Second Sunday of Advent: Peace

By Pastor Chad

How does one have peace with God? An important question mankind has wrestled with for millenia. Of course, Scripture gives us the answer to the question over and over. As we discussed Sunday morning, David seems to answer this very question in Psalm 4.  The culmination and purpose of the psalm is found in the last verse, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (v. 8). The psalm is actually a treatise on having peace with God. 

David emphasizes four requirements to have peace with God. First, one must be righteous. David writes, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” (v.1). The psalmist is declaring that he has already been proclaimed as righteous by God. Thus, since he is in right standing with God, God will hear his prayer. 

But this requirement presents a bit of a problem for us. Scripture is explicit that “There are many who say, “They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one” (Psalm 53:3). Paul uses the Greek translation of this passage and says in Romans 3:10-11, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” So no one is righteous. And if no one is righteous, all are incapable of making himself or herself righteous. Which leads to the question: Well, how does one become righteous then? 

The second requirement is one must be set apart by God. The psalm declares, “But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him” (v. 3). To be righteous, one must be set apart by God. To be set apart is to be made holy by God. This is an act of God, not of man. Well, naturally, that leads to the next question. What must one do to be set apart by God? 

The third requirement mentioned by David is that one must repent and believe. Verses 4-5 say, “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD. We don’t know the context of this psalm; we don’t know what circumstances led David to write it. What we can say, however, is verse 4 is difficult to translate. The Jewish Study Bible actually translates verse 4 as “So tremble, and sin no more; ponder it on your bed and sigh.” The Hebrew word for “angry” can be and is often translated “tremble.” The psalmist even commands the reader to “ponder in your own heart.” What is the reader supposed to ponder? His or her own sinfulness; his or her standing before the Lord. It’s as if the psalmist is commanding the reader to lament and think over the sins he or she has committed. However one wants to translate this passage, for sure the psalmist is telling the reader to turn from his or her sin and turn to God.  

Then the psalmist writes, “Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.” Today, we do not offer animal sacrifices because the spotless Lamb of God offered Himself as a once for all sacrifice on the cross of calvary. Thus, our offering to the Lord–our sacrifice–is to trust in God. So, for the one who repents and believes, peace awaits. But why? Well, that leads to the last requirement we see in the psalm. 

The fourth requirement to have peace with God is that one must be in the presence of God. David declares in verses 6-7, “There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!’ You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” The psalmist is asking to be in the presence of God. Furthermore, he’s acknowledging that being in the presence of God puts more joy in his heart than anything that may be given to him of this world. 

So how do we have peace with God? Well, to have peace, one must be righteous before God. But because we live in sin, we can’t make ourselves righteous. That’s why we must be made holy and set us apart. And who does God make holy and set apart? Those who repent and believe. And for those who repent and believe, you have the blessing of being in God‘s presence. And finally, those in God’s presence are at peace with God.