Psalm 85 has one of those lines that takes your breath away. Yes, I know, the Bible has a lot of triggering and "problematic" passages. But, my goodness, Scripture is so achingly beautiful.
There will come a time when righteousness and peace will kiss. And yet, that reconciliation implies some present tension and conflict.
The word translated as "righteousness" has a range of meanings, among them fairness, justice, and equity. We can see, then, the frictions with peace. There can be no true peace without fairness, justice, and equity. As Jeremiah laments, people cry out "Peace, peace" where there is no peace.
On the other hand, our pursuit of justice, equity, and fairness can destroy peace. I think of the gulags of Marxism, the guillotines of the French Revolution, and the bombings of the Weather Underground.
On one side, a false peace. On the other, a bloody justice. Psalm 85 imagines a better world, that moment when righteousness and peace shall kiss.
