Bible Studies

Shalom is the Biblical word for peace. Ancient Hebrew consisted of words that had very broad and deep meanings, as opposed to Greek words which had very precise meanings. The ancient Hebrews felt that words used to describe God could not be reduced to specific and narrow meanings. So their vocabulary, especially in relation to God, was intended to be all encompassing. When looking at the uses of the word peace in the Bible, you see that to truly be God's kind of peace, it meant peace in every area of one's life. It included physical peace, emotional peace, relational peace, financial peace, and spiritual peace. Interestingly, things that people allowed to have control over their lives other than God, brought destruction to their peace in every area of their lives. But in particular, the word drunkenness was used to denote the lack of peace in every area of someone's life, physically, emotionally, relationally, financially, and spiritually. Sometimes the word was used to describe how sins affect societies, and sometimes it was used to describe the fullness of God's judgment on enemies or when His people were going after other gods. When we fall into any addiction, we bring destruction to our lives, while thinking we are meeting our needs for love, acceptance, and freedom from the worries of life. And then we realize we are not free from troubles, but surrounded by troubles and enslaved to that we thought would deliver us. So this booklet is a study on how God helps us back to His path. It is a study of hope, and study of renewal, a study of shalom.