As we started out learning in this series, Jesus evidently thought the Names of God were important because He taught His disciples to pray by first “hallowing” God’s Names.
 
We learned that this means to honor and make holy His Names in our sight as we approach Him in prayer. Evidently, this is key for our prayers being effective, but why? It’s because by first hallowing His Name, we will go into our prayer times full of faith, confidence, and persuasion knowing who we are directing our prayers towards. No, there will not be that unbelief that questions if God is hearing us or if He will grant us our requests. We will know who He is and will have the full assurance of faith that gets the best results in prayer.
 
And let me remind you that knowing who He is, is much more important to Him than knowing the technicalities of His various Names, like being able to rattle them off or how to pronounce them. I would much rather you know me as the person I truly am than just knowing what my name is.
 
You see, there’s a lot of people out there who know who I am and know what I do (meaning, they know my name and that I’m the pastor of this church). But guess what? Most of these people don’t really know me. They don’t know what I’m into, what makes me tick, what I like to do for fun, etc. Even a lot of people that have come to church here for years don’t really know me. Sure, they know what I do and how I do it. But it’s like the children of Israel – the Scriptures teach us that they knew His acts, but Moses actually knew His ways. And why did Moses know His ways? It was because He took the time to get to know the LORD and He revealed Himself to Moses.
 
That’s what we need to do, saints! We don’t need to go about this the way the majority of the church has. No, we need to pursue the knowledge of God, desiring to see Him for who He is in truth, and let Him reveal His true self to us through His Names.
 
So we have covered most of His Names over the past several months, and last week we looked at what is probably one of the most well-known Names He has – Jehovah Shalom.
 
We learned that while the word shalom is generally defined as “peace,” it means so much more: It describes safety & welfare like in the areas of health or prosperity, and at its root, this word describes “completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, and quietness. So we learned that the word shalom seems to best be described as “wholeness.”
 
Essentially, we learned that this word which describes being whole, complete, or sound is similar to what we see in the New Testament Greek word for “saved” – the word sozo.
 
You see, while “saved” is that general one-word definition for sozo, that word doesn’t totally describe what it means. Sozo describes being made whole, being healed, delivered, set free, etc. So I see shalom as the Old Testament counterpart to our New Testament word for salvation because both of these terms have one-word definitions that most people use that do not fully encapsulate their meanings. Not to mention, their meanings are extremely similar because they both describe being made whole, complete, and safe & sound.
 
I like one definition I’ve heard that describes shalom: It’s this – Shalom is nothing missing and nothing broken. In other words, because it describes being complete, whole, and sound, there’s no room for anything to be missing, incomplete, or broken. Glory!
 
So we learned that if the LORD’s Name is Jehovah Shalom, then this making things whole, complete, and sound, with nothing missing and nothing broken is a part of His nature! “Shalom” is who He is – the One who causes completeness, wholeness, safety. He is the God of peace – peace from war, peace from turmoil, and peace from strife, etc. Yes, He is the Prince of peace, peace being the fruit of who He is.
 
So with the presence of the God of peace comes the presence of the peace of God – peace both on the inside and on the outside. Therefore, Jehovah Shalom obviously desires for us to have nothing missing and nothing broken in every area of our lives including our souls. And that’s exactly where this peace begins – in our heart, soul, and mind. Once we experience peace in there, finding peace on the outside becomes a lot easier.
 
But it’s important to understand that this is His heart and who He is, church! He is shalom. He wants us whole. He wants us at rest. He wants us complete, sound, and entire – both on the inside and on the outside. He is our God of Peace, Jehovah Shalom!      
 
VICTORY OVER THE AMALEKITES
 
Now the next Name of God that I want us to look at this week is technically the last covenant keeping, Jehovah Name – Jehovah Nissi. I will have one other very special Name that we will cover next week, but this is the last Jehovah Name of God on our list to cover.
 
Jehovah Nissi surfaces in Exodus chapter 17 in a powerful story that Pastor Robert referred to last week at the beginning of our service. Let’s look at it …
 
Exodus chapter 17 picks up the story of the Israelites shortly after they left their Egyptian bondage and were traveling to the land of Canaan under the leadership of Moses. While they were camped at a place called Rephidim, they were attacked by the Amalekites.
 
Now it is important to understand that when Israel faced the Amalekites in battle here, that it wasn’t with an experienced & trained army. No, it was as a tribe of herdsmen escaping slavery in Egypt and travelling uncertainly to a promised land they hadn’t seen in over four hundred years. They travelled with women, children, and herds, not with horses, chariots, and an abundance of weapons. So they were basically trespassers travelling through the lands of fierce fighting peoples.
 
But they were traveling with something else, something else that no other nation on earth had – the very presence of God. So Israel did not fight its battles alone. No matter how inexperienced or overmatched they were, they were never the underdogs. No matter how desperate they felt, they were never at a loss. Amen!
 
So Moses put Joshua in charge of leading the Israelite army, charging him to choose some men to go and fight Amalek and his people. Moses said, “I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” That was the battle-plan.
 
Now the rod that Moses was referring to was the rod that he had used at God’s direction to work miracles—including parting the Red Sea so the Israelites could escape the Egyptians, and also bringing water from a rock to quench their thirst in the wilderness, a miracle that had just happened before this situation in Rephidim. It was called the Rod of God.
 
