel). God is promising to reunite His people and in doing so, He gives them a new name. One of the names applies to the people themselves, but the other refers to their land. The two names are Hephzibah and Beulah.

Hephzibah

Hephzibah means "My Delight Is In Her."[6] God delights in His people.

Beulah

Beulah means married;[7] we are married to Christ, so this name makes sense after some thought. What's interesting about this particular name is that at the end of American slavery, many Black women were named Beulah. It was a popular name. These people would not have been permitted to read a Bible—to learn how to read at all. They were being taught that all the people in the Bible were White, like their masters. How did this become a popular name in our community without divine intervention?

I wanted the exact stats of the name Beulah, and found so much more than I was looking for:

• Beulah is the name of a city in Mississippi. The population is 97% Black; only .6% of the population is White.[8]
• It was definitely more popular during my grandmother's era (among both Whites and Blacks).[9]

The Future

Isaiah prophesies about a wonderful future. In this future there is no need for the Sun or the moon because God will provide the Light. There is no darkness, no mourning, no violence. Only peace and righteousness prevail in this world. The kingdom is built not by the strong, however, but by the small. I dug into the words originally used in Isaiah 60:22, that give us the English "little one" and "small one." These words are from the root words קָטָן (qatan) and צָעִיר (tsair), respectively.[3] Both mean young, unimportant, and insignificant. So it will be the young and insignificant that bring about this new kingdom for God.

Spirit of the Lord

Isaiah mentions the Spirit of the Lord, or the Holy Spirit, quite frequently. When we are touched by the Holy Spirit, we should exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), but Isaiah gives us more tangible descriptions of what we should look like. He says we should:

• Preach good tidings to the poor
• Heal the broken hearted
• Proclaim liberty to the captives
• Open prisons
• Prophesy
• Comfort those who mourn

For I the Lord love judgment,
I hate robbery for burnt offering;
and I will direct their work in truth,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.Isaiah 61:8 KJV

Ask for Justice

God is ready to fight on behalf of Israel. We are told that we should never stop asking for His justice. In short, we should be praying for the day of judgment when evil is done away with and only peace and righteousness remain. Most Christians are not praying for this because we have not fully surrendered and aren't sure we will be part of His new kingdom.

A Person from Edom

After reading Isaiah 63, I was a bit confused. A person comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Borzah. Edom was the worn enemy of Israel; nothing good ever came to Israel from Edom. This person coming from Edom, sounds like a warrior. The description of this warrior is interesting because he wears red garments. First, the fact that his garments are dyed means they are not pure. Red dye harkens back to blood, sacrifices, and violence. Even more, red is heavily tied to Edom because Edom is the nation descended from Esau, which means red. Borzah is a place in modern day Jordan. Many believe this is where the remnant will be hiding during the last days.[10][11] Thus, this is a vision of the Second Coming, when the Messiah comes to save those in hiding.

A Plea for God's Presence

Isaiah pleas for the return of God's favor and for Him to make His presence known in Isaiah 64. Remember, in making His presence known, justice must be carried out so this is really a plea for justice. When we call upon God, we aren't calling upon a genie and asking for a new car or a good job, we are calling upon the Most High God and asking for deliverance from sin and the end of all evil!

What is interesting about Isaiah's plea is that it includes an admission of guilt. In order to obtain forgiveness from God, we have to repent which includes the admission of or guilt. We must be aware that we have strayed and be truly ready to return to His flock. Isaiah demonstrates this beautifully in his plea to God.

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.Isaiah 64:8 KJV

Lost and Found

God's people are lost, and in many cases not even aware they are lost. Even when we aren't seeking Him, He will find His people! We always have the choice to answer His call or ignore it, but the call will be there.

Sins of the Hypocrites

In Jesus' day, there were people who proclaimed themselves holy but were doing their own thing and not following God. Isaiah describes the same problem for the end times. The specific sins he calls out are the following:

• fellowshipping with the dead
• idolatry
• eating pork
• consuming the broth of abominable things

These sins have both spiritual and literal fulfillments.

Communing with the Dead

In Deuteronomy 18:11 we are told not to try to communicate with the dead. So why are these people sitting among the graves? The literal statement here is that these people will spend their time trying to communicate with the dead, through mediums or just sitting at the grave talking to the dead person. Many people today do this. However, the spiritual implication could be that this person surrounds themself with people who are spiritually dead. Instead of fellowshipping with believers, they remain stagnant with those who are lost.

Idolatry

Once again, the literal meaning is that they are worshipping someone or something other than God. They have actively and knowingly placed an idol above the Most High God. However, many people try to avoid this behavior, so it's more likely that this is a subconscious thing. We idolize people and objects without even knowing. So too, these people have let money, career/success, fame, etc. cloud their thinking and push them away from God.

Unclean Food

The final sin is the consumption of unclean foods. This is repeated in Isaiah 66. I have many posts on the blog about how God never gave us permission to eat unclean animals, and both Isaiah 65 and Isaiah 66 reiterate the fact that unclean food is unclean, even in the end. Isaiah is speaking of people literally consuming animals in which they are not to eat (pork is one of the most popular meats in the U.S.). However, he may also be speaking spiritually. We don't just consume food, we consume media. We allow ourselves to be defiled by unholy TV shows, movies, songs, etc. This is just as dangerous as defiling our body by eating unclean meats.

New Heaven, New Earth

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Saffu

Most people think that in the end we're going to Heaven. We forget that what actually happens at the end is the creation of a new Heaven and a new Earth. God is restoring His original design with man ruling over a wonderfully created Earth, where everything is good. There are several passages that speak of this new Heaven and new Earth (e.g., 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1) Isaiah 65:17 is one of them. This is the passage that talks about carnivores and herbivores living in peace because the carnivores have become herbivores. This is also a return to God's original design. If you reread Genesis 1:29-30, you will see that in the beginning, God created us to be vegetarian.

Zion Brings Forth a Child

Isaiah 66:7-9 parallels Revelation 12. Here, Zion (a.k.a. Jerusalem) gives birth to a son (the Messiah). This process wasn't exactly overnight; Mary had to carry the baby to term (9 months) before He was born, and it took 30 years for Him to start His ministry. However, in the grand scheme of things, He built a kingdom based on salvation overnight.

Fire and Chariots

The description of God's return in Isaiah 66 is what the people expected at the coming of the Messiah. They didn't understand that Isaiah spoke of 2 comings. What's interesting is that now that the Messiah has come as the Lamb and is set to return with fire, many people expect a peaceful return. It seems as though we're always looking for the wrong thing.

Worship

Isaiah ends his prophecy/appeal with a declaration about worship. Isaiah tells us that we will come to worship God from Sabbath to Sabbath and from new moon to new moon. This could be translated as week to week and month to month. At the end of all things, all people will come to bow before the King of Kings and worship.

References

1. Ree Hughes. "Deuteronomy 27-30: The Third Address". PSALMS to God. June 18, 2016
2. Ree Hughes. "Deuteronomy 28: The Curse of Israel & The Black Israelite Theory". PSALMS to God. June 19, 2016
3. "Isaiah 60:22". Bible Hub; visited June 2019
4. "6996. qatan". Bible Hub; visited June 2019
5. "6810. tsair". Bible Hub; visited June 2019
6. "Hephzibah meaning". Abarim Publications. May 31, 2011
7. "Beulah meaning". Abarim Publications. May 31, 2011
8. "Beulah Demographics Summary". Mississippi Demographics; visited June 2019
9. Mike Campbell. "Beulah". Behind the Name; visited June 2019
10. Jay Mack. "The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah 63: 1-6". The Teaching Ministry of Jay Mack; visited June 2019
11. "12.6.1. Sheep in Bozrah". Bible Study Tools; visited June 2019

Isaiah 49-57: The Prince of Peace

Introduction

The ultimate gift God gives us is the Prince of Peace, the Messiah, Yashua/Yeshua/Jesus. Between Isaiah 49 and 57, Isaiah gives us a ton of prophecies, many of which deal with the Messiah. The most important prophecy concerning who Christ was (in my opinion) is Isaiah 53. Often referred to as "The Suffering Servant," the chapter gives a clear picture of the Messiah as a servant who must suffer at the hands of His own people to bring about salvation. This was the crucial prophecy that the Israelites neglected, as they expected the Messiah to be a triumphant warrior who would overthrow Rome instead of the servant described by Isaiah. Overall, however, these chapters paint the picture of the salvation brought by the Prince of Peace.

Calls to the People

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Pavan Trikutam

The first three chapters in this series deliver specific calls to God's people.

Called From the Womb

Isaiah recognizes that his calling came from the time he was in the womb. In fact, most of God's people were called before they took their first breath. Other examples include Samson and Samuel from the Old Testament, Jesus and John the Baptist from the New Testament. Isaiah explicitly states that his purpose is to call the people of God back to God. God tells Isaiah that this is a simple task, so He is also entrusting him with being a light for the Gentiles. Even during Isaiah's time, Israel was to be a light for the Gentile nations; it was never God's intent that they should stay in darkness. We know that the ultimate light that Israel brought into the world was the Messiah. How does that relate to Isaiah being called as a light to the Gentile nations? Well, someone compiled a list of 365 Messianic prophecies[1] (there are more, but this is a good sampling) and 133 of them are from the book of Isaiah. That's about 36%. The book in the Old Testament with the next largest number of Messianic prophecies is Psalms with 96. So while Jesus might be the ultimate Light God gave to the Gentiles, it is Isaiah that gives us the path to identify the light (the light switch, if you will).

