“The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.” Judges 6:11 (NIV)

Key points

• When Judges 6 was written, Israel was living in fear of the Midianites.
• Jehovah Shalom means ‘the Lord is peace’ and identifies God as the source of ultimate completeness and harmony.
• Listen to the Names of God (Old Testament) series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.

Read Judges 6.

When Judges 6 was written, Israel was living in fear of the Midianites.

Their fear changed the way they lived as we see Gideon threshing wheat in the weirdest of places – in a winepress.

We also read of him hiding in mountains and caves (6:2).

They were living in such oppression as they hid from their enemies.

Gideon and the Israelites saw this oppression as God abandoning them (6:13), yet God saw it as a consequence of their repetitive idolatry and rebellion.

When Judges 6 was written, Israel was living in fear of the Midianites.

As they worshipped the Midianite gods, God handed them over to what they so greatly desired.

Gideon cried out to God (6:6) and the Bible is full of this language.

The book of Judges especially so with its unique repeated pattern of sin, judgement, repentance, deliverance.

God called Gideon (through an angel of the Lord) who admitted he was from the weakest clan and was the least in his family.

Sound familiar?

Jehovah Shalom means ‘the Lord is peace’ and identifies God as the source of ultimate completeness and harmony.

‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble’ (1 Peter 5:5).

He uses the lowly to bring about salvation and freedom time and time again, especially in His Son, Jesus, who died to redeem all of creation.

Jehovah Shalom means ‘the Lord is peace’.

It identifies God as the source of ultimate completeness and harmony.

We are called to be agents of peace (1 Peter 3:8) as we humble ourselves before Him, knowing that He has already overcome the world and will one day bring complete peace.

Listen to this episode in the player above.

Names of God (Old Testament) is a seven-week series. God has many different names in the Bible. This Real Hope podcast and article series explores seven names which are found in the Old Testament: Jehovah-Rohi, Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rapha, Jehovah-Nissi, Jehovah-Shalom, Jehovah-Tsidkenu and Jehovah-Shammah.

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Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro

Episode supplied with thanks to Bree Bond.

Originally published as ‘Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord Who Is Peace’ in Real Hope, September-October 2024.