When the armies met in battle, Moses, along with his helpers, Aaron and Hur, was standing on a nearby hill holding high the rod of God in his hand. And the Bible tells us that as long as he held the rod up, Israel prevailed. However, as the day wore on, Moses got tired, and understandably so. You see, he was not a spring chicken anymore and as the battle continued to wear on, his arms dropped to his side. When this happened, the Amalekites rallied and began to prevail over the Israelites.
 
So when Aaron and Hur realized what was happening, they came to Moses’s side, dragging a small boulder close for him to sit on and each took an arm and raised them again over the battle. As they did this, the Israelites started winning the battle again. All day long Aaron and Hur stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands with the rod held high, and God gave Israel the victory over their enemies.
 
Yes, the people of Israel prevailed in battle that day. It was a day to remember, for it was the day God first showed them as a nation that He fought for them, that He led them into battle, that He protected and conquered on their behalf, and that He was their banner.
 
 
 
 
WHAT IS A BANNER?
 
So at the close of the battle, Exodus 17:14 says that the LORD told Moses to “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” So “Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner” (Exodus 17:15).
 
So when Moses names the altar, “Jehovah Nissi – The LORD is my banner,” what was He saying?
 
By building this altar and calling it “Jehovah Nissi,” Moses was showing that he recognized the Lord as the source of their victory. By building an altar, Moses was also creating a place of remembrance and celebrating what God had done. It was an expression of gratitude for God’s victory over the enemy.
 
Yes, I believe He was referring to what wrought the victory they experienced that day – Moses arms lifting up the rod of God. Yes, during the battle, the miracle-working rod of God was like a banner flying over their army, identifying them as God’s people who were depending on Him for victory. It represented God’s power working on their behalf as it being lifted up caused them to prevail. So Moses’ staff served as a banner of sorts.
 
I like the Spirit Filled Life Bible’s explanation of this in its note for Exodus 17:15 – “A banner is the pole like standard beneath which armies or communities rallied. When lifted up, it called the people together for battle, for meeting, or for instruction. This phrase also could have been a battle cry. Erecting an altar was Moses recognition of the presence of God. At this altar, he was honoring God as the giver of victory over the Amalekites.”
 
You see, the first point in this commentary is technically what a banner is. Here, we see it described as a “pole like standard.” The Hebrew word itself describes something lifted up like a standard, signal, signal pole, or a sign. So we might say a banner could be a flag, a sail, or a sign. In this case, it was Moses’ staff.
 
Now if we consider how banners are used, I believe it will begin to reveal some of what this title means.
 
You see, we use banners for several reasons. These reasons are, but are not limited to:

1. To celebrate and honor

 
Sometimes we hang banners from the rafters of arenas honoring champions. They are also raised to honor soldiers returning from war. They adorn public places to celebrate occasions or people who deserve honor.

1. To remember and commemorate

 
Towns all over America raise banners on certain holidays every year to commemorate something dear to them – maybe it’s a patron, a hero, a tradition, or a special day.

1. To label or identify

 
Banners announce names and images which people can recognize from a great distance. Sometimes, they show the location and identity of a business or event so people can navigate to it.

1. To announce or declare

 
Banners are also used to announce important events or to simply make people aware of a product.
 
So no matter what the purpose is of the banner, they are meant to be visible. In other words, they are meant to be seen, unmistakable, and unignorable. Yes, they are attention grabbers.
 
This reminds me of what the LORD ministered to me one time about the Truth itself. He told me that the truth is “that which is not hidden, which makes God known.” And when He said that to me, He began revealing to me how Jesus, who is most certainly the Truth, fits this description. He also showed me how the Word, which is also called the Truth, fits this bill. And also how the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, has an assignment to do the same thing.
 
So all of the things we call the Truth are not meant to hide anything about the truth. Yes, they all make God known like “banners” make things visible and known.
 
Now banners are also not just for those who see them; they are also for those who raise them. In other words, they are to draw people to whatever they are advertising. They are an invitation to that person’s gathering place.
 
So when Moses built the altar and called it, “The LORD is my banner,” he was creating a place of remembrance and an advertisement & celebration of the LORD’s victory over the Amalekites. It was a declaration not just of who God is and what He has done, but of who they were as His people.
 
ANY MORE BANNERS?
 
God is called Jehovah Nissi – “God Is My Banner” – only in Exodus 17:15, but elsewhere in the Bible His “banner” is an illustration of His protection and salvation.
 
Let’s look at a few Scriptures that refer to this:
 
Psalm 20:5 says, “We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners!”
 
Psalm 60:4-5 says, “You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. That Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and hear me.”
 
So I want you to notice that the Psalmists were tying together salvation & deliverance with their banners.
 
Speaking of the Messiah who was to come, Isaiah prophesied, “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people … He will set up a banner for the nations” (Isaiah 11:10, 12).
 
So Jesus Himself is prophesied to be our Banner – which we have beautifully illustrated through the Cross.
 
Do you remember how Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (See John 12:32)? Well, we know that He is referring to being lifted up from the earth on a wooden Cross, right? When He was lifted up, He became God’s banner of salvation!
 
