Love and faithfulness meet together;
Righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Psalm 85 v10
Though not stated, this psalm appears to refer to the exiles from Babylon and the conditions in which they find themselves. They had been exiled for turning their back on God and for over 50 years were forced to live in a country that was alien to them in every way. Yet on account of his faithfulness (not their righteousness), God brought them back to their homeland. What God didn’t do was fix the mess they’d left behind. It was one thing to look back at the glory they had squandered; it was another to honour God’s grace and repay him for giving them a second chance.
“You expected much but it turned out to be little”, says Haggai the Prophet. Why? “Because of my house, which remains a ruin”. How often have we heard, “I will do anything you want if you will do this for me”, only for that person to renege on their pledge once they have what they want. True to form, the exiles first concern was to settle in and once they were happy, God would have his wish too. It’s not that God was happy for them to live in squalor while he lived in a palace but that the self-seeking, me first attitude was alive and well despite the lesson of exile.
“You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins”, declares the psalmist, but “forgiveness is not all”, says R.E.O White*. If you’ve stolen sweets from the cupboard and been found out; if you’ve shown remorse and been given permission to take another but grab a large handful you will probably be permanently barred from that cupboard even if the forgiveness stands. Forgiveness isn’t given so that you can sin again but to give you the chance to change your ways without the guilt of the old sins hanging over you. That you’ve been barred isn’t a sign that you’re not loved, it’s a sign you can’t be trusted. Forgiveness of sins is probably the most popular (and most utilized) aspect of the Christian message. The building of trust (or honouring God) probably doesn’t make it into the top three.
The psalmist continues, “I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints – but let them not return to folly”. Thankfully, not only does God forgive, he also forbears. Otherwise this statement is redundant. We now hear the beautiful words with which I began this article. The psalmist has married love and faithfulness, righteousness and peace. To love God is to be faithful; peace does not exist without righteousness. “Faithfulness springs forth from the earth and righteousness looks down from heaven”. We now have the complete picture.
Only when our love and faithfulness is blessed by God’s righteousness will we have peace. It’s perfect symbiosis. It’s the rhythm of life, God and his people in perfect harmony. “The LORD will indeed give what is good”.
* (Elwell, A.E [ed.])
References
Elwell, A.E. (1989) The Marshall Pickering Commentary on the NIV (Psalms by R.E.O White)Marshall Pickering, London
Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (c) 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.