Righteousness

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matt. 5:6)

I have been working my way through the Beatitudes of late. In this fourth Beatitude Jesus draws us into the major theme of what it means to be human.

In his treatise of the Beatitude, Darrell Johnson makes sure that we are hearing Jesus clearly. "Jesus is not saying , Blessed are those who feel righteous. Jesus is not here saying, Blessed are those who are on their way to being righteous. Jesus is not saying Blessed are those who are declared righteous. Jesus is here saying, Blessed are those who, although knowingly unrighteous, are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. They and they alone, shall be filled."
My propensity is just the opposite—I desire those things that temporarily satisfy my thirst and hunger, and for the most part, they are the materialistic commodities of this world.

So what does righteousness mean? Old Testament scholar Gerhard von Rad helps us to understand the word in his Old Testament Theology. He writes:

There is absolutely no concept in the Old Testament with so central a significance for all relationships of human life as that of [righteousness]. It is the standard not only for man's relationship to God, but also for his relationship to his fellows, reaching right down to  most petty wranglings—indeed, it is even the standard for man's relationship to the animals and to his natural environment.

Do you see his emphasis? In order to thirst and hunger for righteousness, one must first have a viable relationship with His creator. It all comes down to relationship. 

I have recently become acutely aware of the subtle, private unrighteousness in my life. Underneath the radar activities like watching a television show that promotes adultery and other illicit relationships; allowing social media to form my opinion of others. There is no blessing in these; only temporal satiation. 

The blessing comes to those who in the words of Dale Bruner, do not believe they can live unless they find righteousness." If there has ever been a time to thirst and hunger for righteousness, it is now. 

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