In fact, the first time the Hebrew word nissi itself is used is in Numbers chapter 21 in the story of the bronze serpent set on the pole that was used to save the people who were bit by the snakes. Well, in verses 8 & 9 the word that is used for “pole” there is where we get nissi from.
 
Now we know that this bronze serpent was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ because in John 3:14-15 He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
 
So the Lord was telling us here that just as Moses raised up that pole and put the bronze serpent on it, He was going to be lifted up on that Cross. Therefore, the same way the children of Israel were told to set their eyes on that snake on the pole in order to live, we too must set our eyes on what Jesus did for us on the Cross in order to have eternal life.
 
So, Jesus is ultimately our banner of salvation & deliverance! So this is how He is Jehovah Nissi to us today – by the victory we’ve received in Christ Jesus.
 
WHO ARE OUR AMALEKITES?
 
So yes, Moses built an altar and named it Jehovah Nissi, but did you know that the Bible tells us exactly why he did this? We know it is for remembrance, but verse 16 tells us the exact reason.
 
Exodus 17:16 says, “for he said, ‘Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.’”
 
It’s important to know what it was about these various “ites” that the LORD had such a problem with.
 
The New Testament teaches us how all of these things that were written beforehand are for our instruction and were types & shadows of the spiritual realities that you and I walk in today. Therefore, all of these various “ites” represented the same enemies that you and I face today.
 
So what about the Amalekites? Who were they and what did they represent? Well, Amalek was a descendent of Ham. You remember him, right? He was one of the three sons of Noah – the one who dishonored his father’s nakedness. If you ever have a hard time remembering which one of Shem, Ham, and Japheth was the dishonorable son, just remember which one was the “ham” of the bunch.
 
Not only that, but Amalek was the grandson of Esau, who went on to live in Canaan and obviously where the Canaanites (another bad group of “ites”) came from. And I don’t think I need to tell you that Esau too was a “ham” himself. But in honor of Thanksgiving being this week, let’s call him “the turkey.”
 
So Amalek hailed from a bunch of “Hams & Turkeys,” amen?
 
Now why do I make this point? It’s to show you that the Amalekites hail from a line of those who, while being birthed by godly characters like Noah & Isaac, deviated from righteousness and godliness and chose the sinful route.
 
Where do you suppose they got that from? From the original sinner, of course – that is, Lucifer.
 
You see, Lucifer was the devil’s name before he became Satan. So I see the Amalekites as being a good description of the “devilites” and the “demonites.” Yes, the Amalekites were those who turned from the ways of God and became a cursed people like the devil did himself. 
 
And this is very important for our story because it shows us what this story means for us: While we don’t have a threat of going to war with the Amalekites today, we are at war with the one they represent – the kingdom of darkness.
 
This is why the LORD said this warfare with the Amalekites would be from one generation to another. It’s because it didn’t end with this one victory. No, the ones that the Amalekites represented would be a thorn on this earth for many generations to come – that is, the devil.
 
And the Gospel is this – that through our Banner of Victory, the Lord Jesus Christ, God has granted us this victory over our Amalekites. Amen!
 
So let’s look at some New Testament “Banners” that show us how the LORD has promised us victory over our “Amalekites,” the kingdom of darkness.
 
OUR BANNERS OF TRIUMPH
 
In Colossians 2:15, Paul says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
 
Now this verse describes what Jesus did when He was resurrected on the third day. When He was made alive after spending three days and three nights in the pit of hell, Jesus plundered the enemy’s camp – totally defeating him. Amen!
 
What did this look like, you ask? Well, let’s look at the words the apostle Paul used in this verse…
 
Notice the first two words in this awesome verse – “Having disarmed”.
 
Now this isn’t something Jesus is going to do; this is something He has already done- “having disarmed!” Amen! You see, one major mentality that we need to have regarding this is we are not fighting to get victory; we are fighting from a place of victory. Amen?
 
The word “disarmed” describes “stripping the garments and/or armor off.” This word was used to depict the stripping of the enemy’s weaponry and artillery and leaving him without any weapons with which to retaliate with. One scholar even noted that this word describes “stripping to the point of complete nakedness.” The King James Version translates this word as “spoiled” which would describe Jesus as taking the possessions of the principalities and powers.
 
Therefore, all of this means that when Jesus was resurrected, He totally whipped and stripped the enemy and left them with nothing. He took all of their armor away from them! This gives new meaning to the Old Testament verse that says, “No weapon formed against you will prosper,” doesn’t it (See Isaiah 54:16-17)? So since under the New Covenant, Satan has been stripped of his weapons that he used to keep us in bondage before Jesus came, now no weapon can even be formed against us because he doesn’t have any weapons anymore! Amen! 
 
So how could he ever defeat us if he doesn’t even have any weapons left? The only way he can, is if he can convince us that he’s got an effective weapon against us. The only way he can win is if he can get us to give up, thinking he’s won. No, saints, the only effective weapon that he can form against us now is the illusion that he even has an effective weapon! In other words, his only effective weapon now is deception!
 
It is like someone who robs a bank with his pointed finger in his pocket. If that robber convinces the bank employees that what he is pointing at them is a real gun, then he can cause them to give him all the money. But if they know that he does not really have a weapon, then they will not give him squat! Amen? 
 
