Numbers 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ’ ” “The LORD bless you and keep you;  the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;  the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Hebrews 12:14

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Sometimes we think of peace as the absence of conflict and violence. For example, we may say that a peace agreement is now in place. But, this ‘cease fire’ definition is only one of several.

When we speak of

• peace with God • a peaceful community • a person at peace with herself • a peaceful home

and so forth, we mean something far more positive than merely the absence of conflict. This kind of peace connotes wholeness, health, and well-being of people in community, even when from time to time they hurt one another. This is a highly relational understanding of peace.

That understanding is found in scripture. Bible scholars tell us that the word for peace used in Old Testament Hebrew is shalom, and that eirene is its New Testament Greek translation. Those words refer to an ideal in which • material and physical needs are satisfied (see Lev. 26:3-13 and Psalm 38:3) • relationships are reconciled (1 Samuel 16:4-6; 2 Cor. 13: 11) • behaviours are righteous (Deut. 10:12-22).

The biblical concept of peace, therefore, offers a vision for relating to others in families, churches, communities and nations.

The purpose of biblical justice is to build peace where it has been broken. This understanding of justice does not concentrate solely on upholding laws and regulations, as important as those may be. Instead, its focus is on transforming people, relationships and structures so that they build peace.

While God is the source of this ideal peace, we are responsible for striving to achieve it in our relationships with God and others. For example, God’s people are commanded to:

• Care for the poor (Deuteronomy 15:1-11; Leviticus 19:9-10)
• Love their enemies (Luke 6: 27-36)
• Make restitution to those they have wronged (Numbers 5: 5-10)

So biblical peace is visionary, relational and calls us to action. This active, relational understanding of justice and peace has many similarities to the modern concept of restorative justice. Restorative justice is “a systematic response to wrongdoing that emphasizes healing the wounds of victims, offenders, and communities caused by crime. Practices and programmes reflecting restorative purposes will respond to crime by: (1) identifying and taking steps to repair harm, (2) involving all stakeholders, and (3) transforming the traditional relationship between communities and their governments in responding to crime.”

Used by permission - www.restorativejustice.org - a ministry of Prison Fellowship International


Last modified: Tuesday, August 14, 2018, 11:21 AM