Isaiah 26:3 and God's Peace, Blessings, and Shalom -- The Meaning of Shalom 🎼

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Isaiah 26:3 and God's Peace or Shalom -- The Meaning of Shalom

Isaiah 26:3-4 

"[3] Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
[4] Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:"

The Hebrew word for peace in Isaiah 26:3 is shalom (Strong's #7965).
According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, shalom means: 

"well, favor, ... good health, perfect,

Or shalom {shaw-lome'}; from shalam; safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. Health, prosperity, peace ... rest, safe(-ty), ..., welfare, ... wholly."


According to Webster's 1828 dictionary, welfare means: "1. ... the enjoyment of health and the common blessings of life ; prosperity ; happiness ; ..." (Webster)

God wants us to experience an abundant life in the spiritual realm, most importantly. Then, God desires us to also have emotional peace and blessings in close fellowship (koinónia) with Him, primarily, and then with people (i.e. believers). Finally, God desires us to have physical blessings, which would be used unselfishly for His glory and His Kingdom. 

God is not going to lavish on His children physical riches when they need spiritual riches. From the scriptures, we see that physical riches come when the person is ready, and when they are used unselfishly for God's glory.

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Abba God's Love for Us (in Hebrew Words) 🎶 Chashaq (Desire, Delight, Be Attached To, Affection, Love)

(The prodigal son is embraced by his father. See Luke 15.
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Chashaq (khaw-shak') in Deuteronomy 7:7

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 -- "[7] The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye [were] the fewest of all people: [8] But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." 

➽ The word for love in Deuteronomy 7:7 is chashaq (Strong's #2836) in Hebrew. Brown-Driver-Briggs defines chashaq as: "... verb be attached to, love (... press together, desire ...)"

➽ NAS Exhaustive Concordance defines chashaq as: "...have a desire (1), ... , longs (1), loved (1), pleased* (2), set his affection (1), set his love (1)."

Abba God's Love for Us (in Hebrew Words) 🎵 Aheb (The Affectionate Love and Friendship Love of God) (God's Unchanging Love)

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➽ Aheb (aw-hab') in Deuteronomy 7:13

Deuteronomy 7:12-13 -- “[12] Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:

(The prodigal son is embraced by his father. See Luke 15.
 Click for source.)

[13] And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.”

The word love is aheb (aw-hab') in Hebrew. According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the Hebrew word aheb (Strong’s #157) includes "... beloved like, friend ... to have affection for ..." in its definition.

Abba God's Love for Us (in Hebrew Words) 🌐 Checed (Lovingkindness) (Psalm 36:7) (The Wings of God) (Love)

(The prodigal son is embraced by his father.
See Luke 15.
 Click for source.)

➢ Checed (kheh'-sed) in Psalm 36:7

Psalm 36:7 -- “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.”

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about God's love in Hebrew and Greek words.)

The word lovingkindness is checed (kheh'-sed) in Hebrew. According to NAS Exhaustive Concordance, the Hebrew word checed (Strong’s #2617) includes lovingkindness, lovingkindnesses, unchanging love, devotion, favor, kindnesses, deeds of devotion, mercies, loyalty, and goodness in its definition. (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance includes pity as well.)

The Father of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) (God's Love) (God's Grace) (God's Compassion) (God's Forgiveness)

(The prodigal son and his father meet. Click for source.)

The Father of the Prodigal Son

I am writing this article as a Protestant who cares for Catholics and anyone who believes that it is necessary for them to perform for God's love or do works in order to be forgiven and cleansed from sin. 

Some people (both Protestants and Catholics) hold onto a wrong view of God that when they sin and repent, that somehow God would expect them to perform "penances," or acts to help pay for their sin, or works to bring them back to a "right standing" with God. Some believe they should confess their sins to a spiritual leader (such as a priest). But, what does the Bible say about this?

The Bible Has the Answer

(Bible. Click for source.)

James 5:16 says: "[16] Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

If someone has wronged you (such as spoken evil of you), he or she should confess that sin to you and ask your forgiveness. And, vice versa. This is not speaking about going to a person (or a priest) to confess one's sins to. If Jim gossiped about Bill, behind his back, he should confess his sin to Bill and ask for forgiveness. Likewise, Bill should do the same to Jim if Bill had mistreated Jim.