Prophecies About Christ

In Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah jumps right in to Messianic prophecy as if to confirm that he has been given light to point us to the ultimate Light. First, he tells us that the Holy One of Israel (the Messiah), will be despised by men. If Christ's crucifixion does jump into mind as clear evidence of that, just scour message boards online today. There are many atheists or agnostics, who while tolerant of other religions, have a deep-seated hatred for Christ.

Isaiah goes on to tell us that Christ will be worshiped by kings and princes. Even the most powerful people in our world have to answer to Christ. In Christ's kingdom, everyone will come to bow down to Him and all will be provided for. As Isaiah explains this, he mentions a land called Sinim, which scholars believe is meant to reference a far off nation, likely China.[2]

As Isaiah continues to point out how God (and the Messiah) feel about the people, he lays out a third prophecy. God promises no to forget about His children, and points out that He has a mark in the palm of His hands to remind Him of us. That mark is from the crucifixion.[3]

Prophecy About Israel

Isaiah also prophesies the captivity and scattering of Israel. The people of Israel were driven from The Promised Land after the siege of Jerusalem in 70ad and have been intermingled with the Gentiles ever since. However, in the end the people who were tearing apart the families of God's people and who were mistreating them, will be bowing before them.

Called to Follow

In the beginning of Isaiah 50, we are presented with metaphorical questions about our relationship with God as our Father. God did not abandon His children, His children stopped following Him. When there is separation between us and Him, it is not because He "divorced our mother" or sold us, but be cause we have chosen sin over obedience.

The beauty in this situation is that God is the all powerful God. He can redeem us and reconect with us if we let Him. His choice is to deliver us from a fate of separation and disconnect, but we have to let Him. Throughout the Bible, it talks about people who have ears but can't hear, or eyes and can't see. We close our senses to God, and block His Spirit sometimes. When Isaiah chose to listen to God, God opened His hear that He might understand. When we choose to listen and see, God reveals Himself, wisdom, and His plan to us. The key, is that we have to choose to follow Him first.

Called to Action

If you make a decision, but you never act on it, what good is it? God gave us a law. If we are truly following Him, if we have truly surrendered to His Will, we will also do our best to follow this law. The Israelites often confused this concept by thinking that if the just did what God had specified in the law, they were doing good. However, just because you do what someone says doesn't mean you love or respect them. Obedience can also come from fear or habit. The key thing to remember is that we are compelled to follow the law because we love God, however following the law is not a means of salvation and is not the starting point of our relationship with Him.

Fear

Many times, when we are doing right, the people around us will try to discourage us. In a moment of peer pressure, we often deny Christ and the Father to appease a human. Peter did this when He denied Christ. God asks us think about why we afraid of people? They do not have power over their own lives and die just like us. Therefore their thoughts and opinions should have no power over us.

Endtime Prophecy

In Isaiah 51:6, Isaiah prophesies that Heaven and Earth will be demolished and rebuilt during the final judgment. During this time, all who did not follow the Lord will perish. This prophecy is echoed in the New Testament (2 Peter 3:10-13 and Revelation 21:1).

Awakening

God makes a plea for Israel to wake up. It is time for them to return to our Father, to open our ears and heart. The devision to follow should always be followed with the action of following. This consists of opening our hears and eyes, just as Isaiah did. If we don't, we suffer the same fate as the pagan nations.

The Suffering Servant

If you weren't sure that Jesus is the Messiah, Isaiah 53 is the scripture you need to read. I have read that this chapter is intentionally glossed over or "forbidden" in Jewish synagogues for exactly this reason.[4]

Isaiah prophesies about a suffering servant, the prophecy really begins at the end of Isaiah 52, where we are told that this person would become disfigured for us. The disfiguring Isaiah references is the punishment Jesus endured before and on the cross. As we continue into Isaiah 53, we learn that despite suffering for us, people would reject him (obviously fulfilled both by the Jews rejecting Him and choosing to crucify Him, as well as the continued rejection of His gift by people throughout time). Isaiah tells us that the Messiah would be brought to "slaughter like a lamb" indicating that he understood that the purpose of this sacrifice was to fulfill the required sacrifices once and for all. Take note that while God is pleased with the suffering of the Messiah, it is not because He enjoys seeing the Messiah suffer. God is pleased because this suffering allows Him to intercede for all of God's children. It is only though His suffering that the rest of us can ever be reunited with God. It is also through Him that Satan will eventually be defeated. This is what pleases God.

The Deception

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good,Isaiah 55:2 KJV

The business model of the world matches the battle plan of Satan: create a problem that doesn't exist and sell the solution. If you were around in the early 2000s, you remember black and white flip phones that barely had the ability to text. Of course, if you grew up during my parent's era, you remember when we didn't have cell phones at all. If you grew up in my grandparents' era, you remember when phones were a luxury. If you grew up before then, you would remember when phoned didn't exist. For the majority of our existence, people lived just fine without them. Now, kids are getting them at 5 and 6 years old! People have been convinced that a child needs a $400 - $1000 object. How? Why?

In the beginning of Isaiah 55, it is point out that we chase things that don't benefit us. We spend money on things that are not in our best interest, and work hard for things the world tells us we need, but they don't fill the empty void that is meant to be filled with God. We will work extra hours to have extra money to see the latest concert or movie, to buy the latest trends, etc., but we don't invest that money in God's people— remember the bread is His body; God's body is the Church (1 Corinthians 12:12–14) and we aren't investing in the people of the church. I don't mean building funds and jet planes for pastors. I mean supporting single parents. I mean supporting the poor. I mean taking care of the elderly. Consume the Bread of Life (the Word of God) and actively engaging in the work of God is what will satisfy our soul. The things of this world only bring us distraction. They keep us busy, but we never find that contentment that God has for us.

A Futile Effort

Isaiah 55 follows the famous quote "no weapon formed against you shall prosper." Even though it's the last verse of Isaiah 54, it summarizes the whole of both chapters' point. God has made a covenant with His people so for as long as we have (be it our death or the death of this world), we can seek Him out. However, we see in God's call to seek Him while He can be found that this timeline is finite; there will come a point where we've lost our chance (because we're dead, or the judgement has arrived). Once we seek Him out, we're on the winning side. God will stand for His people, and He is the creator of even the smallest molecules men use to build weapons. There is nothing a man can create that does not have to obey God first. Thus, the only power our enemies have over us is convincing us not to rely on God.

God's Thoughts and Ways

The end of Isaiah 55 could easily be paired with the concept of growing from thinking and speaking like a child, to thinking and speaking as an adult. It is a reminder that although we grow up and learn more, we can't fully comprehend God. My dad has a saying about understanding crazy people; he said if you can understand the thought process of serial killers, or racists, or whomever, that means you think like them and you're crazy too. You have to be tuned in to the same frequency to understand and empathize with those feelings. Similarly, if any of us could fully comprehend God, we'd have to be God.

I used to wonder if sin was the culprit of why we can't understand. After all, sin is a degenerative disease. However, when I started thinking about the angels, I realized that they must not be able to fully comprehend God either. If so, Lucifer never would have rebelled. He would have understood the perfect order God created and abided in it. Not only that, but other angels wouldn't have sided with him. It proves that like us, they only know so much.

God's Word is Never Void: A Sign

¹¹So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
¹²For ye shall go out with joy,
and be led forth with peace:
the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree,
and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree:
and it shall be to the Lord for a name,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.Isaiah 55:11-13 KJV

God's Word is powerful. Unlike us, He doesn't say things casually or without thought, so everything He tells us will come to pass. This is great news for those who surrender to Him and horrible news for those who rebel.

I spent quite a while on this particular passage, trying to figure out what the everlasting sign would be. Some commentators suggest a bountiful Earth, some suggested fertility, and others suggested the actual Word of God.[8] I can see how all three of these are possible, and actually are intertwined. To have high fertility rates, the people must be eating well and consuming the proper nutrients, therefore the Earth must be bountiful. The only way for the Earth to be bountiful is that the people have found favor in the eyes of God, and that will only happen when we surrender to His Word.

Preservation of Justice

God's people will have God's desire for justice. This means that in a kingdom that truly serves Him, the people in charge will actively seek justice. They will not be taking advantage of people, or favoring this group over that group. God's people will do the best they can to wield honest, appropriate, and merciful judgements so that justice prevails.

Sabbath

In Isaiah 56:6 brings the attention of the Israelites to the importance of keeping the Sabbath without defiling it. Note that there were two types of Sabbaths prescribed by God. The original Sabbath (referred to as the Sabbath) was instituted in the very beginning, to end the creation week. After the fall and when God established Israel, He instituted holy days (where we get thee word holiday), some of which were to be observed in the same manner as the Sabbath. These became knows as sabbaths or sabbath days (plural). Because God is referred to a singular Sabbath, we know He is referencing the one from creation.

