Greetings

1 Samuel 25: 6

Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.

Our Jewish siblings greet each other with “Shalom.” In this, apparently, simple greeting is a mountain of blessing. It is the essence of today’s verse.

King David sent messengers to a man named Nabal. David told his representatives to greet this man with the words from today’s verse. What an elegant and resourceful way to greet someone. David spoke a blessing on the man but he didn’t stop there. He blessed everyone in his household and all of his possessions.

The reading from the New American Standard shows David speaking peace to Nabal’s household. What we don’t see, is that the word “peace” is a loaded word. It means much, much more in the Hebrew context than calmness, or tranquility. The God’s Word translation reads, “May you live long! May you, your home, and all you have prosper!” Now that is a blessing! Wouldn’t you like everyone you meet to greet you like that?

I do not send this to you today merely as a history lesson though. I find these passages enlightening as they touch my mind and soul. What can we learn from this? How can it impact our lives? What would it be like if we said, “live a long good life” instead of the unbiblical, “take care?”

This Bible verse isn’t, perhaps, as instructive as some others but it does stimulate thought. So, in my closing I would like to say to you, “Be blessed in every area of your life, may all your belongings be blessed and everyone in your household. May you live a long beautiful life and prosper.”