“Too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war” (Psa 120:6-7).
As the prophet like Moses, Yeshua proclaimed from the Sinai-like mountain, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matt 5:9). And from that same mountaintop, Yeshua prescribes the most powerful response to our enemies: love! “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44). By loving our enemies, we may even see an enemy transformed into a brother or sister.
The gospel compels us to speak peace even when others speak war and to overcome evil with good.
Yet being a peacemaker does not mean that our enemies will choose peace. We must not be naive enough to believe that those who embrace the ways of killing, stealing, and destroying always seek peaceful solutions. Indeed, we are called to be at peace with all men “so far as it depends on you” (Rom 12:18). There are times, particularly in Israel, when we may be compelled to take the life of an enemy on the battlefield, not out of vengeance or hatred for the person standing in front of us, but out of love for the innocent people standing behind us.
Even when our enemies refuse peace, however, our calling to love them remains. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “Where is love more glorified than where she dwells in the midst of her enemies?” (The Cost of Discipleship). The gospel compels us to speak peace even when others speak war and to overcome evil with good.
“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:18-21).
