Today’s Word study is for those who love God’s Chosen People, for those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, who aren’t afraid in today’s anti-semitic landscape to observe and positively act on the declaration God gave to Abraham:
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We know from reading through the Scriptures, that the prophecy contained in this verse would come to pass when Jesus came to earth. God the Son, second member of the Godhead, showed us how to live, then died for the sins of all mankind, rising again to grant all who repent, eternity with Him, escaping the clutches hell and the death penalty for their sins, granting life to all who would come to Him no matter where they live in the world! John 3:16 wraps up the entire Gospel message in a nutshell when it says:
John 3:16-21 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
When a prominent Pharisee had questioned Jesus about this, Jesus replied:
John 3:3-8 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Peter, one of the 12 disciples, would later write:
1 Peter 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1 Peter 1:8-12 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
1 Peter 1:18-23 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Paul writes to the believers in Rome, saying:
Romans 10:5-13 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This is how Abraham’s seed would bless every family on earth, no matter where they lived or even when they would live.
Returning now to events back in Genesis, time had passed and Abraham had not yet had the son God had promised, so his name is still recorded as Abram at this time. This is the first recorded tithe in Scripture, and it happened before the Mosaic Law was given. Many will try to claim that tithing places one under the Law, making their salvation moot, but here we see that tithing occurred before the Law was ever given.
Genesis 14:18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
The issue of tithing will now be set aside, as the focus shifts to the word study around another directive that involves the city of Salem, it’s king, and Abraham’s blessing to the world. Hebrew definitions will come from the Strong’s Hebrew Interlinear. So in the above passage, we are introduced to Melchizedek, King of Salem.
Salem
H8004
shâlêm
shaw-lame’
The same as H8003; peaceful; Shalem, an early name of Jerusalem: – Salem.
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H8003
shâlêm
shaw-lame’
From H7999; complete (literally or figuratively); especially friendly. (shalem used by mistake for a name.): – full, just, made ready, peaceable, perfect (-ed), quiet, Shalem [by mistake for a name], whole.
Total KJV occurrences: 28
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H7999
shâlam
shaw-lam’
A primitive root; to be safe (in mind, body or estate); figuratively to be (causatively make) completed; by implication to be friendly; by extension to reciprocate (in various applications): – make amends, (make an) end, finish, full, give again, make good, (re-) pay (again), (make) (to) (be at) peace (-able), that is perfect, perform, (make) prosper (-ous), recompense, render, requite, make restitution, restore, reward, X surely.
Total KJV occurrences: 116
From the definitions given above, it is safe to call Melchizedek, the King of Peace. Hold onto that thought as we read three more passages of Scripture:
Psalms 76:1-2 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph. In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. 2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
Now, the author of Hebrews is often conjectured to be Priscilla, wife of Aquila who as a couple had taken Paul into their home and allowed him to make and sell tents with them, while discipling him in the early years of his faith. The wording in the original Greek sounds much like Paul, while having a different flavour to their writing, leading theologians to wonder if Priscilla wrote this book of the Bible. It is otherwise attributed to Paul because of how similar it’s writing style is to how he communicates. The major difference is who is being written to. This book of the New Testament was written to Jewish believers. They write:
Hebrews 7:1-4 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. 4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Without father, mother, geneology, known start or end of life. Hmmm!!! Notice how this writer refers to the King of Salem as the King of Peace.
The prophet Isaiah would write several hundred years before Jesus was born:
Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Let’s look at a couple words here in their original Hebrew, beginning with the word:
Prince:
śar
sar
From H8323; a head person (of any rank or class): – captain (that had rule), chief (captain), general, governor, keeper, lord, ([-task-]) master, prince (-ipal), ruler, steward.
Total KJV occurrences: 421
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Peace
shâlôm shâlôm
shaw-lome’, shaw-lome’
From H7999; safe, that is, (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, that is, health, prosperity, peace: – X do, familiar, X fare, favour, + friend, X greet, (good) health, (X perfect, such as be at) peace (-able, -ably), prosper (-ity, -ous), rest, safe (-ly), salute, welfare, (X all is, be) well, X wholly.
