How does Psalm 34:14 connect with Jesus' teachings in Matthew 5:9?

◄ Link Psalm 34:14 to Matthew 5:9 teachings. ►

Setting the Text in Front of Us

• Psalm 34:14 – “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

• Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Tracing the Call to Peace from David to Jesus

• David’s Psalm invites believers to be active: “seek” and “pursue.”

• Jesus intensifies the same call: don’t merely chase peace—create it.

• The Sermon on the Mount presents the Psalm’s ethic as kingdom identity: peacemakers reflect their Father, proving they are “sons of God.”

Shared Heartbeat between the Verses

1. Active verbs

– Psalm: seek, pursue

– Matthew: make (peace)

2. Moral foundation

– Psalm: “Turn away from evil and do good.”

– Matthew: peacemaking implies righteousness (see v. 10) and purity (v. 8).

3. Covenant family badge

– Psalm: living wisely brings the Lord’s favor (vv. 15–17).

– Matthew: peacemakers wear the family name—“sons of God.”

Wider Biblical Harmony

• Hebrews 12:14 – “Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord.”

• Romans 12:18 – “If it is possible...live at peace with everyone.”

• James 3:18 – “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.”

These passages echo Psalm 34:14 and find their New-Testament center in Matthew 5:9.

Practical Take-Aways

• Turn first: renounce gossip, bitterness, retaliation—any “evil” that sabotages peace.

• Do good: replace quarrels with acts of kindness (Proverbs 15:1).

• Seek peace: initiate reconciliation, don’t wait for the other person (Matthew 18:15).

• Pursue peace: keep at it when peace feels slow (Galatians 6:9).

• Make peace: bridge divides with the gospel of the Prince of Peace (Ephesians 2:14–17).

• Wear the family likeness: every step toward peace shouts, “This one belongs to God.”