Psalms 34:14 (NASBStr)
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
Psalms 35:19-21 (NASBStr)
Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;
Nor let those who hate me without cause wink maliciously.
For they do not speak peace,
But they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
They opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, “ Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!”
The contrast between these two Psalms is remarkable. In 34:14 David says that his goal is to seek peace and not evil. He makes a commitment to pursue peace with others and in bad situations. But, in 35:19-21 we see what David is up against. He is entangled with someone who is failing to see peace. He is entangled with someone who is rather looking for war. This is a quandary for David, as it would be for us. It is so tough to seek peace in evil situations when someone else is seeking evil in a peaceful situation. David knows that the seeking of peace is like a pursuit. You might never catch it because of the evil around you. One of the Fruit of the Spirit is "peace." It is by faith in Christ that the Spirit can produce peace in our lives. Jesus said He came to give peace (John 14:27). The world has a false peace. They believe that peace is the absence of war. However, to Jesus it is the presence of Him. David realized that his pursuit of peace had to be through and enabled by his pursuit of God. As God worked in him true peace would win the day. However, David also knew that there were some who would not want peace. They are for war. Instead they deceive with their words and seek to point out mistakes and faults. Those who have faith in God seek peace, not war. They speak truth not deceit.
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