Day 119, Year 1

Righteousness Brings Peace

“In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.” (Psalm 72:7 NKJV)

Contrary to “the snares of death” in yesterday’s verse is the “abundance of peace” in today’s verse. In my understanding, “in His days” refers to the days when the Lord Jesus reigns. When His righteousness is manifested in His reign, the righteous will flourish in His abundant peace. During that time, He will grant the righteous prosperity and success, and His righteousness will be fully actualized. And that is why the righteous will have great peace. “Until the moon is no more” perhaps means the righteous would live forever revolving around Jesus, even if the moon no longer exists.

Combining this verse with yesterday’s, the snares of death could come suddenly on sinners. Similarly, the days when Jesus reigns could also come unexpectedly to all humans. Indeed, those who practice foolishness and wickedness might not instantly fall into the snare of death. Likewise, the righteous who believe in the Lord might not instantly experience long-lasting, abundant peace. In other words, the righteous might also face some trials and difficulties without peace on earth—this is the time of divine testing for us.

“Peace,” mentioned in today’s verse, shalom in Hebrew, also means “completeness, soundness, welfare, prosperity, quiet, tranquility, or peace from war.” The Israelites highly valued shalom because it meant not just personal physical health, heartfelt tranquility, and a prosperous life, but also having harmonious relationships with others. In front of the threat of death, peace becomes so precious and necessary, which is the main reason for encouraging us to pursue God’s wisdom and righteousness. We desire peace in our hearts and prosperity in our lives. But, in reality, there could be no peace or harmony without actualizing godly righteousness.

As mentioned earlier, “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom.” God’s righteousness and wisdom are interrelated. Seeking His wisdom will surely lead us to finding His righteousness. And those who always act according to God’s righteousness will advance in understanding His wisdom. Even when facing adversities or difficulties, those who always act according to God’s righteousness and wisdom will be able to solve various problems and ultimately experience peace and prosperity.  No matter what, believers should hope and pray for the days under Jesus’ reign always in our hearts, so that we can experience His abundant peace.

Reflection questions:

1) The righteous often have to endure various trials and difficulties. How do you feel about these?

2) Do you long to experience the abundant peace promised in today’s verse in the days when Jesus reigns? If so, what would you need to prepare for His reign beforehand?