Saved Against the Odds

The Israelites, as well as modern Christians, are quick to judge who can and can't be saved, but that judgement is reserved for God. In Isaiah 56, we see God explicitly make provisions for the salvation of two groups of people you wouldn't expect: foreigners and eunuchs.

Foreigners

The Israelites are God's chosen people, everybody else (at the time) was pagan. The Israelites were constantly told to set themselves apart and not to intermarry with these people. So it's easy to develop the opinion that those people were hopeless and unable to gain salvation. However, that was never the case. From the beginning, anyone who was willing to submit to God, could join Israel and become part of God's people. In Isaiah 56, God reiterates this point. Today, we should remember that "foreigner" can apply to people of the same nationality and/or race, but of a different religion. We have to remember that all it takes it repentance and submission to God for a person to be saved, regardless of their background.

Eunuchs

Eunuchs were men who had been castrated. Since this would be considered a deformity, it was regarded as unclean in Israel; thus, eunuchs were not well received. The Israelites would have been shocked to hear this message.

I've seen many quote this verse along with Matthew 19:12 to support the LGBT community, so I want to take a deeper look.[7] Matthew 19:12 identifies 3 types of eunuchs: those who were forcefully castrated, those who were born that way, and those who chose to be.

The reason men were forcefully castrated was—aside from being a grotesque show of power—to provide "trustworthy" protection for the queen and concubines of the king.[5] The women (and children) required guards, but an able bodied solider was a threat to the king. Remember, these marriages were not based on love and most kings had many wives, so there was plenty of spare time for the wives to get distracted. Also, since DNA testing wasn't a thing back then (that we know of), the king would have felt obligated to protect the throne from illegitimate heirs. So, to ensure that soldiers tasked with keeping the women safe did not betray the king by sleeping with the women, the king had them castrated. Note, this didn't mean that the men became women and/or began living their lives as women. It also doesn't mean they were gay.

The men who were "born that way" were men who were born with out a penis; this condition is called Penile Agenesis. They still have a male physiology and are considered men, they are just unable to have sex.[6] Once again, there is no Biblical or historical evidence that these men behaved as women or engaged in homosexual relationships. (In fact, they would have had the same dilemma in trying to have a homosexual relationship as they would having a heterosexual one).

The final group of eunuchs mentioned in Matthew 19:12 are those who chose that life. These men were not born that way, nor were they forced into the predicament. Because the passage in Matthew 19:12 is talking about marriage, I don't think it's meant that the literally disfigured themselves, but rather they chose not to get married—like Paul. If anything these men would have been considered asexual.

Were there gay or transgender eunuchs? I don't know. However, the word eunuch does not mean gay or transgender.

References

1. 365 Messianic Prophecies". Bible Probe; visited May 2019
2. "Sinim, Land Of. Bible Study Tools; visited May 2019
3. "When Jesus was nailed to the cross, did the nails go through His hands or His wrists?". GotQuestions.org; visited May 2019
4. "Forbidden Chapter of the Tanakh". Jewish Voice. June 2, 2016
5. "Eunuch". Encyclopædia Britannica. February 11, 2019
6. Aeron Charline. "Penile Agenesis and Testicular Agenesis". October 25, 2011
7. Matt Slick. "In Matthew 19:12, is being born as a eunuch a support for homosexuality?". Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry; visited May 2019
8. "Isaiah 55:13". Bible Hub; visited May 2019

Isaiah 40-48: The Purpose of Peace

Isaiah 40 marks a change in direction for the book of Isaiah. Starting here we really get into prophecy and the plan God has for His people. When I first saw my study Bible group the following 8 chapters as "The Purpose of Peace," I was expecting something very different. Now that I've finished all 8 chapters, I understand the purpose of peace.

Introduction

Isaiah 40 marks a shift in the book. Whereas the beginning of the book talks mostly about judgement, the latter portion speaks of Gods plan for Israel, all centered around peace. The latter section can be divided into three sections, and Isaiah 40-48 cover the first of those sections. These chapters talk about the purpose of peace. From a basic standpoint, I think we all know that peace brings in comfort. From a spiritual standpoint, peace ends the war Satan started. Also, peace, being synonymous with the Messiah (the Prince of Peace), also brings us the Comforter a.k.a. the Holy Spirit (James 14:16).

Prepare the Way

Unsplash.com/Tim Swann

Isaiah 40:3-4 speak of someone who will prepare the way through the wilderness for God's return to the people. Like many prophecies in the Bible it actually has two fulfillments. The first was the return of the Israelites after they had been in captivity. The ultimate fulfillment, however, was the task of John the Baptist, who prepared the way fo Jesus, the Messiah (Mark 1:2-3). This prophecy is also echoed in Malachi 3:1.

There is also symbolism in this prophecy. The wilderness represents the journey, or the path from being lost to being saved. Remember the initial encounter with the wilderness is when the Israelites are fleeing Egypt in search of the Promised Land. Similarly, when Jesus came, many people we enslaved by the additional laws the Pharisees had implemented; they were lost. John the Baptist opened the door to their hearts, reminding them that God is a forgiving God whom we can go back to if we just repent. This opened the hearts of many to be ready to hear what Jesus had to say, thus leading to salvation.

The Awesomeness of God

Think about the world today. There is so much discord and confusion, the thought of world peace is a joke. It seems like an impossible task. Well, the first 17 verses of Isaiah reminding us just how awesome and powerful God is. God has already done the impossible, so there's no reason He can't do it again. God created our world in peace, and desires to bring us back to the state of His original design.

Idols

The reason we have trouble in this world is because we have replaced God. It's that simple. The root of every sin is choosing to listen to someone other than God, placing someone or something above God, and thus usurping (or aiding in the usurping of) God's authority. Idol worship was a major problem for the Israelites.Whole chapters in Isaiah 40-48 are dedicated to discussing the issue of idolatry so we know God wasn't/isn't taking this issue lightly. God basically asks the Israelites how they can associate these man made idols with God, whom we can't fully comprehend. We can't sketch out what He looks like, or confine Him to some sculpture. No matter how much the cost of the materials, no matter how skilled the artist, we can't replicate God.

Furthermore, the things we create are powerless. As people, we like tangible things; things we can touch and feel. People who mock believers often refer to God as an "invisible man in the sky" (which of course shows that they don't understand that God is not a man and is not only in the sky, but is everywhere). God has ultimate power, be we have a hard time leaving everything up to someone we can't see—let's face it, many of us have trouble trusting people we interact with every day. When we read passages like the one presented in Isaiah 40:18-24, it's easy to think of worshiping pagan gods and excuse ourselves. However, there is a lot of idolatry in the modern Church. Be it the act of bestowing power to physical objects or idolizing people.

Growing up my grandmother used to tell me if I slept with a Bible under my pillow it would keep away nightmares, and my mom thinks a Bible has to be the first thing carried into a new home. Both of these superstitions are imbuing the physical book with power, when really the power comes from knowing what's inside the book, knowing Who's inside the book. Similarly, people think a crucifix can ward off evil spirit, we see this in movies all the time. Others think the church is a holy building and it is more safe than a regular building. However, none of these things have any power of their own. Power always comes from God, so even we have to be careful about giving power to objects and people in our lives.

Strength

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.Isaiah 40:31 KJV

Chaos and confusion wear you out. Have you ever had that moment when you have too many things to do and instead of tackling an issue, you just feel tired and overwhelmed? Peace is the opposite of that. When you have peace, you are worried about outcomes and you aren't exhausted by the things happening around you. This why along with peace, God gives us strength. Isaiah 40:31 is a popularly quoted verse that reminds us of the strength we find in God when we follow Him. This verse is the source of Fred Hammond's "They That Wait"[1]

The Infinite Nature of God

In the beginning of Isaiah, God makes the point that He has been around forever. His main point is that He raised up the righteous man (Abraham), but in doing so He talks about the land being witness to all of His actions. He reminds us that He is the First and the Last (the Alpha (Α) and the Omega (Ω)—or in Hebrew, the Alef (א) and the Taw (ת)).

The isles spoken of in these verses, while easily associated with the Earth itself as mentioned above, can have a symbolic meaning as well. The isles are where the Gentiles were (Genesis 10:5, thus the isles could also reference Gentile nations.

The World Encourages Sin

Isaiah 41:6-7 is particularly interesting. Out of context it sounds like workers encouraging each other and lifting each other up, which is a good thing. However, when read in context, adding a few verses before and after, it seems that the people encouraging each other are those apposed to Israel. Many commentaries agree, considering the isles to be pagan nations. When looking at the verses from this point of view, the verses are actually talking about how people come together to support sin. In a world covered in peace, people would support each other because there would be no need to fear each other's success or actions, however, when we encourage sin, we push the world further away from sin.

The majority usually rallies around false doctrine and sinful ways. Take the Biblical example of Lot; the entire community was there requesting to rape the men. They were encouraging each other to do wrong (Genesis 19). Similarly, when Amnon desired his sister Tamar, his friend encouraged him as well (2 Samuel 13). The nation of Israel&mash;God's people—are supposed to be set apart from this behavior. Israel was chosen to lead the world to salvation, re: discourage sin. This point is further discussed in Isaiah 42 where Israel is said to be the light for the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6).

