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HE PURSUIT OF PEACEA Meditation on Proverbs 17:1
Will and Ariel Durant wrote in their book The Lessons of History, “War is one of the constants of history, and has not diminished with civilization and democracy. In the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war.” Doing the math, this means we experience war 92.2% of the time. Our nation is at war this very moment (March of 2007) in more than one country (Afghanistan and Iraq). How will we ever experience peace?
Shirley MacLaine thinks she has the answer. Ravi Zacharias said he was being interviewed on a television show once and the host said, “Shirley MacLaine says the sooner we get rid of the categories of good and evil, the sooner we’ll experience peace. What do you think?” Ravi responded, “Why not war, unless peace is a good thing. And if it is then I don’t understand the question.”
Here’s another brilliant suggestion for bringing about world peace that I’m sure most of you have seen, because it’s on bumper stickers everywhere: “Visualize World Peace.” I like the spoof on this: “Visualize Whirled Peas.” I’d like to respond to their bumper sticker with one of my own: “I did; now we’re in Afghanistan and Iraq.” Peace will not come about because we dream about it, or because we really, really, really want it to happen.
The cold, harsh reality is that we have to fight for peace, so don’t prematurely beat your spears into pruning hooks. “Whoever de-sires to love life and see good days…let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it” (1 Pet. 3:10-11). Whether we’re talking about peace between nations or between individuals, we must be aggressive—we must seek peace and pursue it, because it doesn’t just happen by hoping against all hope that it will come about.
The book of Proverbs places a high premium on peace. “Better is a dry morsel with quiet (peace, NIV) than a house full of feasting with strife” (Pro. 17:1). Peace is a gift from God. Just about every epistle in the NT begins similar to how Romans does: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:7). Biblical peace is much more than the absence of conflict or a cease fire; it is wellness and wholeness, which can be experienced even when bullets are flying over our heads, or when our family has perished. After Horatio Spafford’s four daughters drowned at sea he penned these words, “When peace like a river, attendeth my way; When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say; It is well, it is well with my soul.” Peace in the midst of this kind of tragedy can only be attributed to God’s goodness and grace.
Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone…” It may not always be possible, since peace is a two way street and others may not want to be at peace with us, nevertheless we must do our part to potentially achieve peace with everyone. In the church, however, peace is not optional. “Irreconcilable differences” may be the law of the land, but it is not the law of God. Matthew 18:15-17 shows us that God demands reconciliation, or else. You say, “Or else what?” Or else you can’t be a part of the church. Or else you will be treated like a tax collector. This is how serious peace in the body of Christ is to God.
To illustrate the importance of peace between brothers, Jesus said, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there be-fore the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23-24). For the Jews of Jesus’ day, offering your gift at the altar was at the heart of worship. God demand-ed these offerings for atonement. But God doesn’t want them, if brothers are feuding.
Proverbs 26:17 says, “Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.” This proverb needs to be harmonized with Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9). Note care-fully, Jesus didn’t say, “blessed are the peacekeepers,” but “blessed are the peacemakers.” Peacekeepers are passive, while peacemakers are active. Peacekeepers stay clear of trouble. They watch the action from the sidelines, where it’s safe, and lament to those around them, “Why can’t we all just get along?” On the other hand, peacemakers get involved in the fight. They run out into the playing field, where a person could get hurt, and boldly say, “Knock it off! We’re going to sit down and work through this like mature Christians.” It takes courage to be a peacemaker, but let’s remember that Jesus Christ was willing to lay down his life, so that we could have peace with God.
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