Thought for Today

One can argue that in a dictatorship with efficient and repressive military and police forces to silence dissent and root out troublemaker’s peace appears to obtain because there is no overt conflict. Between spasms of revolutionary outbursts in imperial Rome, or in czarist Russia, or in Afrikaaner South Africa in the twentieth century, one could say that peace obtained, but the mere absence of overt conflict was not peace, because there could be no peace in the absence of justice. The vacuum created by the absence of justice would always be filled by the potential for conflict, disharmony, and disease. From this comes the popular protest slogan of the twentieth century, “No justice, No peace.”

 

In Hebrew scripture, peace is not simply the absence of war, strife, or conflict; it is always connected with righteousness and justice. For example, in Psalm 34:14, the one who would be righteous is urged to “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” The Lord is against evil, and the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry. In other words, the prerequisite of true peace is righteousness, and those who would pursue peace must also pursue righteousness. In Psalms 85:10, one of the loveliest images in all of scripture is offered in the image of righteousness and peace kissing each other in fraternal affection. In the prophecy of Jeremiah the cry of an easy peace without justice is condemned: “They have healed the hurt … of my people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace’; when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14, KJV) The desire for peace is understandable, but the prophet insists that there can be no real peace as long as injustice prevails and righteousness in held hostage to civility.