We should keep in mind that the image of such pervasive peace and reconciliation is especially appealing to the tribes of Israel, who have been embattled with each other and outside tribal factions for a really long time. But it may also be seen as a challenge to have to coexist with those who they perceive as an imminent threat.
In the Psalm, it seems to me that this author is definitely getting paid by the king to write flattering stuff about him. His own personal motivation aside, it’s not an accident that the features David clearly wants to inherit directly mirror those that the prophets predict the future Messiah will have. Whether he seeks such attributes in order to be a ruler more in favour with God or not is unclear.
As for the members of the early church in Rome, I can only imagine the angst they must have felt about having to go out among the people of the very city at the heart of the occupying empire to preach about a different faith. My guess is that without Paul’s urging, they’d be just as happy to stay safely tucked away in the privacy of their gathering places. But Paul, the zealot that he is, isn’t having it.
Finally, we have John the Baptist, who is always quite the charmer. Unlike the early Christians in Rome, he’s not afraid at all to call out the powers that be, promising all sorts of gross, terrible stuff in their future if they don’t turn from their present course. He, like the psalmist and Paul, is referring back to the ancient prophets as his authority for his convictions.
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