Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I have very little interest in studying prophecy with a goal of figuring out what might happen in the future and when, but I find a lot of comfort and value in the Old Testament prophetic books. So much of Isaiah and the other prophets’ writings are devoted to messages of love from God and promises of deliverance. Many of these messages point to a time in the future and still offer encouragement to God’s people today by assuring us that He will establish His kingdom on earth and bring an end to death, suffering, and sadness.
In these books, we also see calls to repentance. God’s people were warned to come out of wicked, worldly societies by prophets who use wording that seems strangely relevant today. Like the original audience, we also live in a world that has turned its back on God and forsaken goodness and, more particularly, righteousness.
Last year, we spent ten weeks going through Isaiah 40-66. Many of the themes we looked at in that study series also show up earlier in the book. For example, we looked at the promise of a savior and our invitation to the Mountain of the Lord. Those themes also show up in chapter 25, where Isaiah speaks of a time when the Lord will have “swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it” (Is. 25:8, WEB).
When that deliverance happens, the people will respond with praise and joy. “It shall be said in that day, ‘Behold, this is our God! We have waited for him, and he will save us! This is Yahweh! We have waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation!’ For Yahweh’s hand will rest in this mountain” (Is. 25:9-10, WEB). The next chapter, Isaiah 26 records a song that will be sung in that day. It was v. 9 from this song that inspired today’s post. It reads, “Yes, with my spirit within me I will seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness” (Is. 26:9, WEB). Today, I want to look at the importance of seeking and learning God’s righteousness.
Judgments and Righteousness
Righteousness is one of God’s core character traits. It’s even one of the names given to the prophesied Messiah, the Branch of David, who “will be called: Yahweh our righteousness” (Jer. 23:5-6; 33:15-16). There are a couple of Hebrew words translated “righteousness,” depending on the Bible version you read, but the one used in these passages from Jeremiah and Isaiah is tsedeq, which “basically connotes conformity to an ethical or moral standard” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament [TWOT],entry 1879). It’s also a concept that’s very closely connected to God’s justice and judgements.
The way of the just is uprightness.
Isaiah 26:7-10, WEB
You who are upright make the path of the righteous level.
Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, we have waited for you.
Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul.
With my soul I have desired you in the night.
Yes, with my spirit within me I will seek you earnestly;
for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
Let favor be shown to the wicked,
yet he will not learn righteousness.
In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully,
and will not see Yahweh’s majesty.
The word translated “judgements” in this passage is mishpat. This word is concerned with “the process of government” (TWOT entry 2443). It’s a much more complex word than we might assume reading the English translations since mishpat is a concept with “at least thirteen related, but distinct, aspects of the central idea” related to judicial government, authority, and legislation (TWOT entry 2443c).
Righteousness is conformity to a moral standard, and God’s judgements are that standard. As we see here in this passage from the Isaiah 26 song, those on the path of the righteous walk in the way of Yahweh’s judgements. And when His judgements are in the earth, the world’s inhabitants learn righteousness. If we also want to learn righteousness, then we need to walk in God’s judgments and immerse ourselves in them.
Why We Seek Righteousness
The passage we just read in Isaiah points to God’s judgements as an ideal starting place if we also want to learn righteousness. So now the question is, do we want to learn righteousness enough to submit to God’s standards?
We should. Jesus tells us to “seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33, WEB). Another translation says, “above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness” (Matt. 6:33, NET). He presents righteousness to us as one of the most important things for us to focus on. Similarly, Paul counseled Timothy to “pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace,” (2 Tim. 2:22, NET). Though “conformity to an ethical or moral standard” is out of fashion in today’s world, it is essential for Christians. We cannot have a relationship with God unless we’re conforming ourselves to His standards.
Old Testament writings paint an even more detailed picture of how God feels about those who are righteous. The fact that “Yahweh is righteous” and “He loves righteousness” (Ps. 11:7, WEB) is inescapable when you read the psalms and proverbs (Ps. 33:4-5; 99:4-5; 146:8; Prov. 15:8-9). In Hosea, God promises to commit Himself to His people “forever … in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and tender compassion” (Hos. 2:19-20, NET). Then, Hosea tells people they need to “sow righteousness” (like a farmer planting seed) if they want to “reap unfailing love” because “it is time to seek the Lord” (Hosea 10:12, NET). Seeking the Lord involves seeking righteousness.
