Be a
Peacemaker
Matthew 5:9
by Paul
George
This seventh Beatitude
has to do more with conduct than with character. The
first four may be grouped together as the negative
character of the heart of the godly. They are not
self-sufficient, but consciously poor in spirit; they
are not self-satisfied, but mourning because of their
spiritual state; they are not self-willed, but meek;
they are not self-righteous, but hungering and thirsting
after righteousness. In the next three, the Lord names
their positive character, having tasted of the mercy of
God, they are merciful in their dealings with others;
having received a spiritual nature, they now hate
impurity and love holiness; having entered into a peace
with God they now wish to live in harmony and peace with
all mankind.
In a world where there is no strife there is no need for
peacemakers. Where the world is filled with malice and
envy, hateful and hating one another" (Titus 3:3):
though attempts are often made to conceal this by the
cloak of hypocrisy yet it soon comes forth again in its
hideous nakedness, as the history of the nations
attests, peacemakers are needed.
The desire of peacemakers
is to live peaceably with all men and abstain from
deliberate injury of others, promote unity and heal
broken relationships. Peacemakers pour sooth oil on
troubled waters, reconcile those who are alienated,
right wrongs, and strengthen the kindly ties of
friendship. As the sons of peace they bring into the
hostile atmosphere of this world the pure and calming
air of heaven.
The disposition of the
peacemakers is a vastly different disposition of the
easy-going indolence which is often nothing but
selfishness, of the wicked of this world. The peace they
desire to establish is not a peace at any price. It is a
peace that is not to be sought at the expense of
righteousness. It is a peace God Himself approves of. In
this life we are to avoid all needless contention, to
the point of sacrificing the truth.
It is the duty of every Christian to see to it that we
conduct ourselves in such a way no just complaint can be
filed against us. It is also for our own peace we do
this because it is impossible to be happy when we are
involved in strife and enmities. When disturbance and
turmoil is aroused, we should diligently examine
ourselves before the Lord as to whether the cause for it
lies in us and if it does confess the sin to Him and
seek to reconcile those offended. Peacemakers must
constantly be on their guard against an invasion by the
spirit of bigotry, intemperate zeal, and a quarrelsome
spirit and keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace" (Ephesians 4:3).
In order to develop a
peaceful disposition we must first cultivate the grace
of "lowliness," which is the opposite of pride, of
meekness, which is the opposite of self-assertiveness,
and the grace of long sufferance, which is the opposite
of impatience. We are not only to do all we can to heal
broken relationships we are to reconcile men to God.
This is a contrast in the task given to Joshua and his
officers under the Mosaic economy, of taking up the
sword to slay the enemies of the Lord! In this age the
servants of Christ are commissioned to seek the
reconciliation of those who are at enmity with God.
Peacemakers are the
ambassadors of God, calling sinners to come to God,
throw down the weapons of their warfare and enter into
peace with God. They know there is no peace for the
wicked, and therefore they exhort them to make peace
with God.
There is still another
way in which it is the privilege of believers to be
peacemakers, and that is by their prayers. In the day
when the Lord’s anger is kindled against a sin-laden
people and the dark clouds of providence threaten an
impending storm of judgment, it is both the duty and the
privilege of God’s peacemakers to stand in the breach
and in earnest supplication plead with God to withhold
His judgment as Moses did (Exodus 32:10), Aaron did
(Numbers 16:47, 48), and David did (2 Samuel 24:14).
This is indeed a blessed work of peace: to intercede as
Abraham did for Sodom. Only in the Day to come will we
know what the wicked gained by the presence of the
righteous remnant in their midst.
The reward for being peacemakers is decisive proof that
these Beatitudes are not directed toward the moral
virtues of the natural man, but rather the spiritual
graces of the regenerate. To be called a child of God is
to be renewed in His image and likeness and to be a
peacemaker. The Lord Himself is "the God of peace"
(Hebrews 13:20), and where this peaceful disposition is
manifested by His people He owns them as His children.
Furthermore, peacemakers are recognized as children of
God by their spiritual brothers. Ultimately, God will
make it manifest to the entire universe that we are His
children (Rom. 8:19).
The Christian life is one
that is full of strange paradoxes which are not
understood by human reason, but which are easily
understood by the spiritual mind. God’s children rejoice
with joy unspeakable, yet they mourn with a lamentation
the children of wrath don’t understand. They rejoice
because they have been brought into contact with a
source of satisfaction which is capable of meeting every
longing, yet they pant with a yearning for righteousness
like that of the thirsty deer. They sing songs in their
heart to the Lord, yet groan deeply and daily over the
lost condition of the ungodly. Their life is often
filled with pain yet they would not part with it for all
the gold in the world. These puzzling paradoxes are
among the evidences which they possess that they are
indeed blessed of God. But who by mere reasoning would
ever conclude that the persecuted and reviled are
"blessed"! They are not compatible with the world’s idea
of blessed but are actually a manifestation of the
miseries of life.
The reason why the children of God are persecuted,
reviled, and have all manner of evil said of them is the
wicked of this world hate justice and love those who
defraud and wrong their neighbors. They hate
righteousness. If the children of God would cease
walking humbly with God, they might go through the
world, not only in peace, but with applause. Because
they refuse to cease their walking humbly with God they
suffer persecution because their life reveals the
ungodliness of men and this provokes their resentment.
The wicked in this world hate God and those who bear His
image.
The blessed in this world
are those the world detests. Although those the world
detests are persecution it is really a blessing in
disguise. The opposition the child of God encounters in
this world enables them to be aware of their own
infirmities and needs. They are made aware of the fact
they cannot stand for a single hour unless Divine grace
upholds them. By persecution they are often kept from
certain sins into which they would most likely fall were
the wicked at peace with them. Persecution affords the
believer an opportunity to glorify God by his constancy,
courage, and fidelity to the truth.
This persecution "for
righteousness’ sake" calls upon us to honestly examine
ourselves before God when we are being opposed: "But let
none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as
an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters" (1
Peter 4:15). The same qualification is made in the verse
which immediately follows the last quoted: "Yet if any
man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but
let him glorify God on this behalf": this is a most
necessary caution, that the believer see to it that he
is suffering for doing what is right and not on account
of his own misconduct or foolish behavior.
Jesus warns His servants
what they may expect to encounter, and then defines how
they are to respond. The glory worldly leaders value and
crave is flattery and honor, but the glory the disciple
of Jesus crave is conformity to Jesus who was "despised
and rejected of men." Instead of being downcast over and
murmuring at the hostility they meet with in this world,
they are to be thankful to God for the high honor He
confers upon them in making them partakers of the
sufferings of His Son.
The Lord Jesus pronounced
blessed or happiness on those who, through devotion to
Him, would be called upon to suffer. They are "blessed"
because such are given the unspeakable privilege of
having fellowship with the sufferings of the Savior.
They are "blessed" because such tribulation works
patience, and patience experience, and experience hope,
a hope that will not make ashamed. They are "blessed"
because they shall be fully recompensed in the Day to
come. The child of God must not be dismayed because the
fiery darts of the wicked are hurled against him. We
must remember that "The sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall
be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).
The afflictions which
come upon the children of God for their faithfulness are
to be endured not only with patience and resignation,
but thanksgiving and gladness because they come upon
them for Christ’s sake. He suffered so they must and
they should rejoice to suffer a little for Him. Because
they shall be richly recompensed, great is their reward
in heaven. These are a reason to rejoice, no matter how
fierce the conflict may be.
To top of
page |