Now there are two other beloved Scriptures of mine that further verify this victory Christ has won for us …
 
In Second Corinthians 2:14 the apostle Paul said, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ…” 
 
So we see here that the Holy Spirit promised us that God always leads us in triumph. No, not sometimes, not when God wills to, not when we’ve been good. No, God always leads us in triumph. So the next time the devil comes to your front porch and tells you, “Not this time!” you just respond with one simple word- “Always!” Amen! He always leads me in triumph!
 
Now the word “triumph” that is used here and also in Colossians 2:15 in an interesting word: It describes a victory parade for a conquering army and its leader.
 
Let’s look at the rest of Colossians 2:15 …
 
The words “public spectacle” come from two different Greek words: The first is deigmatidzo and it means “to display, to exhibit; to expose to public disgrace.” This word was used to denote “the display of captives, weaponry, and trophies that were seized during war on foreign soil.”
 
You see, in those times, when the war was over and the battle was won, the victorious king would return home and “display” the treasures, trophies, weaponry, and even the captives that he had seized during his conquest.
 
So after Jesus stripped the enemy of all their garments and weapons, leaving them totally naked, He exposed their pitiful condition for all the hosts of heaven to see. He forever has “exhibited” them and “put them to an open shame.” Amen!
 
This is why God prophesied that there would come a time when we would “look upon, gaze at and consider” satan and say, “Is this the one who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world a wilderness and destroyed its cities?” It’s going to be amazing to us when we will be able to see him for who he really is. We will be so awestruck that we will gaze upon him and ponder how in the world that he ever “shook kingdoms, destroyed cities, made the earth tremble, and made the world a wilderness.” It will not only be amazing, but it will also be very disappointing to realize that he did all of this by lies – which are his only weapon!
 
The second word used for “public spectacle” is parresia which describes “boldness, confidence, openness.”
 
So by adding this word, Paul was showing us that this grand celebration was no quiet affair either! On the contrary, Jesus “boldly, confidently, and loudly” exposed His disarmed and defeated foe. He completely humiliated the enemy when He exhibited him as defeated for all the world to see. Jesus rubbed his nose in it in a not-so quiet way! Amen!  
 
And that is where the word “triumphing” comes in that we already briefly defined in Second Corinthians 2:14 … 
 
The word “triumphing” comes from the Greek word triambeuo and referred to a “Roman triumph” which was basically “a glorious triumphal parade.” This was the triumphal procession (or parade) that the conquering leader would lead back into his kingdom after defeating his enemy. Do you reckon there were any banners being used during this celebration of victory?  
 
But notice that Paul said here, “Thanks be unto God who always leads us in triumph.”
 
So now we can see that those principalities and powers that Jesus whipped and stripped were not the only ones that He led in that triumphant parade of victory; Paul was illustrating to us here that we were also being lead in this victory parade! Glory to God!
 
No, Paul was not saying that we were in the same boat as the kingdom of darkness; he was saying that we are the soldiers that accompany Jesus after He spoiled the principalities and powers and led them in this parade that was humiliating for them but joyous for us. Amen! Again, we partake in His victory without ever having to fight in the battle! We just get to be a part of the festivities!
 
But I want to show you one more Banner Scripture that illustrates to us the glorious victory that Jesus Christ has won for us …
 
In First Corinthians 15:57, the apostle Paul says, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
 
So, again, we always triumph in Christ. Why? Because He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Saints, we already have the victory in every trial and tribulation that comes our way through the works of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!
 
So in light of all of these exceedingly great and precious promises, what is our responsibility? If Jesus has already won the battle for us, what part do we play in experiencing this victory?
 
Well, first of all, look at what verse 58 says here in this passage of Scripture. Paul goes on to say, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable …”
 
So what he was saying was, “Therefore (in light of this victory Jesus gave us) be sturdy and immovable”. The devil will always turn up the pressure on us but all we are to do is stand and resist his pressure to give up. The only way the devil can defeat us is if he can make us stop standing our ground and quit.
 
That’s why in the early church “patience” was the most the most desired virtue. The word translated “patience” meant “staying under power”. In other words, it was the power to stay under Satan’s pressure without moving. The early church had an extreme amount of pressure on them to deny Jesus, but they knew if they had “the queen of all virtues” (what they called “patience”) they would win one way or the other.
 
But through First Corinthians 15:57 and Second Corinthians 2:14, what do we see that our response should be in light of this victory and triumph that we have? What do both of these verses start with? They both start with “thanks be to God.”
 
So our response to trials and tribulations that come our way should be what? “Thanks be to God who always leads me in triumph and who always gives me victory!” In other words, our job is to thank God for the banner of victory that He has already provided. Amen!
 
Keeping our focus on all that we have to be thankful for will keep that spirit of discontentment and discouragement under our feet where it belongs. Thanksgiving always precedes victory (kind of like Thanksgiving precedes Christmas)!     
 
CONCLUSION
 
So God is our banner because of the saving power that He has shown in our lives. He is the One who always causes us to triumph and gives us the victory! Yes, in Him, we are more than conquerors like the Israelites were in that day!
 
Therefore, because of this salvation & deliverance, we diffuse the fragrance of His knowledge in every place we go. Yes, our lives are like a banner that both celebrates and honors Him. Through our testimony, we remember & commemorate what He has done for us. The LORD our banner testifies of the goodness, faithfulness, and mercy that He has graced us with.
 
