Chapter Four - “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
According to Francis J. McConnell, in his commentary in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, there are two aspects of righteousness. One is permanent, like the bearings of a compass, to keep us in the right direction and the other in constant change. How do we define righteousness? How do we know that, in the decisions we take we are doing what’s right? As society evolves and is in constant change, so are the values in which society itself is governed by. We can define then, that righteousness is not merely the obedience of a set of rules but the very reason why we act the way we do, based on the permanent principles that guide us throughout life.
The set of commandments that God gave the people of Israel was in its core; to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as your self. These were the guidelines by which the nation would be known as a righteous among other nations.
Moses expresses very clear in Deuteronomy 6:25: “Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us”' (NKJ). The observance of the law was to become righteousness for the nation. God’s standard was to bring them into a higher level, a nation that had no guidelines in which to function as a society or even to become what God had intended for them: a Theocracy.
The permanent status of God’s righteousness was to be followed by the devotion to the principles that were implicit in the commandments given by Him.
In the other hand the changing status of righteousness was clearly understood by the apostle Paul as he writes in 2 Corinthians 1:12: “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you (NKJ).
Paul’s conduct was not only dictated by a set of rules, but by his very own consciousness, evolving in the application of God’s principles according to the time he lived in.
But how is that connected to the Kingdom of God? And where do we get the direction to guide us in the path that will bring us fulfillment as Jesus presented to us?
In order to understand righteousness, we need to understand its very essence, God!
Righteousness plays a strong role in God’s position as creator of the universe. Righteousness is one of the attributes of God’s character; it defines who He is and how He operates. Deuteronomy 32:4 says: “He is the Rock; His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.”(NKJ). No one could ever accuse God of being unrighteous or unfair. As the sun is to warmth so is God to righteousness, you can’t separate them, they are part of one thing, God’s righteousness is His essence.
Applying the physical reality to express a spiritual truth was one of the most effective ways of Jesus’ teaching. The idea of hunger and thirst brings to our minds the fact that these are very obvious signals from our bodies that something is missing and needs to be replenished. God designed us this way so the moment our bodies lack something to keep us processing and functioning correctly, we receive such signals.
In the same way in the kingdom of God the idea of being hungry and thirsty for righteousness is that just as we need food and water to sustain ourselves, also, in our spiritual lives we can not live without His righteousness, the very essence of God!
Jesus in Matthew 6:33 says: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.(NKJ).
Blessed are those who thirst and hunger for righteousness, they shall be filled… all these things shall be added to you. Prioritizing God in our lives will bring us where David says in his Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want! When God comes first in our lives, everything becomes fulfilled; our desires and needs are made complete. The more we want of Him, His righteousness, the less we will feel the need in the worldly realm. The superficial and perishable becomes unattractive; the more we want of Him, less we become of ourselves, getting closer and closer to His own image.
When we seek first God’s righteousness, we are giving Him the opportunity to make the decisions for us; we give Him control, the final answer. When we have a legal dispute, in the world we live in, we seek legal advice even to the point of seeking a final decision from a judge. Once that decision is made, the case is closed. Seeking God’s righteousness means seeking His final decision, we are saying that what ever God decides, we will abide by it.
Allowing God to take such control will show trust and faith in Him, that in no matter what the outcome may be, we will trust that He has the best way out. Proverbs 19:21 says: “There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel-- that will stand.”
Though we may have many plans and ideas, when we are thirsty and hungry of God’s righteousness, we will allow HIS counsel stand; His word will prevail, His will is fulfilled in us. The Psalmist gives us a good example of ones desiring God with thirst and hunger. There are several Psalms expressing such idea. Psalms expresses the longing of man’s heart to grow in fellowship with His creator and Lord.
Psalms 63:1 says: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water”. Also Psalms 42:1-2 says: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” The intensity of our desire for God will determine the amount of time that we will prioritize to be with Him, as the psalmist says: “My soul thirsts for you! Are we longing for God? Are we hungry for more of Him? Are we satisfied with the little glimpses of God’s glory or do we want more of Him? The prophet Amos in chapter 8 and verse 11 says: "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” Let our famine for Him grow! We are blessed for He will satisfy us. He will not leave us in want but He will bring satisfaction to our souls. The more we want of Him, the more He will fill us and the more we are filled of Him the more we will want of Him!