Total KJV occurrences: 236
Now lets look at another directive in Scripture, this time in the Psalms, given to the pen of King David. Several authors feature in the Psalms, but most of them are written by David, as is Psalm 122:
Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
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Pray
shâ’al shâ’êl
shaw-al’, shaw-ale’
A primitive root; to inquire; by implication to request; by extension to demand: – ask (counsel, on), beg, borrow, lay to charge, consult, demand, desire, X earnestly, enquire, + greet, obtain leave, lend, pray, request, require, + salute, X straitly, X surely, wish.
Total KJV occurrences: 172
I now want to pull closer together, several words and phrases from the various definitions we’ve briefly looked at above:
Peace: (different definition types each starting a new line)
Salem:
- peaceful; Shalem, an early name of Jerusalem
- complete, friendly, full, just, made ready, peaceable, perfect (-ed), quiet, whole
- to be safe (in mind, body or estate), make amends, (make an) end, finish,make good, (re-) pay, (be at) peace (-able), that is perfect, perform, (make) prosper (-ous), recompense, render, requite, make restitution, restore, reward,
- well, happy, health, prosperity, favour, rest safe (-ly), salute (the greeting Shalom)
Prince:
- a head person, captain, chief, general, governor, keeper, lord, master, prince (-ipal), ruler, steward.
Pray:
- to inquire, to request, to demand: – ask (counsel, on), beg, borrow, lay to charge, consult, demand, desire, earnestly enquire, greet, obtain leave, lend, pray, request, require, salute
Its been awhile since I last looked at the Hebrew definition for the word “Pray”, and it totally fits with a paraphrase of Psalm 122:6 that’s been floating around my head in recent days. This isn’t a paraphrase in any official published book, just a thought:
Could this verse be reworded to express: Call for Jesus of Jerusalem, they will prosper who love thee. In other words, cry out to the Prince of Peace, the King of Peace, they will experience the results of that peace who love Him.
Jesus Himself says:
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
It’s been said there is no safer place to be than in the center of God’s will. Safety is one of the definitions of Peace. But look at some of the other definitions now. Who came to make amends for our sin in our place? Who came to make us whole in mind, body and spirit? Who made restitution for our sins? Who took it upon Himself to restore us to the Father? Who will be coming again with his rewards in His hand?
Revelation 22:12-13 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Who grants us favour with God? Who offers us eternal rest?
Hebrews 4:8-16 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Indeed it is Jesus Christ and Him crucified and Risen into Glory who offers us a peace the world knows nothing about!
Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Many have taken the verse in Psalm 122:6 to mean that we should pray for peace as in quietness and safety, to fall upon and protect the city of Jerusalem. However, I believe this little verse is saying so much more than that! It is telling us to call for and call out to the Prince of Peace and stating that those who do so will benefit because they love Him.
EDIT September 9, 2024
A devotional written by Amir Tsarfati and Barry Stagner includes this while talking about the 70th week of the prophecy God had given to Daniel. They quote Hosea first:
“Hosea 5:15: I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.
“The seventieth week of Daniel is a time when God is dealing with the nation of Israel, Daniel’s people, and the city of Jerusalem. It is specific to them as a time of affliction that will cause the earnest seeking of the One they have long rejected.”
“That means it will happen. I’m going back and I’ll wait for them. Jesus said, “I’m not coming back to Jerusalem until you say.” Israel must come back to Him for Him to return to Jerusalem. Do you understand that?”
“If you are saying that God is done with Israel, Jesus can never come back. Literally, He’s a liar because He said, “I won’t come back until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” So, “I will return again to My place until they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face. And in their affliction, they will earnestly seek Me.” See what the Tribulation is going to do to Israel? The Tribulation will lead to Israel’s salvation.
Matthew 23:38-39, “See, your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
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