08/09/M – The Ways of the Lord

Psalms: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you. Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; Lord, they walk in the light from your face. They rejoice in your name all day long, and they are exalted by your righteousness. For you are their magnificent strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. Surely our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89:14-18‬ ‭CSB)

God’s kingdom – His power and authority to rule and reign over creation and the affairs of humanity – is established on righteousness and justice. All the ways of God are right and just. Everything that He does and says is right and just. He never does or says anything that is unrighteous, unjust or unjustified. Because of that statement of fact, we would all be doomed to destruction, were it not for the second statement of fact: faithful love and truth precedes God’s righteous and just presence. Faithful love is translated from the Hebrew word checed. Checed is God’s zealous goodness, kindness, mercy, and unfailing covenantal love towards us. Truth is translated from the Hebrew word emeth, which means firmness, faithfulness, reliability and stability to what has been spoken. God’s ways are completely and perfectly right and just. God is also completely good, merciful and faithfully loving. In His goodness, mercy and love for humanity, God has promised to provide forgiveness for our sin and a righteous and just way for us to be saved from His righteous and justifiable wrath. Because God is true, we know that because He promised it, He will be sure to deliver on His promise.

God has in fact delivered on His promise. The righteous and just means to receive forgiveness from sin and salvation from wrath was provided through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. When we repent from our sin, place our faith on the finished work of Jesus Christ, and commit our lives to His Lordship, we receive forgiveness and salvation. In Christ, we are justified, declared righteous, reconciled to God, and allowed to abide ever in His presence.

The psalmist wrote, “Happy [blessed] are the people that know [by experience] the joyful shout [of triumph] and are able to walk in the light of God’s presence. They rejoice in God’s name [reputation and glory] all day long and are exalted by His righteousness.” That is true of all who place their faith in Christ and remain in Christ by grace through faith. Christ becomes their exalted King and through Him, they receive the strength to walk according to the righteous and just word, will and ways of the Lord.

Proverbs: “All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs hearts.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21:2‬ ‭CSB)

God is righteous and just in all His ways and is the very source of righteous and justice. Because of sin, apart from God, we are removed from true righteousness. Therefore, on our own, we are horrible arbiters of what is truly right and just. The only way to know if a way is right and/or just is to view that way in the light of God’s righteousness and justice… to allow Him to weigh the seen and unseen and declare a verdict.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that everything that You do and say is founded on righteousness and justice. I also thank You that You that Your ways are full of faithful love and truth… and that You have truthfully expressed Your faithful love to me by forgiving me, saving me, justifying me and reconciling me. Because of You, all of my ways can be founded on righteousness and justice as I submit myself to You in faith. Help me to not be committed to my ways, but walk according to Your word, will and ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.