“And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.” Judges 6:23
Suggested Scripture reading Judges 6:11-24
The pastor had very gently and patiently explained the truth of the Gospel to the young Lady. He had explained how that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) She had no problem understanding that. She knew that she was a sinner. He told her the wonderful story of how Jesus had suffered for her on the cross. She loved hearing about the victory Jesus gained over Satan in the resurrection. Then with tender care the pastor began to urge her to receive Christ as her Savior. That was where she began to have trouble. She just could not bring herself to approach the God of Heaven. She was frightened of Him because she had been taught as a child that only the priest could approach God. She was not worthy. He would not hear her.
Gideon in Judges 6 was afraid of God also. He had been approached by an angel of the Lord to be the leader that would rescue the Jews from the oppression of the Midianites. The angel had proved he was from God and disappeared. In the next moment Gideon expected to be struck down dead. Can anyone speak to God face to face and not die? At that moment the Spirit of God spoke peace to his heart. “And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.” (Judges 6:23) Gideon’s response was to build an altar and name it “Jehovah-shalom”, the Lord is Peace. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked but wants all to come to Him in repentance and faith. (Ezekiel 33:11) He spoke peace and not fear to Gideon.
When the pastor realized that the young lady was afraid to approach God he shared with her Jesus’ words, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) That day she saw God as a loving Father and not someone to be afraid of. She humbly bowed her head and asked Jesus to be her Savior. When she raised her eyes she was at peace. She went from that place and faithfully served the God she loved and who loved her. The gods of this world inspire fear and dread but God, our Heavenly Father is “Jehovah-shalom”. When you approach the Heavenly Father you should not fear for you will not die , . . .
But find peace.
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
[podcast]https://lifeabovefear.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/The-Lord-Is-Peace.mp3[/podcast]
