WiseReader

Years earlier he had lost his favorite son, Joseph. And now, as famine stalked the land, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt where, he had heard, food could be purchased. When they returned with desperately needed food, Jacob discovered one of his sons, Simeon, had been detained.

And as if this was not trouble enough, Jacob despaired to learn that Simeon would not be released until Benjamin, Jacob’s youngest son, was brought down to Egypt. Past sorrow and future dread erupted as he cried,

Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me (Genesis 42:36).

With no ability to see beyond the present, it is easy to collapse in despair as circumstances turn against us. Jacob had lost his favorite son, famine ravaged his land and livestock, Simeon was taken away and Egypt was determined to rob him of his youngest son. What could he do? Where could he turn?

In light of his circumstances, imagine Jacob’s response, had he heard Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonian believers:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

When everything goes wrong, what sense does it make to be joyful, prayerful and thankful Like Jacob, we too face a world wracked with problems: floods, famines, earthquakes, wars, terrorism, sickness and death. As one person put it,

Life is hard, then you die.

Frankly, if what we see here and now is all there is to life, then Paul’s words are sheer nonsense. Or as Solomon observed:

…it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:17).

But there is more to life than what we see, which is why Paul’s words are wise counsel. What Jacob did not know - could not know - is that Joseph’s disappearance many years earlier, the seven year famine, Simeon’s detention and the demand that Benjamin be brought to Egypt were all part of God’s unseen plan to preserve Jacob’s family. Jacob was dead wrong in his despair. The events causing him to cry

everything is against me

were really proof that God was for him.

Returning to Paul’s exhortation, believers whose lives are built around prayerful communion with God find a joy and peace that is beyond understanding. These are Christians who understand that daily communion with God helps keep temporal and spiritual values in balance. They realize that the aggravations of life are but a

temporary part of a larger plan for our spiritual well-being (Robert L. Thomas, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 11, p.291).

When faced with the inevitable quandaries of life, I often reflect on the words of the late Ruth Robins, one of my instructors when a student at New Brunswick Bible Institute many years ago:

Those who see God’s hand in everything are content to leave everything in God’s hands.

 In that moment when Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden fruit, turmoil entered our world. With little respite, the story of humanity is rife with strife of every kind.Imagine the thoughts of those shepherds keeping watch over their flocks that dark night outside ancient Bethlehem. With fellow citizens, they languished under the occupying hand of Rome knowing little of the peace and joy spoken of by the angels who announced the birth of Jesus singing: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace toward men of good will.” (Luke 2:14). That night Isaiah’s great prophecy was fulfilled. The Messiah was born; the “Prince of Peace” had come (Isaiah 9:6).

When speaking to his disciples just before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you…” (John 14:27). He knew he was soon to leave his disciples and he was preparing them for his departure by promising them that the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit of God. All who have trusted Jesus as Lord and Saviour know what it is to have the peace of God ruling in their hearts and lives. There are numerous NT references to the role of peace in a Christian’s life. We have “peace with God” through faith in Jesus (Romans 5:1), and as we faithfully entrust our daily concerns to the Lord, we enjoy the “peace of God” (Philippians 4:6-7).

But have you ever compared these promises of peace with something Jesus said that seems to run in the opposite direction? “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:24). Luke will substitute “division” for “sword” in his account (Luke 12:51).

Why would Jesus say such a thing? And if he really did bring division, how could the Apostle Paul write that Jesus is our peace, that he removed the “middle wall of division” separating Jew and Gentile in order to “create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Ephesians 2:14-15)?

The late F.F. Bruce, a well-respected Bible scholar, says this about the “division” Jesus brings. “When Jesus said that he had come to bring ‘not peace but a sword’, he meant that this would be the effect of his coming, not that it was the purpose of his coming” (The Hard Sayings of Jesus, IVP, 1983).

Even a casual perusal of history will support Bruce’s conclusion. Allegiance to Jesus very often causes conflict - conflict with friends and neighbours, and sometimes within families. Thousands upon thousands of Christians have suffered for their faith, but they have done so with an inner peace that the world cannot understand, nor can they take away.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and though this world still rages, one day he will return to this earth to welcome his people to live forever in that new Heaven and earth where all will be right and peaceful.