Do South Sudan Politics and Public Life have anything to do with God? (Part 2-2)
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
February 19, 2016, (SSB) — I have mentioned in the first part of this article that the prophecy about “flowing of a land with milk and honey” can teaches us to pursue peace in South Sudan, and work hard to make our country as a paradise place in Africa or in world at large by focusing on trust, commitment, and adoption of nationalism, these three word are in the mind and heart of God. The flourishing – Shalom denotes proper relationship with God, with man to man, with others, and with God’s good creatures in matters of life and relations.
As we are for peace in South Sudan to return the country back to its normality, Peace is the way God intended things to be when he created the universe. In our local languages, we work for peace, we call peace, we sacrifice things for peace, we demand peace, and peace is not something simple. Its reigns for long purpose than conflict. It is secure, its protects human life and human affairs. Peace makes country prospers, peace heal the land, Peace is crucial; with peace people tremendous make changes in development.
We know it by name in our languages (it is called salaam in Arabic, ebwe in Madi, door in Dinka, maale in Nuer and in other 64 languages of South Sudan) and animals are slaughtered when people are looking after peace among communities, but Biblical translation of peace means much more than just the absence of conflict. The idea of flourishing to shalom is in a widen sense of meaningful significant theme of the Old Testament as blessings when God’s presence reigns in the midst of nations. Here are God blessings to nations, where God is loved and exalted in the highest.
- When the Lord brings Shalom (peace), there is prosperity, (Ps 72:1-7) Endow the king with your justice, O God,the royal son with your righteousness.2 May he judge your people in righteousness,your afflicted ones with justice.3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.4 May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor.5 May he endure[a] as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.7 In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
- When shalom is present, there are good relationships between the nations and people, (1 Chronicles 12: 17-18), God’s peace is a social as well as personal dimensions. “. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you.”18 Then the Spirit came on Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, David!
We are with you, son of Jesse! Success, success to you,and success to those who help you,
for your God will help you.”So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands. 3. When shalom is present, there is health in the country, (Isaiah 57:19), “19 creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.” - When God’s shalom reigns, human life, and conflicts ceased, there is reconciliation, (Genesis 26:29), “29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”
- When shalom ruled human mind, behaviours, actions, emotion, etc, there is contentment, (Genesis 15:15; Ps 4:8), “15 you, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age”. Ps 4:8, “In peace I will lie down and sleep,for you alone, Lord,make me dwell in safety”.
Dr. Neil writes, “the webbing together of God, human, and all creation in justice, fulfilment, and delight is what the Old Testament prophets called shalom. We called it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind, or cease- fire among enemies…. in the Bible shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight- a rich state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its creator and saviour opens door and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights”
In the New Testament, the term shalom or peace dominated the whole concept of the four chapters of the Gospel framework to make nations to nations understand the redemptive history of Christ Jesus to mankind in their live-events and in future. In the New Testament, Jesus healed the sick and fed the hungry but Jesus never healed all the sick people in Israel during his ministry time nor did he feed the entire populations of Israelites. There was a meaning behind that sermon, because Jesus was showing Israelites and us today ways things could be and how things will be when he returns and establishes “New Heavens, and New Earth”.
As a nation of Christian majority, (followers of Jesus Christ), we south Sudanese also need to call ourselves in loving God fearing manner to live in our way of lives that show to the whole world that even though we fought ourselves or still fighting ourselves, we hate ourselves, or we were been influenced by foreign policies because of natural resources to caused havoc and atrocities on 15 Dec 2013, peace will bless us once again and the commission of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation should start encouraging people in a Christian live and Christian ways to live in lives pursuing of wisdom, understanding, beauty, education, wonder, glory, creativity, investees, inventive, technocrats, and worship in our nation where we will call ourselves fellow men and women of virtue in every area of life and harmony.
In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet Jeremiah emphasized much peace and it’s important to people in exile. He prophesized in chapter 29: 7, “seek the shalom of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it has shalom, you too will have shalom. If a nation has peace, all the creatures in the nation will have peace too, but if conflict strikes on human being, the ecology of the country will suffer with consequences of what the man cause upon them. The art of peace is what we are after it these days in South Sudan.
The author is a co-founder of National Mental Health Care Organization; he holds Bachelor degree in Social Work and Social Administration from SSCUST, Bachelor degree in Theology from Montana USA, and a fellow researcher. He can be at tonggaid551@yahoo.com/davidmatiopgai@gmail.com.
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