August, 2007

Dear Friend,

On July 6 I received an e-mail from our missionary in Israel, “Haim of Haifa,” bearing the good news that he and his wife had the joy of welcoming that day a new grandchild—their tenth—born to their middle son David and his wife Amy.  The little boy’s name is Shalev David, the name reflecting his parents’ prayer for his life, that it would be one of quiet contentment in the Lord, as Paul testifies in Philippians 4:11 and 1 Timothy 6:6.  Shalev means “quiet, at ease” in Hebrew and is often used in tandem with the well-known word for peace, shalom, as in the common Israeli expression, shalom ve shalev (“peace and quiet”). 

In fact, this very phrase occurs in the Hebrew text of Psalm 122:6-7:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper who love thee.  Peace (shalom) be within thy walls, and prosperity (shalev: “quiet contentment,” a better translation) within thy palaces.

Though “prosperity” is probably not the best word to translate shalev, it is, nonetheless, a fascinating reference to the connection between contentment and “gain” (“prosperity”) in 1 Timothy 6:6:

But godliness with contentment is great gain;

In 1974 “Haim” and his wife arrived in Israel from New Zealand with two small children.  In the years ensuing, that family of four has grown to nineteen, including children, spouses of children, and grandchildren.  From the day of their arrival, and as a full-time vocation since 1984, it has been the purpose of “Haim” and his wife to help their fellow Jews in Israel find true peace and quiet contentment in the Lord through faith in Jesus the Messiah. 

Psalm 122:6 contains both an admonition and a promise.  The admonition is that we “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” and the promise is that “they shall prosper (a form of the word, shalev, used in the next verse) who love thee.” Realizing that the promise is actually one of a “quiet contentment,” it is certainly our prayer for you and yours that your love for Israel and the Jewish people would result in your quiet contentment in the Lord.

Sincerely in Messiah Jesus,
Rev. Roger L. Wambold,
General Director