The connection between a loving relationship with God and practicing righteousness (aligning with God’s moral standards) cannot be overstated. On the night before His death, Jesus repeated three times that “If you love me, you will obey my commandments” (John 14:15, NET). When we do that, He tells us, the Father will love us and we’ll remain in Their love (John 14:21; 15:10). Commandment-keeping (in other words, walking in the way of God’s judgements) is how we show that our love for the Lord is genuine.
Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness—the one who does not love his fellow Christian—is not of God.
1 John 3:9-10, NET
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him. By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments do not weigh us down, because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith.
1 John 5:1-4, NET
John tells us that our ability to love and our practice of righteousness is what sets us apart as children of God. We’ll be able to tell if we’re genuine Christians by looking at whether we practice sin or righteousness, whether we love or hate, and whether we obey or disobey God’s commands. We ought to regularly examine ourselves to see that we’re following God’s judgements and doing righteousness, and if we find that we re not we need to repent and recommit to walking faithfully with God. To “follow after righteousness” is what you do if you “seek Yahweh” (Is. 51:1, WEB). In other words, if you are one who seeks the Lord then you also “pursue godliness” (Is. 51:1, NET). This will be a lifelong process.
Doing True Righteousness
We’re drawing close to the fall holy days. The Day of Trumpets is just six weeks away (if you’re reading this post the weekend it went live), and the Day of Atonement is 10 days after that. Traditionally, those 10 Days of Awe are used for self-examination and repentance before the fast. One of the passages we often go to at that time is Isaiah 58.
“Cry aloud! Don’t spare!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Declare to my people their disobedience,
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet they seek me daily,
and delight to know my ways.
As a nation that did righteousness,
and didn’t forsake the ordinance of their God,
they ask of me righteous judgments.
They delight to draw near to God.
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you don’t see?
Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don’t notice?’“Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
Isaiah 58:1-4, WEB
and oppress all your laborers.
Behold, you fast for strife and contention,
and to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You don’t fast today so as to make your voice to be heard on high.”
Here, God’s people say they are seeking Him and doing righteousness but their actions tell a different story. Like them, we need to take a close look at ourselves and ensure that we are sincerely seeking righteousness. Not our own ideas of what God wants, but what He reveals in His word. We do not want to be like those Paul spoke of who, “ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (Rom. 10:3, NET).
“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen:
Isaiah 58:6-9, WEB
to release the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and that you break every yoke?
Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry,
and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house?
When you see the naked,
that you cover him;
and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light will break out as the morning,
and your healing will appear quickly;
then your righteousness shall go before you,
and Yahweh’s glory will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer.
You will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’”
Seeking and learning God’s righteousness is vital to our walks as Christians. He abundantly rewards those who live rightly and walk humbly with Him. We’re not called to do whatever we like, pursue our own pleasure, or conform to the world. We’re called to become like God, which includes having His character shaped in us.
The author of Hebrews tells us that God chastises or disciplines us so “that we may share his holiness. Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it” (Heb. 12:10-11, NET). We’re in training to become part of God’s family. As such, He’s shaping His character in us and part of that means becoming righteous the way that He is righteous. We need to discipline ourselves to conform to God’s ethical/moral standard.
I think it’s safe to say everyone reading this blog wants a relationship with God. We’re seeking His kingdom, which means we also need to seek His righteousness. Like the singers in Isaiah 26:9, we can say, “Yes, with my spirit within me I will seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness” (WEB). We should long for God to be in our lives, and take full advantage of the opportunity we have now to learn righteousness from Him. We should also long for the day when He will set up His kingdom on earth, filling the world with His judgements so that all may learn righteousness.
Featured image by Creative Clicks Photography from Lightstock
Song Recommendation: “Less Like Me” by Zach Williams
Like An Anchor 