Psalm 85
"righteousness and peace will kiss"
Psalm 85 has one of those lines that takes your breath away. Yes, I know, the Bible has a lot of triggering and "problematic" passages. But, my goodness, Scripture is so achingly beautiful.
There will come a time when righteousness and peace will kiss. And yet, that reconciliation implies some present tension and conflict.
The word translated as "righteousness" has a range of meanings, among them fairness, justice, and equity. We can see, then, the frictions with peace. There can be no true peace without fairness, justice, and equity. As Jeremiah laments, people cry out "Peace, peace" where there is no peace.
On the other hand, our pursuit of justice, equity, and fairness can destroy peace. I think of the gulags of Marxism, the guillotines of the French Revolution, and the bombings of the Weather Underground.
On one side, a false peace. On the other, a bloody justice. Psalm 85 imagines a better world, that moment when righteousness and peace shall kiss.
I like this. It is helpful to acknowledge the feeling “this isn’t fair!” And, to take it to God in prayer, to directly address God with this, asking for a sense of fairness and justice.
I have never heard of ‘fairness’ as being part of the meaning of the word ‘righteousness’ before.
Yes, we exist in the tension.
Agreed, often people’s search for justice ironically leads to conflict. War obviously being a prime example.
But, it also applies to every day to day life. Only just 30 mins ago I had a meeting at work where I shared that someone’s interpretation of social justice in a particular situation/circumstance, then following this passion through to its practical outworking for an individual teenager I am working with, will, ironically, actually harm her and put her at risk. Sadly, because the perfect world does not exists right now for this young person. Systemically, there is no solution, so we have to work with what we have got. She, we all have to work & live in the tension. Although the passion for social justice is the right sentiment, it can, at times, get misdirected.
I guess only true peace, true fairness, true righteousness can come from complete union, intimacy, reconciliation with God. Yes, we can lament, yes we can ask God in prayer, but we have to try to rest in the knowing the time isn’t fully yet, but a time WILL come…
Something to think about. Thanks.