Let me introduce you to a beautiful Hebrew verb from your Old Testament.
The verb is Shalam. It’s linked to the well-known noun shalom (peace, wholeness, well-being). It’s used in many and surprising ways throughout Scripture. I am going to propose that it is a wonderful verb to describe the mission of God in Christ – to make right, to restore, to make whole, to bring security, to bring to completion, to perfect.
In fact, I think (and I can’t prove it) that the final words of Jesus on the Cross, “It is finished,” which were recorded for us in Greek, if they had been spoken in Hebrew would have been “it is shalam-ed” – paid in full, brought to completion, resolved, made peaceful, reconciled, settled.
Let’s explore this verb together.
In Exodus it is used often for “making restitution.” For example,
Exodus 21:33-34 “When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restoration (shalam). He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.
Restitution was a key element of the Israelite justice system. At Sinai, immediately after the Ten Commandments, God spoke to his people at length about the foundational role of restitution for wrongs in their nascent society. It’s not enough to feel sorry, things must be made right.
In an honour-based society, the wrong-doing creates a sort of imbalance, and something practical must be done to restore balance (shalom) to the relationship. Here, shalam means so much more than paying money to the aggrieved party. The goal is a settling the score in order to restore the relationship, for the sake of the well-being or wholeness of the community.
In Joshua, it’s used frequently of making peace between nations – a ceasefire, a peace accord.
Joshua 10:1 the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace (shalam) with Israel and were among them,
In building projects, it’s used of bringing to completion, of perfecting the building:
1Kings 7:51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the LORD was finished (shalam).
Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished (shalam) on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.
With both Solomon’s temple and Nehemiah’s Jerusalem, the completion of the building signified more than just “job done.” A divine purpose had been fulfilled, promising peace, security and a future to God’s people.
In Ruth, it is used to describe God making right Ruth’s situation.
Ruth 2:12 The LORD repay (salam) you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”
The meaning here is more than “repay.” It is about God fixing what is broken in Ruth’s situation as a vulnerable refugee, God establishing security and a future for her, which he does through the courage of Boaz, by bringing her into the family.
In Job, it’s used about God fulfilling his purpose;
Job 23:14 For he will complete (shalam) what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.
For suffering Job, this is an articulation of hope in a God who finishes what he has started and fulfils what he has purposed.
In the Psalms and the Prophets, it’s used to describe fulfilling a vow to God:
Psalm 22:25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform (shalam) before those who fear him.
Jonah 2:9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay (shalam). Salvation belongs to the LORD!”
In Joel, it is used to describe restoring what has been lost.
Joel 2:25 I will restore to you (shalam) the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.
And so this verb shalam tells of a God who wants to make things right. The great purpose of God is to restore what has been lost, to bring to completion that which is unfinished, to settle what is left un-dealt-with, to broker peace between enemies, to provide security for the vulnerable, to fulfil his purpose and to perfect his work.
God’s mission is to bring wholeness, rest, and peace. And we have the privilege of joining him in this great work!
Let us dedicate our lives to the service of the God who makes things right.
Andy McCullough leads the team that leads the Unreached Network, which facilitates good practice conversations in cross-cultural mission across the Newfrontiers family.