Persecution

Persecution isn't what you'd expect to talk about when talking about peace, but before we get to a state of absolute peace, the war has to be fought and won, which means God's people have to be persecuted. When the pagan nations are coming together to support each other, those who are standing firm for God will feel alone. However, God tells us to fear not. God promises Israel that He will be there strength, that He will fight the war, and that there is nothing to worry about. It is important to remember that in this, God is not saying the war won't happen or that there won't be obstacles. Rather, He is saying that in the face of those obstacles, He promises to take care of everything. So even though persecution is the opposite of peace, God is giving us peace in those situations by taking away the need to worry.

The God of the Poor

If there's one thing you can't miss reading the Bible, it's that God will provide for the poor. God promises to hear the cries of the poor and provide for them, whether it's food or water. Again, this can be taken literally or spiritually. There are people who are literally poor; they literally have nothing to eat or drink. However, there are also people who are spiritually poor; they have not been exposed to the Word of God and are in need of the Spirit—remember Jesus calls Himself the Living Water (John 4:10) and the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

Prophecy About Cyrus

While reiterating the point that idols are worthless, Isaiah prophesies about a man that is to come from both the north and the east. This man was to be a great conquerer, stomping over kingdoms. Upon first reading this passage I was a bit confused because I could see how this person is tied to the abomination of idolatry, but it also says that this person called on the name of God and is good news for Israel. After reading the commentary in my study Bible, it made more sense. This prophecy is identified with Cyrus of Persia. Cyrus was a pagan, but he also is the one who issued the decree allowing the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.

God always provides a way home, though it may not be an easy road. For Cyrus to come into power, battles were fought, people died. However, his rise to power is what allowed the Israelites another chance at their relationship with God. Similarly, for us to have a second chance with God, Jesus had to die for our sins. In general, there will be times when things will have to get worse to get better. Unfortunately, peace comes with a price. Fortunately, Jesus paid our fare, so as long as we stick with Him, we will reap the benefits.

Prophecy About Jesus

One of the most icon moments from the New Testament is when Jesus is Baptized; God makes the declaration that He is proud of His son (Matthew 3:17). That declaration is prophesied in Isaiah 42:1-4.

Gentiles Receive the Law

In Isaiah 42:4, it is prophesied that the "isles" will receive the law. These isles, as we've discussed could represent the Gentiles. During Isaiah's time, it would be unheard of for the Gentiles to adopt the Law of God or to commune with God at all. However, just as prophecy predicted, after the crucifixion of Christ, the Word of God spread rapidly through the Gentiles.

Fire That Doesn't Burn

Unsplash.com/Nathan Lindahl

Isaiah 43:2 talks about how fire doesn't burn those who are under God's protection. As always there are two ways to interpret this: figuratively and literally.

Figuratively

You know the saying "Jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire"? It symbolizes tough situations as fire. Similarly, when God says that His people can walk through the fire unscathed, He means that He will protect us through hard situations. Once we get through the fire, only the lessons we've learned and the growth we've managed will come with us; there won't be any scars or bruises.

Literally

It makes no sense that you could light someone on fire and the person not burn, however the Bible shows us an example that proves this is possible. When Moses is in Midian, his introduction to God is through the burning bush, a bush that is on fire but does not burn! Here is something interesting to consider when thinking about the literal concept of being untouched by fire. God is light. He shows Himself as fire all the time and when He will come back as fire. However, those who are with Him will not die in that fire because we will have taken on His nature and will be covered by Christ.

Creating Evil

A verse that often trips people up is Isaiah 45:7. In this verse God says that He created light and darkness, peace and evil. One of the most popular questions people have is why did God create evil, and this verse seems to perpetuate the idea. As always though, every verse has to be taken in the context of the whole Bible—precept upon precept (Isaiah 28:10). So, what stands out? In the beginning, the earth was already dark (Genesis 1:1-2). God created light to counter the darkness. The darkness we see today is because God allowed a time for darkness, not because He created it. Darkness is merely the absence of light; it is a state of nothingness.

Now let's apply our understanding of light and dark to peace and evil. Peace is what we have when we are full of the Holy Spirit. It is what we wouldn't have if the world had chosen God over Satan. Evil is what comes of sin and choosing not to follow God. In giving us freedom of choice, God is allowing evil to occur. It isn't that He desired atrocities to occur in His creation. Once again, evil is the absence of God's light; it is a state of being devoid (of God). If you're wondering why He allows us to choose knowing the repercussions, there are two main reasons (that I know of): 1) if we didn't have the freedom to choose to follow God or not, He'd be a tyrant and 2) you can't force someone to love you.

The Virgin Daughter of Babylon

I've heard of the Whore of Babylon and her daughters, but Isaiah 47 introduces the virgin daughter of Babylon, which is a stark contrast. While virginity is usually used to symbolize purity and innocence, some commentaries state that in this case it means unconquered, while others suggest it does not mean unconquered.[2] Sufficiently confused? Me too.

So I went digging for more information. One believer suggested that the reason Babylon is likened to a virgin is because they have hidden sins.[3] While I don't necessarily follow that logic, it did lead me to think Babylon pre-captivity and post-captivity. Pardon the crudeness, but every "whore" has a beginning. People, nations, ideas, etc. usually start with benign intentions. Remember, during Isaiah's times, Babylon hadn't taken the Israelites into captivity yet, they were still developing into the nation that would forever be associated with opposition to God.

Lying to Yourself

The people were thought no one else would know about the sins they committed and therefore they could go on forever the way they were. However, God promised to bring about judgment and invoke consequences for their actions. There are many sins that fall easily into this category. We think no one will know, and what's more, it might even seem like it doesn't hurt anyone, but God knows and it's hurting us.

Cultural Christians

In Isaiah 48:1, God addresses those who associate themselves with Him and the Israelites but don't adhere to righteousness.

It makes sense that there are cultural Jews, because "Israelite" refers to a lineage. Anyone who descends from Jacob (later called Israel) is an Israelite. That doesn't mean they are walking with God. However, in today's society, people refer to themselves as "cultural Christians." Christianity isn't a lineage or a birth right. Despite what some people teach, you cannot be born a Christian—you can be born into a Christian family, but that doesn't make you Christian. You have to choose Christ to be a Christian, which means you have to be a believer to wear the moniker. However, history repeats itself. God warned the Israelites who wanted to be associated with God without having a relationship with God, and we should be wary of claiming Christ without the relationship as well.

The Glow Up

God says we are refined by affliction, not sliver. Culturally, we talk about the #glowup and it usually references material change—whether it be better style, new hair or skin routines, correction of our teeth, etc. it usually focuses on our physical appearance. But the true #glowup occurs in the heart and that change is forged through trials and tribulations. In order to become the people we are meant to be, we have to trust God to lead us through situations, and we have to grow in each situation. Think of it like this, no one learned to walk without falling.

Fulfillment

Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.Isaiah 48:19 KJV

In Genesis 22:17, God promises Abraham that his lineage will be as numerous as the sand. In Isaiah 48:19, Isaiah points out that Israel has already fulfilled that promise. When God promised to make Abraham's seed numerous, I don't think He meant literally the number of grains of sand or stars burning, but used these examples as hyperbole. When you consider that the Israelites, Edomites, and Ishmaelite (Arabs) were all the seed of Abraham, it's easy to see this fulfillment.

No Peace For the Wicked

Because peace comes from YHWH, and is intrinsically tied to following His commands, peace doesn't exist for those who do not follow His commands. One thing I've noticed as I've gotten older is that His laws are an absolute truth. Our world has it's own set of problems, so even if you could follow His commands to the letter of law, you'd probably suffer the consequences of other people's inability to do so, however, by deliberately not following His commands, you place yourself in a position to take on much more stress and anxiety.

In school, I watched friends sleep around then fret over both pregnancy and STD scares. They lost a lot of their peace of mind worrying about the guy (or girl), pregnancy, and STDs, while I and my friends who listened to God's call for abstinence were not worried about these things. If you stop and think about it, I'm sure you can think of countless situations where just following God's commands will give you peace of mind. (If you can't think of any thing, drop a comment below and we'll talk).

The Purpose of Peace

Reading through the chapters, peace isn't explicitly mentioned. As I was studying these chapters, I constantly wondered why the commentary in my study Bible referred to this group of chapters as "The Purpose of Peace." However, as I studied the last chapter, it finally dawned on me: the purpose of peace is to prove YHWH as the true God. No one else can achieve true and lasting peace.

God gives us prophecy from the very beginning so that when things happen, we can know that it was Him who did it. This identifies Him as the one true God because no one else can do that. Idols can't accurately predict the future; they may luck out and get one or two predictions right (like a meteorologist), but they won't be right all the time.

Have you ever seen Inception? In the movie, people carry "totems," objects that can tell them whether they're awake or asleep. The need for this stems from how real the dream world has become. Similarly, once Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, our sinful world has become so normal, we have a hard time remembering it's not normal. Peace is our indicator of God's presence!

