Peace and Grace and Mercy (Part 4)

This is a continuation of a series of studies on the word peace.

In the last post, many of Paul's greeting used the phrase "grace to you and peace (χαρις υμιν και ειρηνη – charis umin kai eirene / ‏חסד ושלום לכם – chesed v'shalom lakhem) from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ"; there were also several greetings that are similar to the phrase "Grace, mercy, and peace (χαρις, ελεος, ειρηνη – charis, eleos, eirene / חסד ורחמים ושלום – chesed v'rachamim v'shalom) from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord."

One text has an especially rich constellation of words:


2 John

1. The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, 
2. because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: 
3. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
   

Grace, mercy, and peace: where did Paul and John get these combinations of words? 

In the Hebrew translation of the New Testament, these words are chesed (‏חסד – H2617), racham (רחם – H7356) and shalom (שלום). The King James Version Old Testament translates these Hebrew words into English in the following ways:

• chesed – mercy 149, kindness 40, lovingkindness 30, goodness 12, kindly 5, merciful 4, favour 3, good 1, goodliness 1, pity 1, reproach 1, wicked thing 1.
• racham –  mercy 30, compassion 4, womb 4, bowels 2, pity 2, damsel 1, tender love 1.
• shalom – peace 175, well 14, peaceably 9, welfare 5, salute 4, prosperity 4, did 3, safe 3, health 2, peaceable 2.

Notice that chesed and racham are often translated in the same way in the KJV.  These overlapping meanings make it difficult to separate these words into distinct concepts; perhaps they mean mostly the same thing.  The KJV mostly uses grace in the Old Testament to translate the Hebrew word chen (חן – H2580), which means "favour, grace, charm." 

Let's look at three Old Testament texts to see some of these words used together.  Were the words that Paul and John used in their greetings an allusion to the concepts from these texts— a summary reference to the ideas that are expressed in them?  What do these concepts have to do with each other and how is Jesus central to them?

In the texts that follow, chesed, racham and shalom will be highlighted in the indicated colors.  Psalm 85:10 and Isaiah 54:10 are especially strong in bringing these words together.


Psalm 85

1. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
   LORD, You have been favorable to Your land;
   You have brought back the captivity of Jacob. 
2. You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people;
   You have covered all their sin.
   Selah
3. You have taken away all Your wrath;
   You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger. 
4. Restore us, O God of our salvation,
   And cause Your anger toward us to cease. 
5. Will You be angry with us forever?
   Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? 
6. Will You not revive us again,
   That Your people may rejoice in You?  
7. Show us Your mercy (‏חסדך – chasdekha / το ελεος σου – to eleos sou), LORD,
   And grant us Your salvation. 
8. I will hear what God the LORD will speak,
   For He will speak peace (‏שלום – shalom / ειρηνην – eirenen)
   To His people and to His saints;
   But let them not turn back to folly. 
9. Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
   That glory may dwell in our land. 
10. Mercy (‏חסד – chesed / ελεος – eleos) and truth have met together;
    Righteousness and peace (‏שלום – shalom / ειρηνη – eirene) have kissed. 
11. Truth shall spring out of the earth,
    And righteousness shall look down from heaven. 
12. Yes, the LORD will give what is good;
    And our land will yield its increase. 
13. Righteousness will go before Him,
    And shall make His footsteps our pathway.
    

Isaiah 54

1.  ...
2.  ...
3.  ...
4. “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
   Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
   For you will forget the shame of your youth,
   And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. 
5. For your Maker is your husband,
   The LORD of hosts is His name;
   And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
   He is called the God of the whole earth. 
6. For the LORD has called you
   Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
   Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
   Says your God. 
7. “For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
   But with great mercies (‏וברחמים גדלים – uvrachamim g'dolim / ελεους μεγαλου ελεησω σε – eleous megalou eleeso se) I will gather you. 
8. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
   But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy (‏ובחסד עולם רחמתיך – uvchesed olam richamtikh / ελεει αιωνιω ελεησω σε – eleei aionio eleeso se) on you,”
   Says the LORD, your Redeemer. 
9. “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
   For as I have sworn
   That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
   So have I sworn
   That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. 
10. For the mountains shall depart
    And the hills be removed,
    But My kindness (‏וחסדי – v'chasdi / ελεος – eleos) shall not depart from you,
    Nor shall My covenant of peace (‏וברית שלומי – uvrit shlomi / διαθηκη της ειρηνης – diatheke tes eirenes) be removed,”
    Says the LORD, who has mercy (‏מרחמך – m'rachamekh / ιλεως – ileos) on you. 

Jeremiah 16


Jeremiah 16 starts out with a message of condemnation, but beginning in verse 14 it promises to "bring them back to their own land."

(Highlighted in yellow are some phrases that remind of Passover/Lord's Supper symbolism.)

1. ...
2. ...
3. ...
4. ...
5. For thus says the LORD: “Do not enter the house of mourning, nor go to lament or bemoan them; for I have taken away My peace (‏שלומי – shlomi / ειρηνην μου – eirenen mou) from this people,” says the LORD, “lovingkindness (‏חסד – chesed) and mercies (‏רחמים – rachamim).
6. Both the great and the small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried; neither shall men lament for them, cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them.
7. Nor shall men break bread in mourning for them, to comfort them for the dead; nor shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or their mother.
8. Also you shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink.”