Torah Friendly Teaching
|
Torah Friendly Teaching
|
![]() Thoughts on Davidic Kingship. This week we’ll continue with our discussion of Reaching the Full Stature of the Messiah and consider being a King of Peace. We could have made a Part IV under Davidic Kingship to consider being a King of Peace, but it deserves its own billing. Another responsibility of those who Reach the Full stature of the Messiah is to build peace in a community (and also fathers in their families). In this review, we’ll look at the concept of establishing peace, scriptural examples of individuals that were known for establishing peace, and four areas of application for establishing peace. The Process of Perfection Our Process of Perfection looks like this: Individual Salvation Born Again (Redemption / Sanctification) Born of the Blood / Born of the Water > Keeps the Commandments > Born of God/Spirit Married Exaltation Going Onto Perfection Becoming Perfect > Reaches the Full Stature of Messiah > Sees God the Son Peace Introduction We see in the scriptures that peace is a primary aspect of the government of God. Isaiah records, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end,“ Isaiah 9:7 So we see that peace is a key aspect of a Godly society. John Rushdoony wrote, “Violent marches for peace are a common fact today. Our cities are being attacked, public buildings bombed, and the police assaulted by our modern peace lovers. The Bible makes clear that peace is not a matter of politics but of religion, more specifically, of Jesus Christ. Peace is a product of an inward character; it goes together with righteousness and truth. In the prophecy of the coming of Christ, Isaiah declared that there would be no end to the increase of Christ’s peace (Isa. 9:7). All other forms of peace, because they are fraudulent and are never true peace, shall fail.” The Prince of Peace, by Nordskog Publishing on December 4, 2015 in Publisher’s Corner. The Bible defines peace as the opposite of confusion or a state of order and clarity. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace" - 1 Cor. 14:33. We can also see in the scriptures that peace is also a state of harmony and devoid of discord. As one of the things that the Lord hates, sowing discord or strife is primary. Solomon wrote, "There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:… And one who spreads strife among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19 So peace is to establish order, clarity and harmony. Yeshua, Our Model for Establishing Peace More has been written in the scriptures about Jehovah/Yeshua establishing peace than any other individuals. Here are a few quotes about Yeshua establishing peace. “The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;” John 14:27 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.” John 16:33 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” 1 Cor 14:33 “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thess 3:16 Moreover, we see that Melchizedek (aka Shem) was also called a King of Peace - Hebrews 7:2. Four Modes for Establishing Peace The Scriptures outline four ways to establish peace: Creating Order Establishing the Law Teaching the Truth Building Social Harmony Making Order and Establishing Peace One of the first things that God commanded of Adam was to dress and keep the Garden or in other words to create and maintain order. Arthur Hertzberg wrote in his book, Judaism, “To be like God…means to be His partner in ruling the world and in carrying forward the work of making order,…” (p. 178). We also see this same idea set out in the ninth chapter of Isaiah, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it," Isaiah 9:7 So we can see here that creating and maintaining order can create peace. Establishing the Law and Establishing Peace We also see in the scriptures that another way to establish peace is to establish God’s covenants and commandments. One way this is accomplished in a covenant community is being the judge of the Law in a community. King David wrote, “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” Psalm 119:165 We also see this again with Isaiah at 9:7 “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice (the Law) from that time forward, even forever” And at Isaiah 32:16, "So shall justice inhabit the desert, and righteousness abide in the farmland. And the effect of justice (the Law) shall be peace, and the result of righteousness an assured calm forever." Teaching the Truth and Establishing Peace Teaching the truth is typically a priesthood responsibility, but we included it here because it fits into the theme of our discussion. In the Post, Five Keys for Receiving Divine Truth, we set out the concept that when we receive truth, the Spirit would bear witness of the truth with a sense of calm and contentment and not confusion or discontentment. In that post we noted that peace personified not only Yeshua, but the Holy Spirit when it descended on Yeshua in the form of a dove - a sign of peace - and as one of the fruits of the Spirit. Gal 5:22. Building Social Harmony and Establishing Peace Our last mode for establishing peace is to build Social Harmony. Social Harmony can be built as we refrain from evil speaking and implement conflict resolution practices. "To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people." Titus 3:2 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29 "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;" 1 Peter 3:8-10 So this is what our summary looks like,
Enjoy this Song: Oseh Shalom (He who makes Peace) Next Post in two weeks.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
February 2021
Categories |