References

1. Fred Hammond. "They That Wait". YouTube; visited May 2019
2. "Isaiah 47:1 Commentary". Bible Hub; visited May 2019
3. Beth. "Virgin Daughter of Babylon". Highway to Holiness. February 23, 2013

The LORD is Peace

One of the names of God is "The LORD is Peace." It's such an obvious name, but it only occurs once in the Bible. Let's look at that instance and see how it applies to us today.

Season 1 Episode K

²³But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” ²⁴So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites today.Judges 6:23-24 CSB

00:01:10	Welcome back to the PSALMS to God podcast. So today I wanted to get back to talking about the names of God. I love learning about the names of God because I feel like it helps me to connect more to God's character and to understand who He is, which is really important in our relationship with God and our walk with Him. So, today’s name is Jehovah Shalom or Yahweh Shalom if you prefer to pronounce God's name as Yahweh. Either way I guess would be acceptable, since we don't actually know how to pronounce this word. I've talked about that in a previous podcasts, so I won't really dwell on that point.
00:01:52	This name translates to “The Lord is Peace,” and if you've been following along then you know we've been talking about peace. I did an episode on a Fruit of the Spirit that's peace not too long ago, and so this name just kind of ties in with that, and with the concept that you cannot have peace without knowing God and without getting it from God, because He's the source of peace. So, I think it's interesting because it's one of the names that, you know, I kind of knew. I kind of expected. I mean you're always saying, you know, that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. So it makes sense that the Lord is peace and that that would be a name for God…
00:02:38	But the actual phrasing “The Lord is Peace” or the actual phrasing Jehovah Shalom—shalom, I don't know why I'm pronouncing this weird—it’s only found in the Bible once, and that is in Judges 6:24. So, I'm going to go there really quick, and I wanted to look at this. I think it’s really interesting, because right before we get the verse where we actually see God being called The Lord is Peace, we get kind of the context of what’s leading up to this. And this is, Israel is about to go to battle. Gideon, who is one of the judges, is leading the army. They're all kind of freaked out, as always. You know the Israelites, they was a little short on faith. They didn't always think that they was going to get through things, even though God was telling them they were going to get through things.
00:03:42	So, if you begin reading from a little bit before where this name is actually declared, you'll see that Gideon was preparing for this battle, and all of a sudden an angel from God, the Angel of the Lord, specifically—I should do an episode on the Angel of the Lord... Sorry, sidenote, we'll come back to that. Anyway, the Angel of Lord, just know that is very specific Angel and a very special angel, comes and delivers a message to Gideon. And when the message is finished, Gideon realizes who it is that he has encountered, and he is like freaking out. OK, ‘cause we all know that when you come into contact with Spiritual Beings, particularly the Angel of the Lord or God, you know, no one just sees… You can’t just see God's face and live, right? This, this... You should be very overwhelmed if you get the pleasure of interacting with God or one of God's angels up close, and that's how Gideon was, but he was also afraid for his life. Just like Isaiah, when he first came in the presence of God. You know he felt unworthy and he bowed down. And it is kind of the same thing, where you just know that you're not you're not in the same sphere. You're not supposed to be there. You’re not worthy of being there.
00:05:06	So Gideon is freaking out and the angel of the Lord says to Gideon, “peace to you.” So basically he's saying like “I come in peace. Don't worry. Don't be afraid,” and then it is after that that Gideon decides to name the place that he at. He builds an altar to God, and then he names this altar The Lord is Peace. And so the combination thing, that you know obviously he was not injured or harmed by God when he had this interaction, but also that God was promising prosperity in the sense of peace amongst the Israelites. And he took them to that battle to make them successful, and that's very important.
00:05:52	Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Cole Keister I think it's interesting that's like I said that's the only place where this name is mentioned, because you know God went to battle for the Israelites all the time. But I think it important to remember it stands out. Everyday, we go through our own battles—spiritual battles, physical battles... The world is not an easy place to live in. And peace is definitely not prevalent. It does not grow on a tree. If it did, we are in a drought and that tree is extinct. It is very hard to maintain peace in the society that we live in, and I think remembering and reflecting on the fact that Gideon had this encounter with this Presence and then chose to name this place after the peace that God has bestowed upon Him is something to remember in our personal lives. That's the kind of experiences we want.
00:06:51	In the midst of this battle. In the midst of the war that's raging in your life, what we want is for the spirit of God to come in and to be like, “Don't worry. I got this,” “Peace,” “Be calm,” and “I'm here.” And that is exactly what God does, if you let him. When we get into these situations, we have to know to call on that name: Jehovah Shalom. So, as you say your prayers this week, as you go through your trials and tribulations, remember this name: Jehovah Shalom, The Lord is Peace. Take Him with you everywhere you go, and tap into that peace.
00:07:41	Thank you guys for listening in. I hope that you will continue. Don't forget to subscribe. You can find a transcript for this particular episode at www.psalmstogod.com/TheLordIsPeace. See you next time.

Footnotes and References

1. "Name of God". Blue Letter Bible; visited April 2019
2. "Jehovah Shalom". Bible Study Tools; visited April 2019

Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

Peace may be the least discussed most desirable goal in our society. People often express goals of joy (or happiness) and love, but when is the last time you heard someone talk about their desire for peace?

Introduction

This month, the Fruit of the Spirit I discussed on the podcast with a friend was peace. Peace may be the least discussed most desirable goal in our society. People often express goals of joy (or happiness) and love, but when is the last time you heard someone talk about their desire for peace? Of course when you really stop to think about it, peace is a central component in our desire for all other things. How can you have joy without peace? How can you have love with out peace? Sarah and I discussed quite bit about peace in the podcast episode, but there was so much more that I had to do this blog post, as well!

Photocredit: Unsplash/Javardh

The Biblical Definition

In the episode, I talked about the original Greek and Hebrew words that are translated to peace in the English Bible, but I didn't really dive into how context clues in the Bible define peace. Perceptions and connotations of words can change over time and across cultures, so its always good to look at how the authors used the word throughout the Bible to get a better idea of it's true meaning.

Antonym: Disorder

In 1 Corinthians 14:33, Paul juxtaposes peace with disorder or confusion by informing us that God is a God of peace, not disorder. This means that disorder is not an attribute of peace. This makes sense if you've ever been in a situation where there is a lot of confusion; this type of disorder causes stress, which is the opposite of peace.

Antonym: Division

If peace describes a time when there is no war, it shouldn't be surprising that the Bible describes division as the opposite of peace, which implicitly means peace is synonymous with unity. In Luke 12:51, Jesus says He didn't come to bring peace, but to bring division, confirming the idea that division is the opposite of peace. We could veer off into a tangent about how the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) came to bring division instead of peace, but I'll save that for another post. Let's stick to the contrast of peace and division. If people are divided (re: not united), the best case scenario is that there is no forward progression, however the worst case scenario is that people begin to attack each other over their differences. God makes it clear that may of the factors people use today to classify people are not Biblically sound. We use these man-made classifications to divide ourselves and thus eliminate peace from our society.

Synonym: Safety

We can also use the different versions of the English translation to see what peace actually means. I quickly discovered that while some translators use peace, others preferred safety for the same word. Genesis 28:21 KJV versus Genesis 28:21 CSB illustrate this very point. In the podcast we touched on peace being related to a sense of safety. The most obvious definition of peace is "not at war," which harkens back to safety. It is impossible to feel peace if you feel unsafe. When you feel unsafe, your guard is up, your instincts are on overdrive, and there is a lack of trust in the people or situation before you. Safety is something you can partially control, but it's also something you can have no control over. We can do our best to sever ties with unsafe people, locations, and situations, but sometimes those situations are unavoidable. The best we can do is remember that we are always safe in Christ, regardless of the outcomes in this world, and let that be our peace.

Synonym: Fellowship

As I continued comparing translations, I realized that the CSB translates "peace offering" to "fellowship offering" throughout the pentateuch. Now this is something that threw me for a loop. Fellowship is the coming together of friends or community. While the word brings to mind joy, comfort, and even safety, it didn't register as peace in my mind at first. Sarah mentioned a common thread that the way to maintain peace is through relationships. Peace offerings, specifically, were offerings meant for reconciliation with God. This combines many of the ideas we've already broken out. Reconciliation eliminates division, creating unity. Since God is our King and the reason why we are reconciling with Him is that we have rebelled , reconciliation means replacing the disorder and chaos of rebellion with the order of God's law. In doing these things, we elect to have God as our protector, our commander in chief. With God fighting our battles, we are always safe. The best part is that after we have reconciled with God, we can enter into fellowship with Him. We can then build a relationship that allows us to cultivate permanent peace.

The Armor of God

The armor of God is talked about often in the church. As Christians, we're supposed to dress ourselves in this everyday as protection against the enemy. Part of that armor includes sandals of peace (Ephesians 6:15). Why peace is associated with sandals and the feet is not specified, but I have some theories. In order to make peace with something (or someone), you have to move forward. Peace requires forward thinking, letting go of the past, and imagining a better future. Also, we are supposed to spread the gospel (which in turn spreads peace), and this requires motion on our part. Another angle, is that shoes protect the feet from the harshness of the ground and provide stability. Whether it's grip in slick terrains, cushion on rocky surfaces, temperature regulation, etc., shoes enable us walk with more ease on otherwise difficult landscapes. Similarly, peace allows us to navigate difficult situations more easily.

