Scripture: 1 Samuel 20:42
Jonathan said to David, decease “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’

Thought for the Day: The word in the Bible translated as “peace” is shalom in the Old Testament. But the word itself is a symbol for a many-layered concept. Today, we tend to think of peace as a time without conflict. But for the people who wrote and read the Bible thousands of years ago, shalom was about harmony with friends, enemies, and God. Treaties like the one between Jonathan and David, meant that not only did two kingdoms stop fighting; they also agreed to come to each other’s aid in times of need.

Shalom is not a tenuous peace, it is a sense of deep respect for each other as equal children of God. Real peace–real shalom, implies obligation to each other. It’s the sort of peace we are called to exhibit as we follow the Most Peaceful One on his way into Jerusalem, possibly one of the least peaceful places on earth, then and now.

Prayer: In you I am strong enough to follow in the way of peace, God who is the embodiment of shalom. Amen.