Likewise, we are to be like His flags that represent & identify Him to others. Yes, He gives us a new identity, and our signet is “His children and His kings & priests.” But the ultimate privilege we have is to “announce” Him and His salvation to this dark & perverse generation.
 
So we make Him visible and show the beauty of His transforming work. Church, God is our banner because all of this is an invitation, a summons, and a drawing to any who would believe and become a part of His victory! Amen!

Church, knowing & understanding the Names of God is one of the most noble tasks we can have because as we learn to hallow His Name, we come to know & understand Him, which is the chiefest of things one can do.
 
I for one want to come to know God more intimately and personally. I want to know Him in truth and have no false notions about who He is. And knowing His Names is a way to make sure that we have clear understanding of who He is as these various Names reveal to us His character and nature.
 
You see, while our names might not tell others a lot about who we are as people, God’s Names do. Yes, when we see Him as Jehovah Rapha, we know that healing is one of His primary interests. When we see Him as Jehovah M’Kaddesh, we know that He is in the sanctifying business. When we see Him as Jehovah Rohi, we know that His mode of operation is of a shepherd. And like we learned last week, when we see Him as Jehovah Tsidkenu, we know that He Himself is righteous and He delights in making others righteous. 
 
So we have come to recognize Yahweh and Yeshua as our healer and provider, as the shepherd of His hosts, as One who sanctifies and makes righteous, as the faithful, present One, etc.
 
And let me remind you that knowing who He is, is much more important to Him than knowing the technicalities of His various Names like being able to rattle them off or how to pronounce them. I would much rather you know me as the person I truly am than just knowing what my name is.
 
You see, there’s a lot of people out there who know who I am and know what I do (meaning, they know my name and that I’m the pastor of this church). But guess what? Most of these people don’t really know me. They don’t know what I’m into, what makes me tick, what I like to do for fun, etc. Even a lot of people that have come to church here for years don’t really know me. Sure, they know what I do and how I do it. But it’s like the children of Israel – the Scriptures teach us that they knew His acts, but Moses actually knew His ways. And why did Moses know His ways? It was because He took the time to get to know the LORD and He revealed Himself to Moses.
 
That’s what we need to do, saints! We need to take the time to get to know Him by inquiring of Him and praying over His Names.       
 
JEHOVAH SHALOM’S ORIGIN
 
Now this next Name of God I want look at is probably one of the most well-known Names He has – Jehovah Shalom.
 
One of the reasons it is more well-known is because the term shalom itself is very common. But even though we might be more familiar with this word, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we have the correct understanding of its meaning. And that’s what we are going to learn today as we study “Jehovah Shalom.”
 
Now this Name of God is first used by Gideon when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him at Ophrah in Judges chapter 6 … 
 
In the days of Gideon, the children of Israel were living in a constant state of fear and trepidation because of the Midianites. The Midianites, a once defeated enemy, had reemerged from the East and began plundering Israel which caused the Israelites to live in hiding, dwelling in dens, caves, and strongholds in the mountains (See verse 1).
 
You see, the Midianites would reap, destroy, and plunder every time the Israelites sowed, and this resulted in Israel becoming “greatly impoverished” (See verse 6) and to live in fear. So because of their predicament, they cried to God for help, and He sent them a prophet who reminded them that their own disobedience had caused their current troubles.
 
So it is important to realize that their plight was not because God was testing them or even because the devil was attacking them. No, this was self-induced – for verse 1 shows us that the children of Israel (yet again) did evil in the sight of the Lord which resulted in them being delivered over to the Midianites for these 7 years.
 
I say this to say that everything we will be learning today about God’s Name is not what the LORD was planning on doing for those who deserved it. No, it was to those who had brought this on themselves. And this is something that I believe we would do good to understand – that not all of our trials & tribulations are unjust. Yet, in the LORD’s great faithfulness, He promises to give us shalom.
 
So the Lord did not just leave them with – “Hey, it’s all your fault, you know?” No, He also sent them Gideon – a man who was not immune from this fear and non-peaceful state himself:
 
We find Gideon in verse 11 threshing his father’s wheat in the winepress “in order to hide it from the Midianites.” So Gideon was not threshing the wheat in the proper place, but in a private & unsuspecting corner because he too feared the Midianites.
 
So Gideon was just like the rest of the Israelites, but notice how the LORD refers to him in verse 12 – “The Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor.’”
 
What an interesting way to refer to a man who was hiding in a winepress for fear of the Midianites. But as we see time and time again, the LORD likes to call those things that be not as though they were and called Gideon here what He knew he was to become.
 
Now in verse 13, Gideon was perplexed as to why, if the LORD was still with them, they had all of these things happen to them. But the LORD never acknowledged this; instead He “turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?’” (verse 14).
 
But even though the LORD commissioned Gideon to save Israel, he felt weak, frail, and incapable. However, his uncertainty and fear were dispelled by the promise God made to him of “I will be with you” (Judges 6:16).
 
Then, to confirm the identity of the LORD, Gideon asked for a sign. When he witnessed the food he prepared for the angel miraculously consumed by fire, Gideon was filled with even greater fear. He had seen the Angel of the Lord face to face! The immediate response from the LORD was: “Peace be to you. Do not fear, you shall not die” (Judges 6:23).
 