Pursing Peace

In the last section, I talked about the need to move to obtain peace. Romans 14:19 tells us that we have to pursue peace. That means peace isn't just something we can happen upon. Like love and joy, we have to actively cultivate it. Peace isn't just a feeling that comes and goes as it pleases, we have choose peace, whether that's cutting stressful people/situations out of our life or redirecting our attention. This may be one of the most important things to remember about this Fruit of the Spirit.

References

1. Shalom". My Jewish Learning; visited April 2019
2. What is the meaning of the Hebrew word shalom?". GotQuestions.org; visited April 2019

Waves

The waves crash around me
Forcefully tugging me forward
Spitting me out
     As though I have no place here
The strength of the water's fury,
     The sound of water crashing on water
     The still of the air around me,
It's a strange calm...
A strange sense of home—

Take a deep breath
The waves crash over my head.

Fruit of the Spirit: Peace featuring Sarah

Peace is hard to come by in a world of violence, but we're all seeking it anyway. Sarah and I talk about what we've learned about peace through the ups, downs, and zig-zags of life.

Season 1 Episode 15

The result of righteousness will be peace;
the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.Isaiah 32:17 CSB

Time
00:01:03	Ree:	Hey guys. Welcome back to the PSALMS to God podcast. So, today we're back to the fruit of the spirit and we're talking about peace. So I asked my friend, Sarah, to come on and talk to me. We met in college, and we're in the same sorority—she's my sorority sister. I feel like Sarah's probably been around me for like the craziest part of my life, and we've never actually really talked about peace, so I thought it would be a great conversation. So hey Sarah!
00:01:00	Sarah:	Hi. So yeah, when you asked what peace was, I was like I have no idea.
00:01:42	R+S:	😂
00:01:45	S:	Especially when it feels like in my life right now I have no idea what peace is. But then when I sat down and like really thought about it, I thought of peace as more of a feeling and a mental state of mind. You know what I mean?
00:02:02	R:	Yeah.[1] I realized like when I got getting ready to do this episode, and I was like okay the next episode is going to be on peace. I realized like I don't think I've ever had a conversation with anybody about peace. I don't think I've ever just sat down and been like "what is peace?"
00:02:19	S:	Yeah. So, I don't know; I guess I just associate it with a feeling. Because everything can be wrong or going wrong in your life, whether it's like financially, or if you're feeling overwhelmed at school, or if you're in like a terrible relationship, but a moment can make you feel at peace—whether it's like a hug or like a great conversation or like being with family or going on a vacation. I don't know. Those are things I associate with peace because they just makes me feel like I have some like calmness and I'm relaxed. and I'm maybe not thinking of those things that stress me out.
00:03:05	R:	Yeah I definitely think getting rid of stressors. Hugs—I love hugs. I don't know, there's something about a hug from like a friend or like a family member or somebody that you just know that like cares about you can like suddenly make things go away. All of a sudden it doesn't matter that you just like flunked a test or that you made a fool of yourself in your front of your boss, or whatever. It's just like it's OK.
00:03:36	S:	Right. I agree. It's like 10 seconds—well, it depends on the person how long the hug is 'cause like some people you only want a half hug and other people you want the full hug 😂—but I'll say it's like 10 seconds of like a moment where you don't have to think about what's going wrong.
00:03:56	R:	Yes. Like a refocusing of your mind.
00:03:59	S:	Right.
00:04:01	R:	Yeah, I think it's been interesting because so far I've done love, I've done joy, and even coming into peace it seems like it's a conscious choice—like it's a feeling. Like all of these things are like feeling versus choice questions, but the more I dug into peace, it's kind of like re-situating your mind so that you're not focusing on like the negative, but like, you said, forgetting about whatever's happening. And that's kind of like a choice that you have to make to seek peace, right?[2]
00:04:41	S:	Right. Then I realized like peace and it's correlation with mental health.
00:04:49	R:	Yes!
00:04:50	S:	And that peace, even though we want it to just kind of like fall out of the sky, it takes a lot more work than you think.
00:05:01	R:	Definitely. I...I don't know. Like, there are times when, you know, people like "Oh, you just should like make that choice, and you should just decide to think positive, positively, or forget about it." And you know I'm awkward. You know I'm super awkward and I do things all the time and even I'm like "Shiree, don't think about it," and other people are probably not thinking about it, it just like replays over and over in my head. And it could just be like little things, like... I don't know like I walked into a wall in front of people.
00:05:44	S:	😂[3]
00:05:43	R:	And I'm like so bothered because I'm like "oh my gosh, these people think I'm an idiot!" And like I do things like that at work all the time, and I'm just like super wound up about like how the people around me are viewing whatever it is I've done. But I feel like it's my responsibility to like consciously stop thinking of it. But it's so hard
00:06:06	S:	Right, and what's crazy is like those little things like maybe in the moment, someone would be like "Oh my gosh, really?" and like maybe laugh a little bit. But like five seconds after that, theyforgot about it. We beat ourselves up about things—like how we are portrayed by others—when like half the time, they're thinking about how they're being portrayed by others, you know like they're not even worried about whatever we did, said, or even thinking about it. They're thinking about what stresses them out.
00:06:42	R:	Exactly! And it's...I don't know. It's so bizarre. Even as I get older and realize that like I still do it, I have to remind myself like they're not even paying you any attention.
00:06:54	S:	Right.
00:06:55	R:	I don't know. It was interesting. So I looked up the word "peace" and I started digging into like what it means. And I looked up the word in different languages and things like that. And I found out like some pretty cool things. So first I looked at the regular definition of "peace" in the dictionary,[4] and it talks about peace in the sense of like the absence of conflict, and I think once I read it, I was like "Oh yeah." Like...like a peace treaty or something; like that where we're not at war so there's peace, so to speak.
00:07:32	S:	Right.
00:07:33	R:	And like that kind of went down the path of like things about safety and security; which, I mean, in our society I feel like even though we may not be at war per sé, it's still hard to kind of feel peace, because we have so much going on. Like they just had the shooting in New Zealand.[5] Like it's hard to feel at peace when you know crazy people are out here doing heinous things. You know, and we have all of the things with like police brutality, and these things of course, take away from our sense of peace from a sense of like safety.
00:08:11	S:	Yeah.
00:08:13	R:	But as I kept digging, I looked up the Hebrew and the Greek words that are used like Biblically to mean peace. The Greek word—I don't know how to pronounce this so I'm probably butchering it, but it looks like something like "εἰρήνη" or something like that. And it seems to match like the English version of peace.[6] But when I got to the Hebrew version, there are like a couple of different versions of the word, but it's basically "shalom"[7][8][9][10] and on top of like what we already kind of discussed and what we generally think of peace meaning, it also means like completeness.
00:08:54	S:	Yeah.
00:08:56	S:	And that kind of blew my mind, because I never really thought of peace meeting like completeness. But then as I thought about it, I was like "oh yeah every time I'm not at peace with a situation or with a person, it's because there's something that's unresolved, or there's something that's lacking, or I want something and it's not there."
00:09:18	S:	Right. And I've witnessed people of Jewish faith like use that word, and say it to one another, as like a... I don't know. Like when they're leaving someone or when they're greeting someone. They say "shalom" and like I never thought that it was associated with peace, but as you said a sense of wholeness and that's like so beautiful. Like I don't know! I don't think I've ever said anything that's that deep to someone, and you know, it could be helpful in a way; if you really think to what it means.
00:10:02	R:	Right. Yeah they do, and I think they say something like... I think, well this is the English version, I think they say "peace be with you."[11] I think it's something like that, when they like greet people. And yeah that is really beautiful. Like we should start saying that in English.
00:10:19	R+S:	😂
00:10:22	S:	All the time. Ok, that's a little much but we can say "peace be with you" on the—I know like in Catholicism, in the middle of church, the priest always says, "Peace be with you," and you always say back "And always with you." So there's like a Christian link to that as well. So I guess we do that as Christians. We're not giving ourselves enough credit, here.
00:10:47	R:	😂. But yeah, it's like, I think it's really profound. And when I was listening to this video on like what this word means and they were talking about this like completeness,[12] I don't know. It just kind of made me re-evaluate my life, and try to like go back and think about when I felt like the most at peace. And I was shocked how much it mirrors like the idea of completeness, because I feel like—believe it or not—I feel like I was at the most peace when I was at college.
00:11:25	S:	I guess I can agree with that. But I think it's just you're surrounded by like so much like love and friendship, like constantly, and like so much support.
00:11:39	R:	Yeah, I felt like... In college, I felt like on the one hand like I was never really afraid to fail per sé—because I mean, obviously, I was afraid to like flunk out of school 'cause my parents would have killed me—but I felt like, I don't know, you feel like nothing bad is going to happen to you. And like I always... Like you guys were always there. I mean we all live in the same like area. There's always somebody, like when we would go to the dining hall, like there's always somebody to sit with. Like I was never really anxious about having people around me to like be comforting or anything. And even when I fail, like if I failed a test, chances are somebody else has failed a test that can be like I failed that test too. And so, it's just like everything kind of fits in. You feel like whole. And it wasn't until like maybe near the end of my senior year, where you start trying to figure out what you're going to do with your life, and you're just kind of like blindly walking, that suddenly I felt like peace just kind of went out the window.
