Jesus' call to His followers to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) is tied to intimate relationship with God, and echoes God's dreams for peace for all of creation as expressed in Micah 4:1-4:
"In days to come, / the mountain of the
LORD's house / shall be established as the highest of the mountains, / and
shall be raised up above the hills. / Peoples shall stream to it, / and many
nations shall come and say: / 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
/ to the house of the God of Jacob; / that he may teach us his ways / and that
we may walk in his paths.' / For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, / and
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. / He shall judge between many peoples, /
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; / they shall beat their
swords into plowshares, / and their spears into pruning hooks; / nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, / neither shall they learn war any more; /
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, /
and no one shall make them afraid; / for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has
spoken." (NRSV)
Micah's prophetic dream points to a time when
all peoples will journey to God's presence so God "...may teach us God's ways
and that we may walk in God's paths" (4:2). Micah describes God as the final
judge and the nations will travel to God's presence out of their desire to live
in peace without violence and bloodshed.
Read more from the 2016 Book of Resolutions at this link.
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