Shalom is another of my favorite Hebrew words. It is usually translated “peace,” but it has a much deeper and richer meaning. Shalom means “safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. health, prosperity, peace . . . (good) health, prosperity, rest, safety, salute, welfare, well.” The Amplified Bible says, “And [instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers” (Isa. 60:17). You will not have tyrants ruling over you. You will not be oppressed. Peace (shalom) will be your ruler.
In my book I Am Zion, I write about how “Zion” is a place of peace, property and wisdom—and how you are Zion. You are filled with peace. You are prosperous. God extends peace to Zion like a river (Isa. 66:12).
In other words, you are free from wicked and unjust rulers. You will not be subject to cruelty and mistreatment. This is another level of peace the Zion believer can live in. Zion is subject to Christ’s rule. Righteousness is the scepter of the kingdom (Heb. 1:8). You live under the rule of righteousness. This peace brings other blessings.
Violence, wasting and destruction will be removed from your life.
“Violence shall no more be heard in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise” (Isa. 60:18, MEV).
Violence, wasting and destruction are the enemies of peace and prosperity. Violence produces fear, anger, bitterness and hatred. Satan loves violence and wasting, but you are Zion. You are redeemed from deceit and violence (Ps. 72:14). You are delivered from the violent man (Ps. 18:48). You are redeemed from destruction (Ps. 103:4). The destroyers that make haste depart from you (Isa. 49:17). Your destroyers and plunderers are leaving and going.
You are Zion. You will not be plundered. You are not a spoil. You will not be devoured by the enemy. You are free from violence. Your borders are filled with peace and the finest of the wheat (Ps. 147:14).
Walls of salvation and gates of praise will be erected in your life.
You are Zion, and your walls are salvation. The Greek word for salvation is sozo, and it means “to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; to save a suffering one (from perishing); to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance.”
You are not defenseless. Salvation protects us from evil. Salvation means deliverance. Since Zion is delivered and protected, it means you are delivered from the plans and attacks of hell. You have been delivered from the power of darkness (Col. 1:13).
Inherit the Land and Glorify God
“Then all your people shall be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified” (Isa. 60:21).
The land God promised is the place of promise, blessing, inheritance, the kingdom, abundance, shalom, prosperity, water, refreshing, might, power, wealth, overflow, life, growth, glory, presence, favor, salvation, deliverance, safety, protection, praise and rest. You enter this land by patience, waiting, trust and faith. Psalm 37 is the psalm that talks about inheriting the land. The meek inherit the earth. The righteous inherit the land. Those who trust in the Lord inherit the land (Ps. 37:3). Those who wait on the Lord and keep His ways are exalted to inherit the land (Ps. 37:34).
In the Old Testament the land meant everything to the Hebrews. Each tribe, except Levi, had a portion. God promised the land to Abraham and his seed. They were told to go in and drive the enemy out. To live in the land in peace was the result of God’s blessing, and when they came under judgment, they were removed from the land. Jesus was the true seed of Abraham. We are Abraham’s seed through Christ (Gal. 3:29). We inherit the land through Christ. We enter the blessing through faith in Christ. The land is a picture of Christ and the kingdom, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Because you are Zion, you inherit the land. You inherit the promises of God. We are planted in the land. We are rooted and grounded in the faith. God is glorified by us living in the land. {eoa}
This is an adapted excerpt from I Am Zion: Unleash the Power of God’s Glory in Your Life by John Eckhardt. Copyright ©2020 Published by Charisma House. Used by permission.