00:12:50	S:	Yeah. I feel like peace went out the window when you have to take that stuff like into adulthood. With that comes more responsibility, and you find yourself more busy, or you have to relocate and those friends that were like so close like just a walkaway are now gone. And I don't know. I guess just like more responsibility is what makes you feel like your peace is gone.
00:13:18	R:	Yeah. I definitely... Like I'm always scared I'm going to forget to pay a bill or something and they're going to—
00:13:28	S:	😂They're going to turn your lights off?
00:13:30	R:	Yeah! No, I actually almost had this happen. So it took me awhile to figure out how to get my utility bill to be auto-drafted, and it just due at some like random date in the middle of the month. It's not due on the first or anything that's memorable. And so over the summer like I went home for a while, and I didn't check the mail before I left, so I was gone for like 2 weeks. I guess the bill came at that point, and I like forgot to pay it, and so I was like maybe like 2 weeks late paying my utility bill. And I got like the notice that if I didn't pay it by like a certain date they were going to cut my water off, and I was just like "oh my gosh! I'm failing. I'm so failing at this."
00:14:14	R+S:	😂
00:14:16	S:	That is not a failure at all. Like, and then I'm like I don't even have that much responsibility. Like there are some people our age that have children and whole families. I can't even manage my life like the way it is and don't have any of that.
00:14:38	R:	No. I have so much more of a respect for my parents now that I'm like, I don't know pseudo an adult. When I think about like when I was a kid... And like I remember when we were in school like my parents would always be like "Call me before you go somewhere. Call me when you get back." And you know, like if we went out somewhere, and we stayed out until like 2 or 3 in the morning,[13] you don't really want to call them at 3 in the morning. You're like "It's fine. I'll just call them whenever I get there," and they would be like so mad at me, because they didn't have peace of mind I was back in my dorm safe. And I did not get that in school. I was like just it cool, it's college, like I'm fine. But now that I'm an adult, I'm just like oh my goodness there so many crazy things happening in the world! How do people with kids deal with like just sending their kids to school?
00:15:38	S:	Right, even just sending them to school is like... And remembering like themselves, and like taking time for themselves whether they are like a mom or a dad. Like how important is the feeling of peace to like be maintained when you remember yourself? But you're a functioning human, too. Yes it's important for your kids to get everything they need, but how do you remember to take time out to relax your mind and do things that you like to do even. I don't know how they do it.
00:16:19	R:	I don't either. I cannot imagine. Like I get yeah... Keeping peace for like multiple people. Like if you have multiple kids, keeping the peace between the kids. Yeah that's mind-blowing.
00:16:39	S:	So I was reflecting on peace in the aspect, too, of trying to take peace away from yourself and give it to others. A lot of times I feel like we sacrifice our own peace so that others can have peace.
00:17:00	R:	Yeah I feel like I did that a lot more when I was younger.
00:17:05	S:	Really?
00:17:06	R:	Yeah. I...OK so I would say I went through this phase where I wanted to avoid conflict, because I had a really short temper in like middle school and high school, and then I have mellowed out by the time I got to college. At that point I think because I was trying not to have such a short temper, like I wanted other people to be OK. So if I thought that I said something that offended them, or whatever, I was like really quick to like apologize and try to like soothe it out and like make sure they were okay. I feel like that phase went on for while, and then I don't know. Somebody just made me mad, and I was like "You know what? No. You just gon' have to be mad!" 😂 And then... And I think I king of snapped me out of it a little bit, but sometimes I still find myself, you know, not saying necessarily what I want to say because I'm afraid that it's going to like rock the boat with the other person.
00:18:07	S:	Yeah. It's still important to say what you feel, but I understand that like sometimes you have to have a filter.
00:18:16	R:	Yeah. Filters are important, and not just on Instagram.
00:18:19	R+S:	😂
00:18:22	S:	Not just on your selfies.
00:18:25	R:	Yeah. 😂
00:18:27	S:	But sometimes I feel like we may filter ourselves too much. Sometimes I don't think I stand up for myself the way I should, and maybe I would be more at peace if I could really say how I felt in a moment. You know?
00:18:40	R:	Yeah. Yeah, I think... Have you ever had like the conversation replays? Where, like just that. Where it's like in the moment you didn't say something, but then you replay that conversation over and over about what you should have said or what you wish you had said.
00:19:01	S:	Yup. All the time.
00:19:27	R:	I feel like that's where a lot of my like grudges come in. And most of the time it's with people that I felt like I didn't have a right to say anything with. So like professors in school or like when I was a kid like adults that you're supposed to respect your elders and things like that, so would hold my tongue. And then like even now, that I should have told them this, this, and this. Yeah, I think you're on to something there.
00:19:37	S:	Or sometimes your emotions are just so heated in the moment. You're either like so sad or so angry that like you're not thinking with a level head, but when you step out of it, you have that level-head, and you can really like decipher how you really felt about the
00:19:58	R:	Oh yeah. Yeah. Hindsight is 20/20. Every time. I think... I said when I felt the most at peace. Did you? I know you said you could see why I said college, was that your answer, too or did you have a different answer?
00:20:19	S:	I never really thought that I felt the most at peace at college. I don't know. You mean like a moment in time?
00:20:30	R:	Yeah. I mean it could be just like a second.
00:20:34	S:	Right. Like I just feel like I have a whole bunch of little moments. Like I don't feel like there's one long time, were I would say, unless I have the most little moments during a little time. I don't know. But, I feel like I have little moments where I reflect and I'm just like able to let things go.
00:20:58	R:	That's good though. I feel like... I feel like small moments here and there is probably better than one like extended moment and then you never have it again. And I mean, I still have moments of peace now; I just feel like in college it was probably like an overall feeling of peace with you know like random bouts of anxiety, whereas now it's more like more anxiety with smaller portions of peace.
00:21:31	S:	Yeah because now we have more weight. Like more weight on our shoulders, like more things to think about or we find those problems to be more important now. They're different. Whereas before, it was like... I don't know, what did we worry about in college? You of course worry about your grades, but sometimes I don't even think I put that as a priority, 'cause like I'm terrible. 😂 So maybe I was worried about boys and ugh, I don't know.
00:22:06	R:	Yeah I mean I feel like... I feel like that one doesn't really go away until you're like married.
00:22:13	S:	😂
00:22:15	R:	Still sometimes I'm just like, "Oh. Yeah, I'm still not at peace because of a guy or something."
00:22:21	S:	😂I don't think men bring peace at all. That's terrible.
00:22:29	R:	😂 I'm sure that if Devin was with us, he would say that women don't bring peace, either.[14]
00:22:34	S:	Yes. If Devin were here—and hopefully he will listen—he would be very offended by our comments.
00:22:41	R:	😂I mean in that same vein, I feel like friendship can bring peace. 'Cause I definitely... Like with you guys, like I'll text you guys and be like "Yo, I'm freaking out." And like I feel like when I don't have that moment of clarity, like other people can have it. Like you guys will text me back and be like "That stupid. It's fine. Like stop worrying about that."
00:23:04	S:	Right. Yup. aAnd even when it's not stupid, or it is serious, just having someone there to listen and say everything's going to be OK. Things might suck right now, but everything always works out. Sometimes that's just what you need to hear, because you're just all up and upset.
00:23:29	S:	Yeah I think that support is crucial. Having someone to lean on, knowing that somebody cares—I think even more so than knowing that it's going to be OK. Like for instance, like when somebody dies. I mean people say "Oh, it's going to be okay," and you know that the person is not coming back—like this is an reversible like change in your life, but knowing that there are other people that care about you is what like soothes that pain or that issue. I feel like that's what's the most peaceful. But if we were like trying to cultivate peace, like obviously from a... I don't know, From a literal standpoint, where peace is about like safety and things like that, you know we try not to put ourselves in harm's way. And we try not to put ourselves in situations that are specifically unsafe, or you know that you're not just going to run into an unsafe environment or something like that if you can help it. But even if you are, because there are lots of people who can't help it, you know. People who live in, you know, certain neighborhoods maybe there's like a lot of gang violence or something. Like you can't necessarily just turn that on or off. How would you go about seeking peace? Like those little moments of peace, just like for yourself in like stressful environments.
00:25:10	S:	Peace is so relative to the person and the place. Like for someone that's for say in the military, a terrible environment, how do they find peace? And I'm not really sure, because I've never been in that situation. But we've stressed so much the value of like relationships, and people and family. And so I think what would be the most important to them, or anyone that's in a stressful environment, would be just that. You know what I mean—friends, family, and ways to seek out them and speak with them and comfort them, and you know.
