“Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.” (Psalm 37:37)
I know I have jumped off joy for a bit and returned to the subject of peace, but that is where my life seems to be centered at the moment. All around is turmoil, all I see in my present life is change, and that can cause unrest in the soul. But praise be to God, with the help of His Holy Spirit living within me, I know His peace – that passes all understanding, all explaining, all comprehension.
I love these words of David. This is the man who, at a very young age, killed the giant Goliath. This is the one of whom they sang, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” This is David who wrote, “He trains my hands for war…” David, the man who was running for his life, yet found himself trapped in a mountain cave with 400 others much like himself – whom he later turned into a mighty army.
In this verse David wrote that we are to behold and observe the perfect man – the one who is morally clean, innocent of any wrong motives, and pure in his heart, for the end of this man is wholeness, completeness, and one who can stand upright before God and man. Though we know David had his faults, his heart was one that pursued God. He was a man of worship, a man of praise, and man after God’s own heart (God’s description of him).
He writes that the end – the completed journey, the posterity, the future – of that man (or woman) is to lack nothing, having nothing broken, and nothing missing. I believe David was writing prophetically in this verse, because he says the posterity of the perfect man is peace. When it came time to build the Temple of God, David was not allowed to because he was a man of bloodshed. Instead, his son Solomon (a derivative) of the word Shalom “peace” was given that mission. How awesome that Solomon was known as a man of peace!
I don’t confess to be perfect. Those who know me know that. However, I do possess the heart of David – a heart of worship, a heart of praise, a heart that seeks to know God and love Him fully. Therefore, I believe my end will be one of peace – I will be known as a man of peace. There are things I cannot do for God because I, too, have shed man’s blood. LOTS of it over the years. And not all of it because of my military service. That’s all I can say about that at this time. BUT, I WANT to be perfect for Him. I want to be a man of innocence, a man of purity of intention, and man who can stand upright before both God and man. As long as that is my desire, I know my God will perform that unto the end within me.
I trust that is also your desire, my friend. That you would so fall in love with Jesus, so grateful for the love of our Father God Who gave His only begotten Son, and so desirous of the fullness of the Holy Spirit, that you will be ever climbing the mountain of holiness to the end goal of perfection for Him and in Him. In exchange for my filthy rags of righteousness, God will give me a garment of praise and holiness. Because of the work of Christ on the cross for me. I don’t seek a religious experience. I seek a relationship. I pray you do, too.
Be blessed.
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