For the palace is forsaken,
the populous city deserted;
the hill and the watchtower
will become dens forever,
a joy of wild donkeys,
a pasture of flocks;
until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.
And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
(Isaiah 32:14-18 ESV)
Isaiah watched his world crumble around him. The government was corrupt; the people were immoral; wars and violence increased. Yet he also was given words of hope and comfort that some day there would be peace. What God makes increasingly clear to him and to us is the relationship of peace to righteousness. This right-relatedness to God and others is the only thing that brings true peace into our lives and our world. Nothing else "works". Everyone wants peace; we want this wholeness, completeness, this security of knowing all is and will be well. First must come righteousness through faith in Christ.
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