Image: "Familiar But Appreciated," 2020, Severna Park, Md
Psalm 85:10 Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.
Psalm 84:7 They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 85:6 Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?
Psalm 88:10 Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You?
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There are so many choice nuggets in today's readings! All of them, except for Psalm 88 which one well known OT scholar has called the "black sheep of the psalms", point our eyes heavenward in praise. However I simply cannot touch on them all, and, at some level I don't want to. Psalm 85:10 sings to my soul each time I read it. "Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!" Is that not a sublime thought? It is phrased in beautifully simple words yet the meaning is wondrously deep.. I have to think about it a bit.
First consider the metaphor itself: "Mercy" and "Truth" meeting together, "Righteousness" and "Peace" kissing. What a wonderfully intimate picture they paint.
"Mercy" as a separate idea, has its own beauty, with depths of astonishing implications. People react to "mercy" differently. There are those who treat it almost contemptuously. They somehow equate "mercy" with weakness or else, if they are recipients of it, they selfishly consider it as nothing more than they deserve. But for those who are horrified at the repercussions and prospects of what they deserve... when the murderer sees the lights flickering on death row and knows that he is next... then "mercy" is anything but contemptible. "Mercy" is the only thing that will save them. And when mercy is shown and when the knowledge of mercy floods over their soul, something incredible happens. They are changed... their subsequent lives will never be the same. Henceforth they will live as "vessels of mercy" (Rom. 9:23), reflecting that character in all that they do. To have any idea of the depths of "mercy", a person has to have experienced it... only they can really speak about it.
"Truth" as a separate idea is also beautiful and deep, but different. "Truth" is the light of knowledge. It is the expression of what is real. It is not to be understood as just simple statements about stuff around us - like "the sky is cloudy today." No, "truth" refers to the flashing insights which orient our thoughts, understanding and our lives to how all things fit together in relation to God. "Truth" is the foundation of faith which speaks to our actual relation to God... "truth" is that which opens our eyes and hearts to embrace our relation to God. "Truth" is that which penetrates into our soul and results in our being born again. It is "knowledge" that is understandable by our minds but it is "knowledge" that is experienced in our hearts... and our souls.
How infinitely precious is it to know that in Jesus of Nazareth, mercy and truth have met. They have been brought together and, having met, have become joined. The Human Nature of Jesus, called forth from all eternity to be a merciful sacrifice for our sins, "met" His Divine Nature as the Christ, the One Whom the Scriptures call Wisdom... Who was there at creation and in Whom all truth is contained. The Human and the Divine have met... and though always separate and unmixed in the One Jesus Christ, yet they are bound together in mystery too deep for our mortal comprehension.
Mercy and truth have met.
And, similarly, Righteousness and Peace have kissed.
"Righteousness" the elemental aspiration of every human heart. The longing for which grows out of our shame. We know that we are not pure... and for those of us who have been transformed by truth... we desperately desire to be different. We want the last shackle of sinful desire to be gone. We want to awaken each day to the bright sunlit morning and know that we will "do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God." The quality of righteousness is missing from our lives and it is like that treasure hidden in a field... we will sell all that we possess to own it. So our longing for "righteousness" makes us restless... it moves us to seek for it... and we cannot still the restless sea of our soul until we gain it.
In other words, we want peace. And then this verse reminds us that in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God, "righteousness" and "peace" have kissed and our hearts lift to the heavens. Jesus is our righteousness... by His stripes we are healed... by His sacrifice we are washed white as snow... we stand before God as ones who have been justified, sanctified and glorified... positionally already. In this glorious Gospel peace is the immediate fruit. When "righteousness" is kissed by "peace" then we have both already and that in the most delicious manner possible. We cannot have righteousness without peace... we cannot have peace without righteousness ... so therefore we MUST have Jesus. In Him and in Him alone can this be said.
Jesus is OUR righteousness because God has declared that by being united to Him, our righteousness is not grounded in law (or sinlessness with respect to law - Rom. 3:21ff) but is given us through "faith in Jesus Christ." Immediately the shame of our sin along with its constant turmoil in our souls is cast out. We are righteous. We are righteous by faith. We have peace because God has made a way for us to be at peace with Him through Jesus. This is peace... this is true righteousness...
On this Palm Sunday... as we are drawn to think of that glorious procession into Jerusalem... let's look at Jesus, sitting on that donkey and realize that in Him, mercy and truth have met... righteousness and peace have kissed... and let's all shout "Hallelujah, blessed is He Who comes in the name of the LORD!"
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