The Way Things Ought to be

April 28, 2008

Joe,

Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will post a review of the book I just finished, called Not the Way it’s Supposed to be by Neal Plantinga. It is essentially a book on the wickedness of sin. Central to understanding what Plantinga says about sin is understanding shalom. You have written on this before, and I think you may have linked to this quote a few weeks ago, but I thought I’d write it out. If nothing else, it will serve me well to think carefully about it as I type the quote up.

Shalom is a word many Christians know, though they may not be aware of its richness. Here’s what Plantinga says about shalom:

“They (the prophets) dreamed of a new age in which human crookedness would be straightened out, rough places made plain. The foolish would be made wise, and the wise, humble. They dreamed of a time when the deserts would flower, the mountains would run with wine, weeping would cease, and people could go to sleep without weapons on their laps. People would work in peace and work to fruitful effect. Lambs could lie down with lions. All nature would be fruitful, benign, and filled with wonder upon wonder; all humans would be knit together in brotherhood and sisterhood, and all nature and all humans would look to God, walk with God, lean toward God and delight in God. Shouts of joy and recognition would well up from valleys and seas, from women in streets and from men on ships.

“The webbing together of God, humans and all creation in justice, fulfillment and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight — a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.”

May it be so, Lord! And may You use your people to work for the shalom of our communities,

Larry

Posted by Larry | Filed Under Quotes, Seeking Him