October 21, 2024 -- Proverbs 21:21 -- The Blessings God our Father confers on all who pursue Him

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness,
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
Proverbs 21:21 ESV

Earlier in this same chapter of Proverbs the LORD is described as “the Righteous One”; that is a helpful backdrop to understanding the proverb before us today. Whoever pursues—that is, to follow with the intention of making His righteousness your desire and goal—is committed to running farther and farther away from his own past wicked ways and thoughts. At the start of this chapter in Proverbs there is a line which is reminiscent of Judges “every way of a man is right in his own eyes” (Proverbs 21:2). Now the quotation from Judges “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25b ESV). What is the significance of this? A man can’t tell right from wrong. Right and wrong are given as a gift of discernment by the Spirit of the LORD Who lives in him. If that intrigues you, know that the Spirit is nudging you. Listen.

Ultimately, to pursue righteousness, is to deny oneself and decisively putting to death one’s former desires and false ideals of what is right and wrong in favour of following Jesus Christ. He alone is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). In fact, no one can approach righteousness, no one can find the Father in heaven unless he knows Jesus Christ.

There are twin virtues which the wise person pursues—righteousness and kindness. The word kindness is a translation of that sumptuous Hebrew word hēsēd, which can be translated into about 100 English words. Words like: lovingkindness, steadfast love, love, mercy, kindness, and so on. It is the key Hebrew word that describes way the LORD our God deals with His people. It is a word so deep and beautiful that language can not capture every sense of it. It is a verbal indication of His perfections beyond comprehension and description. In eternity we will marvel at the majestic love and covenant-faithfulness of our God and still not come to the end of all He Is.

Now look at the result of pursuing righteousness and kindness—He blesses those who pursue Him beyond their expectation. He gives life. That is as Jesus describes it ‘everlasting life’, beginning here on earth with a richness and fulness that the result of being joined to Jesus Who is the source of life. He gives life that even death will not defeat. The promise is those who are joined to Jesus by baptism will with Him rise from death to newness of life. Eternity begins now for those who pursue Jesus.

The “Righteous One” will award those who follow after Him with greater righteousness than they can achieve on their own. In fact, the bible describes all our own feeble efforts of righteousness enacted without reference to Him as unclean, foul as a used menstrual rag. (Isaiah 64:6 states the uncleanness of people that graphically; so gross that editors inappropriately clean up the language there.) The righteousness (right living according to all the commands of God) of Jesus Christ will be applied to the believer and the believer’s sinfulness, uncleanness, and all his inclinations to waywardness have been punished on the Person of Jesus at the cross. Therefore believers have now, through Jesus Christ, a righteousness beyond anything they could ever have hoped to achieve. They are credited with the righteousness of Jesus Himself.

Finally, as if this is not enough, God the Faithful Father, heaps on His people honor. The word can also be translated as “glory”. The glory that is God’s will be somehow given in some measure to His people. In John 17 Jesus prayed to the Father that His followers would be given glory—the glory that belongs to Jesus will be given to His pursuers. What a concept that is. Such glory consists in knowing Jesus. Belonging to the Father by way of adoption. Think how the child of a billionaire revels in the worldly position such wealth confers. Now, multiply that endlessly and contemplate what it is to be the beloved son or daughter of the Righteous One Who made all the cosmos. Our Good and Gracious Father owns everything. Glory is having the Spirit of God living in you so that all the divine blessings of belonging to God are given to you and you are enabled to walk in life and godliness. In fact, you are strengthened to go ever deeper into this new life and find the boundless exuberance of belonging to Jesus and having His righteousness.

God, the Righteous One, we confess how easily we are tangled in the cares of life and distracted by our own inflated sense of self so that we do not even give a thought to Your righteousness and perfections. We confess we chase after love here and there and only find rejection. It is a lofty thing to run to You looking to find Your righteousness and endless love. Ah, Spirit of God, hold us near the spout
where the righteousness and love of God pour out
and the Kingdom of Jesus is being expanded out.
Amen.

https://youtu.be/2gSugruC1jQ?si=-JaJsIaLhlOpobG_ Good Good Father

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