The set of commandments that God gave the people of Israel was in its core; to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as your self. These were the guidelines by which the nation would be known as a righteous among other nations.
Moses expresses very clear in Deuteronomy 6:25: “Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us”' (NKJ). The observance of the law was to become righteousness for the nation. God’s standard was to bring them into a higher level, a nation that had no guidelines in which to function as a society or even to become what God had intended for them: a Theocracy.
The permanent status of God’s righteousness was to be followed by the devotion to the principles that were implicit in the commandments given by Him.
In the other hand the changing status of righteousness was clearly understood by the apostle Paul as he writes in 2 Corinthians 1:12: “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you (NKJ).
Paul’s conduct was not only dictated by a set of rules, but by his very own consciousness, evolving in the application of God’s principles according to the time he lived in.
But how is that connected to the Kingdom of God? And where do we get the direction to guide us in the path that will bring us fulfillment as Jesus presented to us?
In order to understand righteousness, we need to understand its very essence, God!
Righteousness plays a strong role in God’s position as creator of the universe. Righteousness is one of the attributes of God’s character; it defines who He is and how He operates. Deuteronomy 32:4 says: “He is the Rock; His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.”(NKJ). No one could ever accuse God of being unrighteous or unfair. As the sun is to warmth so is God to righteousness, you can’t separate them, they are part of one thing, God’s righteousness is His essence.
Applying the physical reality to express a spiritual truth was one of the most effective ways of Jesus’ teaching. The idea of hunger and thirst brings to our minds the fact that these are very obvious signals from our bodies that something is missing and needs to be replenished. God designed us this way so the moment our bodies lack something to keep us processing and functioning correctly, we receive such signals.
In the same way in the kingdom of God the idea of being hungry and thirsty for righteousness is that just as we need food and water to sustain ourselves, also, in our spiritual lives we can not live without His righteousness, the very essence of God!
Jesus in Matthew 6:33 says: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.(NKJ).
Blessed are those who thirst and hunger for righteousness, they shall be filled… all these things shall be added to you. Prioritizing God in our lives will bring us where David says in his Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want! When God comes first in our lives, everything becomes fulfilled; our desires and needs are made complete. The more we want of Him, His righteousness, the less we will feel the need in the worldly realm. The superficial and perishable becomes unattractive; the more we want of Him, less we become of ourselves, getting closer and closer to His own image.
When we seek first God’s righteousness, we are giving Him the opportunity to make the decisions for us; we give Him control, the final answer. When we have a legal dispute, in the world we live in, we seek legal advice even to the point of seeking a final decision from a judge. Once that decision is made, the case is closed. Seeking God’s righteousness means seeking His final decision, we are saying that what ever God decides, we will abide by it.
Allowing God to take such control will show trust and faith in Him, that in no matter what the outcome may be, we will trust that He has the best way out. Proverbs 19:21 says: “There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel-- that will stand.”
Though we may have many plans and ideas, when we are thirsty and hungry of God’s righteousness, we will allow HIS counsel stand; His word will prevail, His will is fulfilled in us. The Psalmist gives us a good example of ones desiring God with thirst and hunger. There are several Psalms expressing such idea. Psalms expresses the longing of man’s heart to grow in fellowship with His creator and Lord.
Psalms 63:1 says: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water”. Also Psalms 42:1-2 says: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” The intensity of our desire for God will determine the amount of time that we will prioritize to be with Him, as the psalmist says: “My soul thirsts for you! Are we longing for God? Are we hungry for more of Him? Are we satisfied with the little glimpses of God’s glory or do we want more of Him? The prophet Amos in chapter 8 and verse 11 says: "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” Let our famine for Him grow! We are blessed for He will satisfy us. He will not leave us in want but He will bring satisfaction to our souls. The more we want of Him, the more He will fill us and the more we are filled of Him the more we will want of Him!
posted by Dennis Da Silva @ 1:34 PM
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