TIES THAT BIND: THE MEANING OF PEACE

This post is a word study on the New Testament word for “peace.” Given the polarized state of the nation in 2024, it is imperative that we all give the next President of the U.S. a chance, regardless of our personal opinions. In this sense the party out of power becomes part of what is known as the “loyal opposition.” The country needs a healing and this will not happen overnight. This post examines those ties that bind and the meaning of peace.

The word for “peace” in the Hebrew language is, of course, shalom, a word most of us are familiar with. The primary meaning of shalom is “prosperity” and “health,” which make shalom a good substitute to its Greek cousin eirene. In Hebrew (particularly in the Old Testament), you cannot separate the word from its Messianic context, because the Jews in ancient times saw perfect harmony or prosperity only in the future reign of the Messiah. In that regard, it matches the usage of the Greek equivalent eirene in the New Testament.

We might think of peace as the absence of war, and in classical literature it frequently refers to that. But confining the term to harmonious relations between nations is a very daunting task and not the deeper meaning or intent of the word. The etymology of the Greek word for peace “eἰρήνη” (eirene) is not entirely clear, but it is believed to be derived from a Proto Indo-European root that is associated with concepts of “joining or binding together,” which aligns with the idea of “peace as a state of unity and harmony.”¹ Other interpretations refer to the “bringing together that which has been or is separated.” For example, peace between a mother and daughter. Or, peace between an estranged couple. Or, peace between God and His people.

This reminds me of the Germanic (including the English, Norse and Scottish) ceremony of betrothal known as handfasting. Yet, those who understand this mutual binding of the bride and groom’s hand as part of the marriage ceremony are not in error, become in some primitive societies, this was, in fact, a marriage ritual. Be that as it may, it suggests that two are now one, inseparable, entwined. It is perhaps from this act that the phrase “tying the knot” comes from.

In the Greek Old Testament, eirene conveys a sense of health and well-being in references between God and Man. In life, there are healthy relationships and there are dysfunctional relationships. God wants us to enjoy a healthy relationship with Him. However, if we live in constant fear of eternal punishment, or we attempt to “work” or “earn” our way to Heaven, if we are consumed by sin or guilt, or our relationship with God is too formal, ritualistic, impersonal, then that is not a healthy relationship.

One of the titles of the coming Messiah was “Prince of Peace.” The Old Testament suggests that true peace is a gift from God, and cannot be negotiated or won by conquest (Turner: 320.²) Hence, in Galatians 5:22, eirene is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

It is only through the lens of the Word of God that we can know what is possible and how to apply divine peace, that peace which Paul says in Philippians 4:7 “passes all understanding.” It is the peace that allows use to pray for and love our enemies. It is:

Peace with our guilty conscience and our past.
Peace with our appalling parents and dreadful siblings.
Peace with our inconsiderate neighbors.

Of course, finding peace often involves forgiveness. The Armenians need to forgive the Turks for the ethnic cleansing that Türkiye fostered on the Christians of Armenia during the wanning years of the Ottoman Empire, just over a century ago. A person who was wrongfully arrested, tried and convicted needs to forgive the people in the criminal justice system, or they will remain captive to their hatred long after being released from prison. If you are a product of a horrible homelife while growing up, you need to forgive your family members who have injured or have abused you. This sort of forgiveness is not natural and does not come easily. So, in cases like this, God can help you if you call upon Him (Psalms 91:15.)

INTERNATIONAL PEACE

Today, as North Korean soldiers are in Europe, gathering on the Russian border with Ukraine; as Russia routinely threatens the U.S. with nuclear war; as people in Gaza and Beirut are being attacked daily by Israel and as Iran is planning another missile attack on Israel in response; as China becomes restless over the island of Taiwan, we need peace more than ever.

FROM WHENCE COMETH OUR HELP?

Trump cannot save us. The Democrats cannot save us. NATO cannot save us. Only God can rescue us from ourselves. As St. Paul says:

“For every one whosoever, who shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be saved.”

That promise applies to you, to me, to Vladimir Putin, to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to Kim Jong Un, to Xi Jinping, to Kamala Harris and to Donald Trump. That is the first step to true peace. Dare we step forward to embrace it?