BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS (NOT THE PEACEKEEPERS)

PEACE

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PEACE BE WITH YOU - I GREW UP GOING TO THE ANGLICAN CHURCH AND AS A KID REMEMBER AT A CERTAIN POINT IN THE SERVICE THE PRIEST WOULD SAY THESE WORDS - “PEACE BE WITH YOU” AND THEN WE WERE ENCOURAGED TO TURNTO THOSE AROUND US AND DO THE SAME.

AND THEN THIS WEEK IN STAFF DEVOTION WE ARE READING THE STORY OF SAUL AND DAVID, IT BEGINS WITH SAUL BEING MADE KING AND FROM THE GET GO HE IS PLEASING HIMSELF AND THE PEOPLE AND NOT LISTENING TO WHAT GOD IS INSTRUCTING HIM TO DO THROUGH SAMUEL THE PROPHET.

SAMUEL TELLS HIM TO WAIT AND WHEN SAMUEL DOES NOT ARRIVE IN THE ALLOTTED TIME HE GIVES INTO THE PEOPLES PRESSURE AND DOES HIS OWN THING.

SAMUEL WARNS HIM AND WE CAN SEE IN THE STORY SAUL IS NOT RELYING ON GOD BUT ON THE PRESSURE OF THE PEOPLE.

AGAIN SAMUEL GIVES SAUL SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING THE AMALEKITES THAT GOD TOLD HIM TO TAKE CARE OF AND SAUL DECIDES TO KEEP THE BEST OF THE SPOILS TO “SACRIFICE TO GOD” AGAIN HIS INTENTIONS ARE GOOD BUT HE IS STILL BEING DISOBEDIENT.

WHERE THE PROPHET SAMUEL WAS INSTRUCTED BY GOD TO GO AND ANOINT DAVID

WHERE THE PROPHET SAMUEL WAS INSTRUCTED BY GOD TO GO AND ANOINT DAVID

WE COME ACROSS THESE VERSES:

1 Samuel 16:4–5 ESV

Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:4–5 ESV

Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

1 SAMUEL 16:

SO IF WE READ THE REST OF THE STORY WE SEE THAT SAMUEL THEN ANOINTS DAVID AS THE NEXT KING AND HE IS FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT FROM THAT DAY.

HOWEVER DAVID IS NOT MADE KING TILL ALMOST 15 YEARS LATER

THIS MADE ME THINK OF VERSE NINE IN THE BEATITUDES THAT JESUS SPOKE WHEN HE WAS DOING HIS SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

Matthew 5:9 ESV

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

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But oftentimes we confuse a peacemaker with a peacekeeper.

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on one blog by a girl named Kaitlin - The Barefooot Blog she explains it like this:

A peacemaker is someone who is willing to resolve both outer and inner turmoil in order to establish peace with others and within themselves. Inevitably, peacemaking will require engaging in conflict and tension to help bring the situation to a solid place.

A peacekeeper, on the other hand, desires to maintain peace by avoiding conflict. They typically give in to the tension or steer clear of disagreement to keep others happy. Peacekeepers hate rocking the boat; therefore, they will sacrifice their own inner peace to maintain the “facade” of peace with others. Peacekeepers may look like peacemakers, but only one group is experiencing true peace.

LET US FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF THE PRINCE OF PEACE

ISAIAH

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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JESUS THE PRINCE OF PEACE?

WELL HIS VERSION OF PEACE DOES NOT ALWAYS MATCH OUR VERSION:

constantly engaging in conflict whether it was through challenging the religious leader’s beliefs,

confronting sin

questioning the disciples

and preaching despite persecution.

and preaching despite persecution. However, through this tension, Jesus was able to set people free, show them the true Way, and save their lives by being willing to rock the boat to give a lasting peace.

However, through this tension, Jesus was able to set people free, show them the true Way, and save their lives by being willing to rock the boat to give a lasting peace.

#1. Honesty Breeds Harmony

Let’s be real: honesty is hard for a peacekeeper. Not because they don’t have opinions or feelings, but because they don’t know how other people will receive them. Out of fear of someone disagreeing or getting offended, peacekeepers will disregard their own thoughts to go along with someone else’s. The truth? There will always be a risk of disagreement when you share your thoughts, ideas, feelings, exc.

However, there is also the chance that your honesty with someone else will be of great value to them.

Being truly honest allows your words to encourage, challenge and give insight to another.

It also creates space for us to learn through someone else’s differing thoughts. Your honesty can also help others find harmony in their lives. Suppose a friend is in a rough situation. You can see the problem but you’re afraid they might get offended if you tell them. You can either pat them on the back and be about their feelings by not being honest with them, or you can be about their freedom by letting them know what you see and how it’s affecting them.

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#2. Disagreement Doesn’t Have to Equal Disrespect

We all know those people who will argue about anything. Hop on Facebook for five minutes and you’ll be sure to find a degrading argument happening on someone’s page. Believe it or not, there IS a way to confront or disagree with someone without the conversation getting ugly.

SLIDE TENSION OF TRUTH AND LOVE

There is a special tension to be held in the midst of disagreement: the tension of truth and love. This tension involves speaking honestly about what you believe to be true while still giving value to the other person AND to what they are saying.

Paul says this to the believers in Ephesus:

Ephesians 4:15 ESV

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

Ephesians 4:15 ESV

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Oftentimes, we want to operate from either true OR love, but the power is in the tension.

We must have the boldness to be honest about the truth and the maturity to be attentive instead of defensive.

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#3. Peacekeeping is Passive–Peacemaking is Proactive

As mentioned before, keeping the peace tends to look like letting things slide and turning a blind eye for the sake of avoiding confrontation.

While this may seem harmless, this type of passivity can eventually become a breeding ground for injustice, festering wounds of bitterness, and relational breakdown.

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There’s a time to let things go, but there is also a time to speak up and take action.

Making peace looks like actively reconciling, conversing and struggling with oneself or another to reach peace. It’s proactively working through conflict to come to TRUE resolve. While not every conflict results in both parties agreeing, most of the time, two parties can peacefully agree to disagree while still respecting and honouring the other.

SAMUEL WAS ABLE TO CARRY OUT THE ORDERS OF GOD IN A WAY THAT ALL PARTIES WERE HONOURED.

DAVID WAS ANOINTED AND THAT WAS WHERE HIS TRAINING BEGAN

IT WOULD BE ABOUT ANOTHER 15 YEARS BEFORE HE IS ACTUALLY ON THE THRONE.

SO MY CHALLENGE TO YOU THIS WEEK IS: IS THERE PEACE IN YOUR LIFE BETWEEN YOU AND GOD AND YOU AND YOUR FELLOW MAN - ARE THERE THINGS YOU KEEP AVOIDING IN ORDER TO BE THE PEACEKEEPER AND NOT THE PEACEMAKER.

Romans 12:18 ESV

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

A Peacemaking Lifestyle

In , Paul reminds believers:

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Paul’s words confirm it IS a worthy desire to promote peace and strive to reach it in our relationships. The key is–we must remember to go about reaching peace the right way. As recovering peacekeepers, let’s remember these three things:

Your voice, opinions, convictions and beliefs matter. You are capable of speaking the truth and even disagreeing in loveListen to the Holy Spirit in those moments when it’s time to speak up

May we aim to live our lives actively making peace, instead of just trying to keep it.