As a result of these words, Gideon’s heart was infused with confidence and courage. We might say, He experienced peace in the truest sense. And then the next thing we see is Gideon building an altar at Ophrah of the Abiezrites and named it “The Lord is Peace” or “Jehovah Shalom,” a tribute and reminder of the Lord’s provision and promise of peace.
 
So now he could confront the enemy and undertake these great exploits for God. His encounter with the God of Peace had taught him that he was not alone and that the LORD would be with Him against the Midianites. Yes, the day he set out to wage war against a numerically superior enemy, Gideon enjoyed the peace of God.
 
Church, we too can experience this shalom, not just after the enemies are defeated and the circumstances have changed, but like Gideon here, we can build our own altars of knowing God as Jehovah Shalom before our enemies seem defeated.
 
Therefore, peace is not just the absence of our Midianites; it is the presence of the One in the midst of our Midianites. Let me say it this way – peace is not the absence of problems; it’s the presence of the answer to every problem. This is why Paul speaks of this peace as that which “passes understanding” because it is present in the midst of our den of lions to give us rest in the middle of the storms of life. Amen!
 
So no matter what situation we find ourselves in or what circumstances we are experiencing, He wants to reveal Himself to us like He did to Gideon – as Jehovah Shalom.
 
SHALOM!
 
Now let’s look at this very common and recognizable Hebrew word shalom in detail …
 
I say it’s more recognizable to most people because the word shalom is probably a word that you’ve heard before. For most of us, we’ve generally heard it used as a Jewish greeting. We here in America might greet one another with a “Hi” or “Hello,” but with some Jewish people, they like to greet with this word “Shalom” – wishing peace to the person they are acknowledging.
 
But while the word shalom is generally defined as “peace,” it means so much more. So let me give you some definitions of this popular Hebrew word.
 
Strong’s defines shalom as to be safe or to be well. It describes it as welfare like health or prosperity. And at its root, this word describes “completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, and quietness because the root word, salem, describes being whole or entire. So the word shalom seems to best be described as “wholeness.”
 
Now why is this important to understand? It’s because this word shalom which describes being whole, complete, or sound is essentially what we see in the New Testament Greek word for “saved” – the word sozo.
 
You know, we spent time here defining this word for “saved,” and while that is the general one-word definition for sozo, that word doesn’t totally describe what it means. Sozo describes being made whole, being healed, delivered, set free, etc.
 
So I see shalom as the Old Testament counterpart to our New Testament word for salvation because both of these terms have one word definitions that most people use that do not fully encapsulate their meanings. Not to mention, their meanings are extremely similar because they both describe being made whole, complete, and safe & sound.
 
I like one definition I’ve heard that describes shalom: It’s this – Shalom is nothing missing and nothing broken. In other words, because it describes being complete, whole, and sound, there’s no room for anything being missing, incomplete, or broken. Glory!
 
THE GOD OF PEACE
 
So if the LORD’s Name is Jehovah Shalom, then this making things whole, complete, and sound, with nothing missing and nothing broken is a part of His nature! “Shalom” is who He is – the One who causes completeness, wholeness, safety. He is the God of peace – peace from war, peace from turmoil, and peace from strife, etc. He is the ultimate Peacemaker – which is why, when we too are peacemakers, we are called children of God.
 
In fact, we see “peace” described as one of the fruit of the Spirit, right? Well, the fruit of the Spirit are not just what God wants us to produce; they are what God Himself produces. Yes, they are called the fruit of the Spirit for a reason – because they are the Holy Spirit’s fruit. This means that they are a part of His nature and what He Himself is like. Therefore, peace is one of the Godhead’s core virtues that He possesses.
 
But the fact remains, this is who our God is. He is this God of Peace, no matter how broken and unhealthy things seem to be in our lives, and no matter how much anxiety and fear are pervading us. Shalom is who He is, saints!
 
In the New Testament, we see the Lord often referred to as this – the God of Peace. So this shows us that even from the New Covenant perspective, God was known as being associated with this peace well beyond the Book of Judges.
 
In one of these instances, the apostle Paul said, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).
 
The context of this verse is that of peace: Paul had just shown us how a believer can walk in peace no matter the circumstance. He said to rejoice always (4:4). Then he told them to not be anxious about anything, but to pray about everything while being thankful (4:6-7). And just before our verse, he said to think only on certain things (4:8).

So this leads us to the ninth verse where the apostle Paul brought them back to simply doing the things they learned from him and saw from his behavior. And if we would just do what he said and did, the “God of peace” would be with us.
 
In Romans 15:33, Paul prayed the same things – “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”
 
So, what did Paul mean by praying the God of peace would be with them? And what did he mean when he said that the God of peace will be with us if we do these things (Philippians 4:9)? Didn’t the Lord promise to never leave us nor forsake us? Didn’t He promise that He would be with us, even to the end of the world? Sure, He did! He was, is, and evermore shall be “Jehovah Shammah,” right?
 
So, why did Paul say that God will be with us if we do the things that He both taught and demonstrated in his life? That seems contrary to these other Scriptures that teach us that God is with us simply because of who we are, not because of what we do, right?
 
