Welcome back to our study of the Fruits of the Spirit. Last time we examined Fruits of the Spirit: Joy and how to have the type of joy commanded of us we have to be God-centered and God-focused. This week we examine a fruit of the Spirit desperately needed in this world – peace.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, PEACE, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against these, there is no law.
The word peace appears in the Scriptures 430 times. The word used for peace in the Greek and generally the only version of peace that appears in the New Testament is εἰρήνη or eirēnē. Eirēnē is derived from a primary verb εἴρω eírō which means to join. It is used 92 times in the New Testament and it is the word used in Galatians 5. The word “peace” comes from the Greek word eirene, the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word shalom, which expresses the idea of wholeness, completeness, or tranquility in the soul that is unaffected by the outward circumstances or pressures. The word eirene strongly suggests the rule of order in place of chaos (Renner, Rick. Sparkling Gems from the Greek., Teach All Nations, 2007.) When you closely examine the world in Strong’s, you find that the word appears in 26 of the 27 books in the New Testament (all but 1 John). When used it means:
- Harmonious relationships between men or nations
- friendliness
- Freedom from molestation
- Quietness
- Harmonious relationship with God because salvation offered through the Gospels
- Sense of rest and contentment or a state of tranquility
Our world is in desperate need of all of those things. To get a real-life look at what being a godly peacemaker looks like, let’s examine the story of Abigail in 1 Samuel 25. We really only read about Abigail in any in-depth way in this one story. Before you continue reading, I’d encourage you to take a break and go read the chapter because I’ll only provide a brief summary here.
David is still on the run from jealous King Saul and the great prophet and judge Samuel has died. After his death, David took refuge in the Wilderness of Paran. Immediately the readers are introduced to a man named Nabal and his wife Abigail. Now, Nabal is described as “harsh and evil” while his wife Abigail is described as “a woman of good understanding and beautiful in appearance.” David sends a messenger to Nabal asking for a share of his profits for his 3000 sheep. David tells Nabal those profits were made possible because he and his men protected Nabal’s shepherds as they worked with the animals on Mount Carmel. David makes no threat here nor is he attempting to blackmail or extort Nabal. This was simply a practice he and his men used to survive in the wilderness. And, without David’s protection, Nabal would have lost men and animals to thieves and raiding parties. David is simply trying to claim a share of the profits and celebrate with Nabal and his workers after such a profitable day.
But Nabal will have none of it. He insults David through David’s messenger and turns him away harshly. Angry and offended, David amasses his men to seek vengeance against Nabal. In comes Abigail. A servant rushed to tell Abigail how rudely and foolishly her husband acted toward David. She realized that her husband’s actions would lead to conflict. The Scriptures say “Abigail made haste” to act. She loaded 200 loaves of bread and a variety of foods and supplies on some donkeys and intervened. She did not tell her husband what she went to go do but instead acted in a way designed to keep peace between her harsh evil husband and David. When she arrived and saw David, she fell on her face and bowed down to the ground. She pled with David “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant.” Abigail proceeded to give a sincere and impassioned plea to David. She acknowledged that David was God’s anointed and asked David to place the sins of her husband on her. Finally, she kindly reminded David that it would be wrong and “bring him grief” to avenge himself and encouraged him to let the Lord take care of Nabal.
David is so moved by Abigail that he heeds her requests and tells her to go home in peace. The next day the Lord struck Nabal dead and when David heard of it he returned to Abigail and proposed to her and took her for his wife.
The story of Abigail is a real-life story of pursuing godly peace. Abigail lived in a hard situation. Her husband was harsh and acted wickedly yet she was a godly woman. When she heard about her husband’s sinful actions toward God’s anointed – David – she rushed to intervene. Not for her own glory or for her own pursuits but for her sinful husband and for David himself. She was willing to take on the punishment for her husband’s sinful actions if it kept David from taking vengeance on his own. She also was brave enough to remind David that he should allow God to take care of Nabal.
Being a peacemaker doesn’t mean tolerating evil or looking the other way or avoiding conflict. In fact, Abigail did the opposite of all these things. She ran to danger, openly spoke about the situation, and even gave uncomfortable truths to David. She was always humble and respectful – even though she was in no way responsible for the situation. She pursued peace not for her own safety but for God and his anointed – King David. She knew God would not want David intervening so she acted and when she acted it was in a calm, friendly, harmonious, and humble way.
This is peace in action.
Being peaceful is NOT only just a state of mind – it is also an action. And the Scriptures are full of insights into not only being at peace but living in peace.
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. – Matthew 5:9
- Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. – II Corinthians 13:11
- They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. – I Peter 3:11
- Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4: 6 – 7
- Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:15
- Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, – Romans 5:1
- and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.– Ephesians 6:15
- Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. – Hebrews 12:14
- May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. – I Thessalonians 5:23
- If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. – Romans 12:18
- Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. – Psalm 34:14
We have internal peace by yielding our lives to God who is the God of peace. Our minds can have peace because we trust God to take care of sour souls.
Once we have the peace of God, it is easier to try to live peaceably with all men. Do we tolerate evil or look the other way? No. Abigail didn’t. Do we act pridefully when we’ve done nothing wrong in a tense situation? No. Abigail didn’t. Do we ignore conflict when it arises and think “not my problem?” No. Abigail didn’t.
Abigail sought to renew peace. She also sought to help David keep his internal peace with God. Ultimately that should be our motive in all situations of conflict whether we are directly or indirectly involved. Abigail intervened to create a peaceful godly solution AND to help others restore or establish their peace within God. Her story is the very embodiment of Psalm 34:14. Abigail turned away evil and did good for God. She sought peace and actively pursued it.
Questions to ponder:
- Are you at peace with God?
- Have you given control of our life and soul to God?
- Do you try to live peacefully with others – even when it is hard or not your fault?
- How can you incorporate the fruit of peace into your daily life?
Ultimately, Christ is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) – the only son of Jehovah – the God of Peace (1 Thessalonians). There is only one way to be part of this peace-filled and peace-giving family…
We are called by the Prince of Peace to be peacemakers so we too can be called children of God.
Adonai's Appeal 