"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."
Hebrews 13:20-21
Part 1
Today: Do You Know the God of Peace?
The writer of Hebrews is closing out his letter with a blessing for the readers in verses 20-21 (Hebrews 13). His approach reminds us of the priest’s blessing in Numbers 6:22-27.[1]
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.”
Hebrews’ benediction is pulling together some of the themes that are in the letter. The prayer is that the believers of this New Covenant will be well prepared through Christ for their New Testament living. Note these six themes he presents here – “peace, blood, covenant, Resurrection, Shepherd,” and to “equip”[2] believers.
“Now the God of peace.”
It is God who is the Creator of peace. He is the foundation, source, and supplier of peace. Without Him, there is no peace.
Since their salvation, this Hebrew target audience has been beset by Judaizers[3]. They try their best to preserve the Old Testament ways of their religion and stir up problems for believers. It “was calculated to sow seeds of discord among them, of disobedience to their pastors (Hebrews 13:17), and of alienation towards Paul.”[4] They were anything but peaceful.
“The Peace of God” is spoken of many times through the New Testament,[5] it is something that only He could provide. Believers, we need to remember our duty to preserve and protect the “peace” and that “perfect unity” that Jesus has given to us, His followers (John 17:21-23). Jesus told us,
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
“If God be our God, He will give us peace in trouble. When there is a storm without, He will make peace within. The world can create trouble in peace, but God can create peace in trouble”[6] (Thomas Watson).
In this old, sinful world, not having peace with this world’s system is “normal” for God’s child. It is never “normal” or suitable for the believer or the Church to be without peace in them.
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Believers, we understand that if there is no peace in our hearts, nor peace in His Church, it is not God’s fault! He has provided for both!
Please come back tomorrow when we pay attention to the fact that it is “the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.” See you then.
Quote: “Because of the empty tomb, we have peace. Because of His resurrection, we can have peace during even the most troubling of times because we know He is in control of all that happens in the world”[7] (Paul Chappell).
[1] See the Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Hebrews 13:20.
[2] Hodges, Z. C. (1985). Hebrews. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 812). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] The Judaizers demanded “circumcision” of all male believers. They wanted to enforce select parts of the Old Testament law. They were not satisfied that Christ paid man’s sin debt. They insisted on adding “work” to the believer’s salvation. Please read Ephesians 2:13-17.
[4] Jamison, Fausset, and Brown. Jamison-Fausset-Brown’s Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Hebrews 13:20. “…alienation towards Paul” or whoever the author of Hebrews is. ?
[5] “God of Peace,” in the New Testament: Philippians 4:9. 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Hebrews 13:20. “Peace of God,” in the New Testament: Romans 15:33; 16:20. 1 Corinthians 14:33. 2 Corinthians 13:11. Philippians 4:7. Colossians 3:15. “Peace from God,” in the New Testament: Romans 1:7. 1 Corinthians 1:3. 2 Corinthians 1:2. Galatians 1:3. Ephesians 1:2; 6:23. Philippians 1:2. Colossians 1:2. 1 Thessalonians 1:1. 2 Thessalonians 1:2. 1 Timothy 1:2. 2 Timothy 1:2. Titus 1:4. Philemon 1:3. 2 John 1:3.
[6] Watson’s quote Downloaded: Saturday, April 17, 2021. From: https://www.christianquotes.info/top-quotes/19-beautiful-quotes-about-gods-peace/.
[7] Chappell’s quote Downloaded: Saturday, April 17, 2021. From: https://www.christianquotes.info/top-quotes/19-beautiful-quotes-about-gods-peace/.