Righteous and peaceful?

'justice will dwell in the wilderness, 

and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. 

 17  And the effect of righteousness will be peace, 

and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. 

 18  My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, 

in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.'

Isaiah 32:16

Oooh, I like the sound of this! 

Things being fair, knowing what is right and doing it, quiet, trust, security, rest and peace. That sounds like a great life doesn't it? Is it possible? Can it be true that we can live free from the internal angst that can sometimes plague us?

Let's look at this passage bit by bit.

First of all it mentions justice. The right balance, fairness for all. Even in 'the wilderness'. This could be the places inhabited by only a few, but even there the right rules will be lived by. The wilderness could also refer to the times when we feel like we are in a difficult, lonely situation in life where help, company and abundance seem a long way off. Even there justice reigns.

 

'Righteousness in the fruitful field' In a fruitful field it may me tempting to be greedy, but if you're working hard and being successful, then the right balance can be kept. So it doesn't matter whether you feel like you're in, 'the wilderness' or 'in the fruitful field', God's justice still reigns. People can know they are right with God wherever there are. 

We have responsibility to look at what we are doing in those places. Are we being 'just' ourselves with those around us? Are we keeping the right balance and being fair? or are we overwhelmed or taking advantage of our situation? God's righteousness is accessible anywhere, are we allowing it to access us?p and make a difference to us?

'the effect of righteousness will be peace, 

and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.'

So, righteousness brings about peace. Peace is what happens when we are right with God. It's like a natural response to our decision to walk right. I think I can relate to that. When I've done the right thing in a situation, even if something has gone wrong, I feel a sense of 'I'm in the clear', I feel alright. When we know we are right with God we can walk with a clear conscience, and that brings peace.

The consequence of righteousness then is, 'quietness and trust forever'. The outcome of choosing to live right is a quiet confidence, not just now, not just in different situations, but eternally. It's an assurance. What a great result! Quietness within your soul. This implies a lack of anxiety, pain and confusion. I think we could all do with that!

God then promises a, 'a peaceful habitation'  for His people. Those who have chosen a life with Him can have this. What would it be like? - a home without strife or argument, no skeletons in the closet. It doesn't mean a place where there's no-one else either, it's easier to be peaceful when no-one else is around. However, can you imagine what it would be like to live with others, but for you all to enjoy peace, there's no internal angst, no unmentionable issues, no outbursts... That sounds pretty good to me. 

So, it seems fair to ask, if this is what the Bible says, and if I am following God and investing in life with Him, why doesn't my life look like that? 

Why don't I have freedom from worry? Peace? Security?

I'm not going to go into all the reasons, but one may be, what are we putting our trust in really? Also, this world isn't God's initial design, so not all things will go smoothly. But whether we are in a fruitful or wilderness state, we can still enjoy 'righteousness'. The freedom from internal angst, freedom from a bad conscience because Jesus gives us that. For free. 

We don't have to measure up to anyone else's standards, because we have been accepted by God. He's the one who made everyone else, so He's the one who truly matters!

I wonder if the more we treasure and dwell on this fact, the more we will discover quiet, trust, security, rest and peace?