Peace

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

The priestly blessing, ending on peace. The word is shalom, and it means wholeness: health, safety, enough, relationships intact. It is not merely the absence of conflict, and that is the key to every other place peace turns up.

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

"Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." The verbs are active ones. Peace is something chased down and worked at, set beside doing good, rather than a quiet that settles on a person who waits for it.

Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;

Peace appears here as a consequence rather than a mood: the work of righteousness is peace, its effect quietness and assurance, and what follows is dwelling in a peaceable habitation and quiet resting places. Shalom as a settled place to live.

For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Jeremiah's charge against prophets and priests: they treat a serious wound lightly, saying "Peace, peace; when there is no peace." Reassurance is offered in place of a true account of the danger. Saying peace and having it are different things.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." The word is makers, not peace-lovers. The ones named are those who put themselves between two parties and do the work of settling what is wrong.

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Instruction for someone bringing a gift to the altar who remembers that another person has something against him: leave the gift, go and be reconciled, then come back. The obligation falls on whoever remembers, whatever the rights of the quarrel.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Said on the last night, hours before the arrest, and distinguished from the kind the world gives. Nothing about the circumstances was calm and nothing was about to go well. What is offered is not safety from what is coming.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Two qualifications sit in one sentence: it may not be possible, and only your own side of it is yours to answer for. The other person's part is not promised.

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Written about Jews and Gentiles in one church: the middle wall of partition broken down, the enmity ended, two made one. Peace here is a specific social reconciliation between groups that had been kept deliberately apart.