Peace makers

Hello readers,

This week we will take a closer look at verse #9.

Matthew 5:3-10

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Yahweh is clearly a god of total peace. He wants His children to have peace with Himself, to have internal peace, and to have peace with all others around us. Essentially God sent His Son to die on the cross so that we could be at peace about our eternity.

Proverbs 15:1

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Like in the verse above, a "peacemaker" is a person that chooses to maintain peace rather than provoke a fight. This can be taken to many more levels that violence and non-violence.

This verse has also been at the root of many controversies. How could God, in the Old Testament, kill so many people yet say that those who are peacemakers are called His sons? In verse 9 Jesus encourages peacemaking, but then killed so many people in the OT. Those two facts seem to contradicts each other.

Many times the peace can only be kept by the elimination of the problem that causes a disruption of peace.

Here is a good example.

Numbers 16:31-33

As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

In the Old Testament when God allowed the earth to swallow up half of the Jewish nation He was not killing for the joy of it. God was allowing these people to perish because He knew that there was no way that peace would exist in Israel with their kind of evil. Those sinners had rejected the Lord and they caused the division of Israel, because of that they died.

I also think of God, in this example, as a police officer. No police officer should want for a crime to occur, but when a crime is committed then the officer must step in and arrest the perpetrator for the sake of all others. No one is safe until the criminal is put behind bars. Same with God, only that He is totally sovereign and never misjudges someone.

One more quick comment.

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

I think it is important to note that a peacemaker will be "called" sons of God. Because someone is a peacemaker does not make them a son of God.

I love to read comments! :)