But we must understand that there is a difference between God being with us spiritually and Him being with us experientially (i.e. tangibly in the physical realm around us). God most certainly is with us all the time positionally—in the spiritual sense—but we also have the ability to have Him be manifested in our lives in an experiential and tangible way.
 
But we need to understand that us physically experiencing Him is not automatic. If it were, we would all be experiencing it—for God is no respecter of persons. No, in my experience, only a few believers consistently carry the presence of the Lord with them in their everyday lives. But this is a blessed place to live, saints—where His presence is experienced, felt, and tasted. Amen!
 
But the apostle of faith had a specific fruit of God’s tangible presence in mind here. Mind you, the context of all that he was teaching in Philippians 4:6-9 revolved around peace. So, it can be surmised that he is concluding his instructions on walking in the peace of God by saying “the God of peace will be with you,” right? Therefore, it is clear to me why Paul referred to God as “the God of peace” here: Again, it was because the subject up to this point in Philippians chapter four is the peace of God.
 
Now here is a powerful truth: The fruit of having the God of peace manifested in our lives is having the peace of God manifested in our lives! In other words, when we live in the presence of the God of peace, we will live in the presence of the peace of God. So, when we have peace, we’ve experienced a piece of God. Hallelujah! That is what the Holy Spirit had in mind as He inspired this truth to be recorded!
 
Therefore, the examples that the apostle Paul gave through his words and deeds are how we can experience more of the God of peace in our lives which, in turn, causes us to experience more of the peace of God in our lives. Peace is the manifest presence of the God of peace.
 
This is important to understand, saints – that peace is the manifest presence of God. This is why time spent in the presence of God is so important – because it yields peace!
 
ANTI-PEACE
 
Now, on the contrary, strife is the manifest presence of the devil. But when you have the peace of God all around you, that’s proof that you have God all around you. Fear and strife are the devil personified, while love, joy and peace are the Lord personified! 
 
So if the presence of the devil is strife, confusion, and basically anything that is “anti-peace,” then we are to resist it!
 
You see, if we look over at James 3:16, you will find a truth about strife that should cause you to avoid it like the plague it is. It says, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”
 
This verse tells us that where you find these little foxes of “envy and strife” you will find disharmony, confusion, and also every evil work. And notice that James doesn’t just say some evil works, but he says every evil work. Some examples of “evil works” are sickness, disease, infirmities, poverty and lack. Basically an evil work would be considered anything and everything that has come into this world as a result of sin & the curse and what the devil uses to steal, kill, and destroy.
 
So this means that when we allow these “little foxes” such as strife to come into our lives, it packs its bags full of all these evil works and brings them with him. This would be similar to how, in the natural, these little foxes might bring certain diseases with them. Friends, this is what Ephesians 4:27 means when it says that we can “give place to the devil” in our lives. Why? Because when you give these little foxes place in your hearts, they spread their diseases.
 
You see, there are many believers out there who love Jesus and serve Him faithfully but have allowed these little foxes into their homes. As a result, they are struggling against some of these “evil works” and do not understand why they are experiencing such difficult circumstances in their lives. And while we do need to understand that all difficulties we encounter are not necessarily a result of someone yielding to these “little sins,” the fact remains that some of them can be. 
 
This is why the apostle Paul exhorted the church of Colossae with the following words – “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15). What he was telling them was that because we are called to being one body of Christ, we have to let peace rule in our hearts – that is, let peace call the shots, not strife, contention, and division.
 
You see, church, as First Corinthians 14:33 teaches us – God is not a God of confusion but of peace. So if there’s confusion and a lack of peace, then God ain’t in it. No, if there is confusion present, then it’s because the God of peace is not present. Jehovah Shalom produces the exact opposite of confusion.
 
SHALOM ON THE INSIDE & THE OUTSIDE
 
So when it comes to this peace that God is and desires to give, where does He desire to impact us? 

I ask this question because there are certain ways that we tend to think of peace. For example, for most of us here in the United States, when we think of peace, we first think of that inner tranquility and peaceful state that frees us from anxiety, fear, etc. But how many of you know that this is not all that peace describes? Sure, it includes having peace on the inside (that is, in our soul, mind, etc.), but the peace that Jehovah Shalom provides is also peace on the outside. So it’s not one or the other, but rather, it’s having peace in both our inner life and our outward life.  
 
As we’ve seen already, shalom describes wholeness, soundness, and completion, and it implies having nothing missing and nothing broken. Therefore, we are not just talking about that inward, tranquil state of the soul; we are also referring to peace in every area of our lives from our relationships, our finances, and our health.
 
This peace on the outside might also be how we use it when it comes to wars & conflicts. So peace on the outside might be peace from war. But as we’ve seen, peace describes having anything in our lives made complete, whole, or sound. That could be our physical bodies, our bank accounts, our relationships, and the list could go on and on.
 
Let me show you a few Scriptures where the God of Peace is referred to as doing such:
 
One that we ought to be very familiar with as we spent months camping on it earlier this year is First Thessalonians 5:23. If you recall, this verse says, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
 
So notice that He is called the God of Peace, and what He is specifically stated to do is to sanctify us “completely” and that our “whole” spirit, soul, and body would be preserved blameless. What we see here is exactly what peace is stated to do – make everything “complete & whole.” And here it’s describing not just things on the inside of us like our spirit & soul; it includes our bodies as well.
 
