God wants us to joyfully have the very best in life. But we have to want the very best for Him, as well. Let’s see how some translations render Ps 35:27. First His desire for us, His children –
May they shout for joy and be glad, those who delight in my righteous cause. May they always say: “Exalted be Adonai, who delights in His servant’s shalom.” TLV
The Hebrew word “Shalom” doesn’t have an exact equivalent in English, but basically means “completeness” or “fullness.” While it is most often translated as “peace” the following renderings illustrate the Hebrew richness of the word.
Let those who delight in my justification shout and rejoice; and they shall say without ceasing, The Lord be magnified, delighting in the peace of His servant. MKJV
May those who want to see me acquitted shout for joy and say again and again, “How great is the LORD! He is pleased with the success of his servant.” GNB
Let all who want me to win be happy and joyful. From now on let them say, “The LORD is wonderful! God is glad when all goes well for his servant.” CEV
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. KJV
May those be jubilant and rejoice, Who take delight in my righteousness; May they say continually, Let Yahweh be magnified, Whose delight is in His servant’s well-being. CLV
To those who want the best for me, I wish them joy and happiness. May they always say, “Praise the LORD, who wants what is best for his servant.” ERV
But God’s desire for us to have what is best for us is conditional. Notice what precedes his desire for our shalom:
To those who want the best for me, I wish them joy and happiness. May they always say, “Praise the LORD, who wants what is best for his servant.” ERV
Let all who want me to win be happy and joyful. From now on let them say, “The LORD is wonderful! God is glad when all goes well for his servant.” CEV
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: Yea, let them say continually, Jehovah be magnified, Who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. ASV
Let those who are on my side give cries of joy; let them ever say, The Lord be praised, for he has pleasure in the peace of his servant. BBE
Let them that rejoice in my righteousness exult and be glad: and let them say continually, The Lord be magnified, who desire the peace of his servant. Brenton
Let those who are happy when I am declared innocent joyfully sing and rejoice. Let them continually say, “The LORD is great. He is happy when his servant has peace.” GW
May those who want to see me acquitted shout for joy and say again and again, “How great is the LORD! He is pleased with the success of his servant.” GNB
Let them shout for joy and be glad, who delight in my vindication; and let them say continually, “Yahweh is great, who delights in the welfare of his servant.” LEB
King David, a man after God’s own heart, wrote the above about 1,000 years before Jesus was born. But this matter of vindicating God, who has been badly slandered by the devil, is one that Jesus instructed His followers to pray about. (The Devil Implied that God was a liar (so couldn’t be trusted) when he told Eve she would not die, and that He knew that she would be like Him in knowing good and evil.) That’s why Jesus, when He taught His disciples how to pray, put the vindication of God’s name at the top of their priority list. We can see that in various versions of “The Lord’s Prayer” –
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Mat 6:9 KJV
Therefore pray in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. MKJV
Our Father who is in heaven, may your name be treated as holy. LEB
Our Father in heaven, sanctified be Your name. TLV
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. WEB
Our Father who is in heaven, let your Name be venerated, Wuest
Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name. CEV
Our Father in heaven: May your holy name be honored; GNB
Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. HCSB
According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary the verbs “hallow”, “sanctify”, and to “make holy” are synonymous; they mean “set apart to God.” So we see that when Jesus tells us to “Hallow God’s name,” He is saying, “Set our heavenly Father’s name apart, as being separated from the world.” Or, rephrasing that – “Get our Father’s name out of the mud. Restore His good reputation.”
Mankind would be so much better off if they really knew God’s nature. But because He was slandered by the devil, most of the world’s population don’t trust Him as He deserves to be trusted. So Jesus is telling us that we Christians have a very special privilege – “My brothers and sisters – Show the world what God is really like; work with me in manifesting His love by becoming one with Me, Him and one another. [1] The nation of Israel couldn’t do it; but under my headship, you can.”[2]
As we saw in Psa 35:27, the rewards for working with Jesus outstrip anything we can imagine. Though we won’t attain perfection until the millennial reign of Christ,[3] even now we can experience love, joy, and peace[4] to an extent far beyond what the world offers us.
Our heavenly Father wants our shalom. Are you willing to join Jesus[5] in letting God’s light shine[6] on the world, so that those who are rightly disposed to life-everlasting can be drawn to God?[7]
[1] that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. And I have given them the glory which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one, I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me. Joh 17:21-23 MKJV
[2] Instead, as we lovingly speak the truth, we will grow up completely in our relationship to Christ, who is the head. He makes the whole body fit together and unites it through the support of every joint. As each and every part does its job, he makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Eph 4:15-16 GW
[3] And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And the sea no longer is. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying out, nor will there be any more pain; for the first things passed away. Rev 21:1-4 MKJV
[4] But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. Gal 5:22-24 MKJV
“Shalom I leave you, My shalom I give to you; but not as the world gives! Do not let your heart be troubled or afraid. Joh 14:27 TLV
“I’m leaving you peace. I’m giving you my peace. I don’t give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don’t be troubled or cowardly. Joh 14:27 GW
[5] Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. Joh 15:4 MKJV
[6] Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Joh 8:12 MKJV
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Mat 5:14 MKJV
[7] No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. Joh 6:44 TLV
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