(Psalm 85:10) Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
This is no mere kiss. If David had used a meteorological metaphor instead, these opposites (steadfast love and faithfulness, as well as righteousness and peace) would have been the set up of a category V hurricane. But he used a greater metaphor—sex. In good marriages, a kiss is often that initial small connection that gives mutual consent to unleash pent-up and far greater physical and emotional indulgences. In his gusty metaphor, David prophecies that whenever the demands of both justice and mercy are honestly met, the resultant kiss is no passive, perfunctory peck. No. It facilitates a locking together in a one-flesh, orgasmic celebration. In other relationships, it facilitates a collaboratively discover how to live peacefully together with uncompromised justice and goodness while also finding both room and remedy for people to recover from things they’ve done wrong.
Too often righteousness and mercy are seen as being irreconcilably divorced or fused forever into self-protecting conflict.In self-protective wars, both righteousness and mercy are usually the first victims … cast aside by both parties in their mutual quest for vengence and power. Such people believe that offense is the best defense because it usually does provide some of the comfortable delusions of justice. In the world, we experience oppression, but Jesus Christ, the great Reconciler, offers a whole new option.
When trying to reconcile, people who have wounded each other, reconciliation, unfortunately involves compromise, accepting less than righteous behavior and less than satisfying mercy. Wounds we inflict on each other can’t be perfectly mended: an adulterous husband can not restore the lostToo often in relational wounds, reconciliation includes compromise and risk.
A repentant bike theif can restore a bike—even a far better bike, but those particular bke-riding days cannot be restored. An adulterous husband may repent and truly never violate their wedding vows again, but he can never remove the days back to the child who had to walk to school instead.
David understood this metaphor--he understood that this kind of reconciliation can occur only by God's grace ... Something we're intended to experience.
Opposites (and they usually are bitterly different). It's as though wonderfully, perfectly, and completely accomplished by Jesus Christ. This is one of the delights of abiding in Him. --a union that unfortunately is constantly believed to be divided by an irreconcilable divorce--is quite possible in Him.
(Isaiah (60:17) instructed us to let forsake vengence or destructive plans, but to let Him make our overseers peace and our taskmasters righteousness (Isaiah 60:17). That way, when trying to reconcile, neither righteousness nor peace are not neglected or compromised:
· (Isaiah 48:18) Oh, that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
· (Isaiah 32:17) And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
· (Romans 14:17) For the kingdom of God
· (2 Timothy 2:22) So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
· (James 3:18) And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
· (John 16:33) 33I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
(2 Corinthians 5: 11-15) 1For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
11Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. 13For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(Ephesians 2:1- ) 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
11Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
(Ephesians 6:10-20) 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
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