00:26:04	R:	Definitely. I, so actually when I was in grad school, I had like serious anxiety for a while. I went through like I don't know I went through this series of months that was just horrible. So first I got bit by a spider, which I'm allergic to spiders, and I was allergic to the medicine they gave me for the spider bite.[15] I like kept throwing up, and so I couldn't eat for like a week. And then as soon as I got over all of that, I found out that I had like a month to write this like massive paper and try to move on to the next phase in my program. And so, I didn't sleep for the entire month. Ok, that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but what I really mean is like I was going to sleep at like 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning, and then getting back up at like 7. And when I got through with that I was just like super wound up. I was... Like my heart rate was excessive and when I went to the doctor for something else they were like you have like anxiety. And so they referred me to talk to like the campus mental health person, because FYI for those of you are in school, your school probably has some sort of counseling program for mental health, and you probably get free visits at least like a couple of free visits a year. And that's how it is. At least that's how it is at Clemson. And so I went and talked to them, and they had me go through these classes on anxiety and like creating peace in a moment of anxiety. I'm not really certain this would work on like a battlefield, 'cause like I said I've never been on a battlefield. But like, you know, they would have you like picture yourself somewhere that gives you comfort. So like for instance, like with the military, your family may not be within arm's reach. Like you can't necessarily get a hug from your family, and depending on the situation and how intense the fighting is, you may not be able to call them at that exact moment. And so you know, they were basically suggesting you know that you would like picture being with them, if that's where your peace comes from or like you could picture yourself on the beach. And then you focus in on what the beach would sound like, what the smell of the air smells like, and things like that. And just kind of like redirecting your senses to like focus in on something else that takes your mind off of whatever's giving you that anxiety. It actually worked pretty well. Like, you know, when I would get you super stressed out about school, I think that was really helpful. As I got out of school, you know, I kind of stopped. I mean sometimes I still imagine myself other places, but I also would try like praying. And you know sometimes that can help, because even though you don't necessarily have your friend right there or your family member right there, you have like God at arms length. Which is a definite way of you know having that connection to somebody when you need it, and I guess that's on like a more immediate situation.[16] But I also tried to think of things that could help with peace like overall. You know, like some people like say like flowers. So like putting flowers at your desk at work to look at so that you don't get stressed out at work. Or I don't know. Like I'm one of those people, I have to add color to everything. Like if there's no color, I would just feel like I'm in a hospital!
00:30:14	S:	Sheesh! My job!
00:30:17	R+S:	😂
00:30:21	R:	No that there's anything wrong with working at a hospital. I just don't want to be like a patient in the hospital—I want to be healthy. I don't know
00:30:31	S:	We talked about the difference of our jobs today. I was like, "My job is never... I never feel at peace at my job." And you were like "Sometimes I feel at peace at my job." And I'm like, "Aw that's so different." 😂
00:30:45	R:	Yeah, I mean, I feel like that's because your job is... I can't imagine doing what you do, just off the bat. Like I feel like I would be so nervous. But it's also like when I mess up on my job, it's just... It's almost like job security, because I'm supposed to develop code but I'm also supposed to fix code. So if I develop code that's broken, then I just have to fix the code that I broke—that sounds so bad; I don't do that.[17] But it's not really that big of a deal if I mess up at work, which I think is why I typically have a lower stress level at the job that I have now. And then again, it's the people. The people I work with are really cool. They're pretty helpful. They're pretty laid-back which aids in that environment. But I feel like, you know, when you're at the hospital and you're trying to treat patients it's like there's a higher level of like severity to it and I of like seriousness. And of course, I'm pretty sure you get crazy patients.
00:31:59	S:	Yeah. When&mdahs;well, I'm a nurse by the way; I guess we never said that, we just assumed everyone knew what I did.[18] But let's step back know. You said like the people you are around. That like means so much. The support at the workplace to remind you to like remember yourself and remember your peace, even though we don't say that. But remind you to like go have a snack, like take a walk, like take a breather. Or offer their help, and then like actually help you—makes you have like a moment of peace, you know what I mean. And helps you to make it through the shift, so that you're at peace when it's over and are clocking out. 😂
00:32:55	R:	Yeah... Yeah. That's definitely part of. OK, so when I first started working at my job, they gave me this device to work on, and I type this command in the wrong window. So I had like multiple windows up on my computer, and one of the windows went to the device and one of the windows went to like my computer. And I basically erased everything on the device, like the entire file system of the device by accident.[19] And I felt like such an idiot, and I had only been working there for a couple of days, so I didn't know how to like fix it or like if I had irrevocably like broken the device. And I had to go up to like my boss and say like, "I broke this, how do I fix it? Is it broken for good? What do I do?" I was so embarrassed, 'cause it just seems like such like a boneheaded thing to do. But when I told my boss, he just laughed and he was like, "I've done that before." And it just made it so much more peaceful, because the moment that all that tension was broken, it was like "Oh OK, it's not a big deal!" and that's really important too.
00:34:20	S:	Yeah. I feel like our common denominator is people, in like what helps us keep like our equilibrium and like our peaceful state of Mind, is other people.
00:34:33	R:	Yeah, in some senses. And that being said, I think that kind of gives us a responsibility to help other people keep their peace. Like if I'm helping you keep your peace, and you're helping me keep my peace, then we should both have peace.
00:34:58	S:	I don't think we always think about that, 'cause we're so wrapped up in our own lives and our own things. But that kind of touches on what I said earlier like taking away maybe your temporary moment to give to someone else, in order to make them feel well, and help them get to where they want to be.
00:35:27	R:	Yeah definitely. 'Cause I feel like the whole breakdown of peace is when like you said when we forget to do that, because it's when I choose to ignore your need for peace, and do something crazy. And so, now I'm not at peace, you're not at peace, and we're both like doing crazy things. Whereas if we both step back and I say, "look OK, what can I do to help her be at peace?" and if you're saying the same thing, then we can come to like peaceful agreement or something. The world would be so much better if we could handle that.
00:36:06	S:	Right. I wish the student loan companies would say, "What can I do her feel at peace?"
00:36:14	R:	Oh my goodness! I could answer that question: they could forget that I owe them anything.
00:36:19	R+S:	😂
00:36:22	S:	And then I would have so much peace!
00:36:26	R:	Yeah oh goodness!
00:36:29	S:	But no. Taking ownership of that, and deciding to be more financially conscious, and managing my money well, and taking steps to relieve my debt, that would make me feel at peace.
00:36:44	R:	Yeah, I'm working on that. Imma get it. I'm going to get it paid, so I can have peace of financial mind. But I think that's also a thing. You know, people have the saying like, "money can't buy happiness," and I totally agree with that, but I do think that having like financial stability adds to your peace. Because it's one less thing you have to worry about.
00:37:13	S:	And some things that we enjoy cost money. I mean let's be real, like you want to travel to beautiful places, and that wonderful you think of when you're anxious, it cost money.
00:37:28	R:	Yeah. Even just like, I don't know. Like having a job that pays well, for instance, like I have friends that work... So the place that I work, I work as a salaried employee, but some people are like hourly employees. So you have to put in so many hours, and that mandates your paycheck. And the thing about it is, because I'm salaried I get so many days that I get to take off, where I just get paid. So like I can take off on Friday, as a mental health day. Like if something happens, you know, if I'm just not feeling up to it. If I just need a day to myself, and I say, I do want to go to the beach. I can take that day off and my check doesn't get smaller, but in certain fields you don't have that liberty. Or like I know there's a lady at my church that works 4 jobs—I don't know how she does it, but she works 4 jobs to pay like rent and keep food on her table and all of these things. And I'm like you can't just, you can't just take a break for you. In that sense, I think money can definitely help with your peace, and I really wish that there were better options for people who don't have that financial liberty, or who have those types of jobs. Because, I mean I get the whole like "Oh you get paid for when you're here, excetera excetera," but I really do think the U.S. should do something about like paying for some sort of mental health days. 'Cause I think that's why people crack up. Sometimes you just need a day to yourself to breathe.
00:39:20	S:	Yeah, and it's like trying not to overextend yourself and putting yourself in a situation where you're able to take care of yourself and your family. And I agree that stability is very freeing and peaceful if everything is going the way you want it to go.
00:39:49	R:	Yeah. Do you have any other thoughts on peace before we go?
00:39:54	S:	I feel like this conversation was very eye-opening. You know, to help me make steps like in my own life to ensure that I have more sense of peace more often.
00:40:09	R:	Definitely. And I think, just talking about peace with someone. Like I said in the beginning, I've never talked about peace with anyone. Like we have conversations about love; we talk about like happiness, and being sad, and you know whatever, but I feel like we should talk about peace more often, too.
00:40:26	S:	Yeah. And really reach out to people you love and friends and family more often to make sure that they're doing that for themselves, 'cause it's so important.
00:40:40	R:	Yeah, definitely. Well, thank you for hanging out with me, and joining me on the podcast. I appreciate it
00:40:48	S:	thank you so much for asking me!
00:40:51	R:	For my listeners out there, thank you so much for tuning in. I hope that this was beneficial to you, and that you will go forth cultivating peace in your life, is very important I don't know how we can keep sane in this world without trying to get some semblance of peace and help other people have peace as well. So in the meantime, I want you guys to check out the website. Subscribe, like, all of those things! You can find a transcript for this particular episode at www.psmalstogod.com/peace, and I will see you guys in the next episode. Thanks!