Skip to main content

Righteousness


          I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. (Psalm 7:17)


          Many years ago I got the idea that thanksgiving focused on what someone or something does, while praise focused on what someone or something is. I doubt that the dictionary makes that distinction. I doubt even more that most people (including me) make it either. Maybe the most important thing the distinction does is make it clear that both praise and thanksgiving are entirely appropriate. We need to remember to do both, especially to God, but also to people in our lives. 
         We have three weeks until Thanksgiving Day; three weeks to consider thankfulness and to give thanks and four weeks after that to consider praise. Today's passage addresses giving thanks for God's righteousness. "Righteousness" sounds like and "is" thing rather than a "do" thing. That would mean that the thanksgiving/praise distinction just mentioned is ignored in the very passage about which I mentioned it. Can one be righteous without doing things that are right?  Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” More importantly, James wrote, "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." (James 2:18 b) Righteousness cannot be righteousness without action, without "doing what is right."
          What does God do that is righteous? The answer is "everything," but today I want to focus on one thing. God tells us what is right in advance. He told Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and He told Adam what would happen if Adam did. He told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. He told the Israelites the Law and the consequences for either keeping or breaking it. He instructs us, then tests us, and holds us responsible by carrying out natural and realistic consequences for our behavior. He doesn't wait until we've done something and then decide to punish us for it. He also doesn't change the rules to suit our preferences.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...