Second Thessalonians 3:16 says, “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.”
 
So here the apostle Paul said that our Lord of Peace will give us peace always and in every way. That sounds to me like the peace He is affording us includes any parameter of time and every circumstance of life. Amen!
 
Hebrews 13:20-21 says, “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
 
Again, we see our God of peace making us “complete,” but this time, it is in every good work to do His will. So this is obviously talking about more than just spiritual & soulish things. This is talking about having “peace” in every good work.  
 
Finally, Romans 16:20 says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
 
Here the peace that God provides is said to crush Satan under our feet shortly. This is an obvious reference to the decimation of the devil and the kingdom of darkness when Jesus returns and puts His enemy under His feet.
 
Therefore, peace here describes an end to the battle between good & evil. It describes something similar to what we would describe as a people or place having peace because there is absence of war. And this is certainly something that peace produces – from total absence of warring & fighting to the end to all of the curse on the earth.
 
So all of this comprises what we’ve seen in all of God’s Names – Him being our Healer, our Provider, our Sanctifier, our Righteousness, etc. All of these Names describe shalom in the various areas of our life.
 
But I think we do well to spend some time talking about Him being Jehovah Shalom on the inside of us …
 
You know, there is a serious need for having peace in our hearts. If you’ve ever experienced this peace that I speak of, you know that it is one of the best feelings we can experience and one that money cannot buy.  
 
Well, as we’ve made the point of already, this shalom comes as a result of the presence of the Prince of Peace. I like to say it this way – the peace of God comes from the presence of the God of peace. So if we want to have peace on the inside, it can only come by the LORD taking up habitation in our heart.
 
Now that isn’t all there is to walking in God’s shalom. The Scriptures teach us about ways that you and I can tap into peace and a lot of these revolve around what we focus on and fill our minds with.
 
Philippians 4:6-7 teaches us how the peace of God will guard our hearts & minds and that is through us learning to cast all of those cares upon Him in prayer. Yes, by being thankful and taking everything to Him in prayer, we can experience more shalom in our lives.
 
But this ultimately revolves around the way we think. This is why Philippians 4:8 goes on to describe only thinking on things that yield peace. Saints, you show me a person who is filled with doubt, anxiety, fear, and turmoil and I’ll show you a person who has stinkin’ thinkin’. In other words, there is no one out there who mainly thinks on things that are true, lovely, noble, of good report, etc. that are riddled with negative emotions. Sure, there might be someone who is not mentally well, but even they are not thinking right, which yields the negative emotions.
 
I’m here to tell you, saints, where the mind goes, the man will follow. Yes, whatever we focus on in our hearts & minds is what will be produced in our souls. And I’m not necessarily referring to our lives replicating what we are specifically thinking on. That can certainly happen.
 
But let me give you a good example of what I’m talking about that most people struggle with:
 
Most people have no joy, are depressed, and have zero peace because their minds are always focused on themselves. Yes, they only think about things which concern themselves and you know this because this is all they talk about – themselves. It’s “me” in the morning, “myself” in the afternoon, and “I” in the evening. So many people spend all of their day thinking only on things which concern themselves, ranging from how they feel, what people aren’t doing for them, how they can be happy, etc., etc., etc. And I don’t think I need to tell you that this will only produce a fallen countenance. Why? Because we are not designed to have our minds full of ourselves. The LORD has designed us to be considering others and thinking about how we can love and bless them. Amen?
 
Let’s look at a verse that is a great example of how shalom comes into our inner lives…
 
Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
 
The fact the Bible says that He (the “You” here is Him), will keep us in perfect peace. Isn’t that what Philippians 4:7 says – that the peace of God will guard our hearts & minds in Christ Jesus? That means that it’s the peace itself, or rather the peace Himself, that will keep us in peace. But not just peace; perfect peace! And guess what Hebrew word Isaiah uses here – It’s shalom! But not shalom and some other word; He says, “shalom shalom” – thus the reason it’s translated as “perfect peace.”
 
So this isn’t just any old completeness, soundness, or wholeness; this is a complete, sound, and whole kind of completeness, soundness, and wholeness! Amen!
 
So how will the LORD of Peace be able to keep us in this perfect peace? It’s when those who trust in Him keep their mind stayed on Him!
 
You see, church, the key to having this peace is keeping our minds focused on the LORD. The Scriptures repeat this truth time and time again. Even in the New Testament, we are taught that to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6).
 
So if we are experiencing this shalom, we can conclude that we have evidently been keeping our minds stayed on the LORD and have been spiritually minded. On the flipside, if we are riddled with anxiety, fear, etc., then that means we haven’t been doing this. 
 
So Jehovah Shalom obviously desires for us to have nothing missing and nothing broken in every area of lives including our souls. And that’s exactly where this peace begins – in our heart, soul, and mind. Once we experience peace in there, finding peace on the outside becomes easier.
 
But it’s important to understand that this is His heart and who He is, church! He is shalom. He wants us whole. He wants us at rest. He wants us complete, sound, and entire – both on the inside and on the outside. He is our God of Peace, Jehovah Shalom!