Righteousness Like Waves of the Sea

Pictorial Language Series

There are people that are snobbishly self-righteous – they are better than anyone else and, as far as they are concerned, they themselves can do no wrong. There are also people that feel following customs of a national or ethnic group make them righteous – these are people pleasers, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not complete. There are probably other applications/explanations of the word.

For me, righteousness is doing the right things God’s way, using the measuring stick that he provides (e.g. the Bible). Right away, unlike those that are self-righteous, these ones recognize that true righteousness is accompanied with humility, in recognition of the fact that before God, we are mere dust. So then, how can we imperfect humans actually display, possess righteousness like the waves of the sea?

The first mention (that I could find) of a man being counted by God as righteous was Abram (later renamed Abraham). The reason God credited him thusly? It was because of the faith that Abram put in Jehovah. Next, was the instructions that Moses was giving the Israelites and how to explain their worship to their future generations. In Deut.6:24,25, Moses said that righteousness was gained by obedience and observance of all the instructions Jehovah had given them. King David said that God rewards him (David) “according to my righteousness … according to the innocence of my hands.” See also Prov.13:6. (It is noteworthy that David said this because he really was not completely innocent in God’s sight. Yet, as a whole, God considered King David in such positive light that he was spoken of as the progenitor of Jesus. So even after a major failure, we can still rise to Jehovah’s favor again. This reminds me of the proverbial saying: “The measure of a man is not the he falls down but that he picks himself up and keeps going.”)

Isaiah associated righteousness with ones who carried the law in their hearts. This goes beyond obedience and observance to an authority. It is motivated by love of God. Finally (although I could cite many other scriptures), I’ll make one stop in the Greek Scriptures.  At 1 John 3:7 we learn that righteousness is a way of life, it is a “practice” we cultivate throughout our lives.

Wrapping it up then, the list below summarizes the ways our righteousness can be developed to be like the waves of the sea (the waves of the sea, out in the open sea, can be relentlessly pounding, overwhelming in majesty and magnitude, and formidable):

• Faith in God
• Obedience to and observance of God’s laws and principles
• Innocence (not disobedient and not deceptive)
• Heartfelt
• Motivated by love
• A Way of Life, a habit

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True Righteousness - Romans 14:17

In the 14^th chapter of Romans, Paul discusses both religious ceremonial practices and the mundane of whether certain foods might be considered inappropriate (because they had been previously used in pagan sacrifices before arriving at the public meat market.) One interesting point is made in verse 17, “For the Kingdom of God does not mean eating and drinking, but means righteousness and peace and joy with holy spirit.” (Other translations)

If we get the full impact of what Paul is saying, if we can extrapolate the principle that is being conveyed, we should come to the conclusion that any ritual, religious or otherwise, is not what is important. What earns us points with God is "righteousness." Thus, if you take all the motions that are common today, whether it be the way a person walks, the way they perform certain gestures, the officious-sounding words they use, or any other such thing, it all amounts to nothing in the sight of God. True righteousness is a condition of the symbolic heart and a mental resolve to obey God and love fellow man. (The Christian ministry is part of our loving our neighbor.)

Matthew 5:6 Hungry Thirsty For What?

According to the King James Version of the Bible, Jesus is quoted at Matthew 5:6 as saying: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Most other translations read pretty much the same. The NWT changes only one significant word, “blessed” to “happy.” (Other translations) Also, “after” is modernized to “for righteousness.” This raised a few questions in my mind. First, how does a person hunger and thirst for righteousness? Next whose righteousness should people crave? Finally, how do we get “filled”?

Then I came across the rendering given in the Good News Bible (Today’s English Version): “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully!” Indeed, hungering and thirsting may at first seem like two different things, but really, they are both a single desire to be nourish. And just like a person who is VERY hungry, is someone who craves to serve God with every fiber of his (or her) being. They are singularly consumed with the drive, it is the “greatest” desire in their life. And just what is that righteousness?

The Amplified version elaborates that it is “uprightness and right standing with God.” Yes, it is to do God’s will, to please him by loyal devotion. So this is not self righteousness or the righteousness of some other human. Our lofty goal is to imitate our heavenly Father. Finally, how do we get filled with this righteousness? At John 6:35 Jesus promised that we would be more than adequately fed in a spiritual sense. By reading the Bible daily, by contemplating how it is practical and applicable to our own life, if we demonstrate a diligence for those things, God will amply reward us with truly knowing Him as a friend, by providing for our needs, and by comforting us through His Word. (Those who claim they’ve read (past tense) the Bible “once,” do not understand that absolutely nothing we read once is comprehended 100%. Even technical manuals that I’ve read before, I usually find a gem I had glossed over before. The Bible is full of wisdom that takes time to be absorbed. Progressively reading a little bit every day is what will benefit each of us.)