This book had to be written. As I have studied and meditated on the Biblical theme of shalom over the last five years, my conviction grew that I could not keep to myself all the exciting insights I was gaining. They had to be shared with others. Although I had the privilege of being born and raised in a Christian home and educated in quality Christian schools from third grade through college, my study opened up new and refreshing dimensions of Scripture I had never seen before. This book is an attempt to share what I have learned.
The origin of my study goes back to “The Church and Peacemaking in a Nuclear Age” conference held in Pasadena in May 1983. In order to prepare for that conference and to aid my work as the editor of the conference proceedings (Perspectives on Peacemaking: Biblical Options in the Nuclear Age, Regal Books, 1984), I began a concentrated study of the Biblical concept of peace. My professional training is in the field of international politics, so this Biblical study had direct relevance to my work as well. I had come to the conviction that I was going to spend as much time reading and studying God’s Word as I did developing my professional competence. A Biblical study of peace neatly impacted both my understanding of political life and personal spiritual development.
The key resource that launched my study was Donald E. Gowan’s Shalom: A Study of the Biblical Concept of Peace (Pittsburgh, PA: Kerygma Program, 1984). This study guide first opened up for me the riches of God’s word on the theme of peace. From there, it was possible to pursue further study with the aid of additional resources, including Bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, commentaries, and monographs. I was excited when I learned how much a layperson without knowledge of Biblical languages can gain from publications and study tools by serious Biblical scholars. This study is possible because of the richness of the Biblical study aids available to the average person. Perhaps the most helpful study guide was The New International Version Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1985) which proved to be a marvelous reference.
This devotional guide is written by a layperson for other laypersons. I am not seminary trained, as noted earlier. My graduate training and professional experience is in international politics, first as a Foreign Service officer and now as a college teacher. The insights that I gained from this study I desire to share with other ordinary Christians, the people who labor in the marketplace or at home every day and seek to be witnesses for Jesus Christ in the world of their family, neighborhood, and workplace.
The structure of this devotional guide is simple. There is a central theme for each of the sixteen weeks, which is briefly introduced at the beginning of each week. Various aspects of that theme are the subject of the seven daily readings for that week. Each daily entry has a Biblical text, a brief commentary that explains the context for these verses and focuses on the relevant theme of that week, and a short prayer. The daily commentaries cannot possibly address all the subjects of interest in each passage, but serve only to focus the reader’s attention. Chapters 1 to 5 trace the Biblical concept of peace throughout the whole of Scripture, beginning with the Old Testament and ending with the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament. Chapter 6, which covers a month of devotional readings, reorganizes the insights gained from the first five chapters into a fourfold understanding of peace: peace with nature, peace in society, peace with ourselves, and peace with God. The final chapter, Chapter 7, offers practical instructions for living a life of peace as a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
In my effort to reveal the full counsel of God on this subject of peace, controversial texts have not been avoided. As a result, this guide is not a book of soothing devotionals, but rather a survey of Biblical truth in all its fullness. Because it is a survey organized in a devotional format, it is not a definitive study on shalom that answers all the questions and resolves all the dilemmas. The God of peace is portrayed as a “warrior.” Shalom is described as a gift of God, yet we are instructed to work for peace. These tensions in Scripture are not easily resolved, and this book does not attempt to resolve them. Nor are they ignored. Hopefully, the truth of God’s Word will encourage the reader to further study. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16, NIV). This book is grounded in the conviction that these words are true and that Biblical instruction about shalom is foundational for living the Christian life.
Dr. John A. Bernbaum
Wheaton, Maryland