Righteous
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day”. Proverbs 4:18
Righteous – This Hebrew word (sedeq), occurring more than 250 times in the Old Testament, carries the connotation of moral conformity to norm or standard. It is used to describe the judgments of the Judges who were to make decisions on the basis of the truth without partiality. It is applied to all kinds of standards, from weights and measures to ethical conduct. But the real emphasis behind this word is its implication that the ultimate test of righteousness is man’s obedience to the ordinances of God.
When men are disobedient, their sin manifests itself in injustice, self-aggrandizement, victimization of others, willful disregard for compassion and corruption. This sad state is true of both individuals and nations. Breaking God’s law has far reaching consequences not only disrupting spiritual harmony but also destroying the foundations of personal integrity and societal values.
Today we are faced with one example after another of the decline in moral values. From superstars to Supreme Courts, God’s way of living is being trampled in the rush to have personal freedom. But the history of God’s interaction with men shows that law without righteousness is nothing more than the pendulum of opinion. The question of morality is not the question of who has the most votes. It is the question of who is the real Judge. History shows that no society has survived the decline of moral integrity no matter how powerful and educated it was. Sin has only one goal in mind – destruction.
How can we protest the fraud of corporations, the victimization of racial prejudice, the abuse of sexual promiscuity or the lies of politics when we repeat the same sins in microcosm? God’s clean up begins at home. He calls us to a standard not based on the vote of the majority or the clamoring of the minority. He asks us to reflect holiness – His holiness. There is no compromise here. It is not a democracy.
No nation can heal its own moral illness from within just as no person can attain righteousness by personal effort. God offers us forgiveness and the appropriation of His righteousness when we finally agree that His standards are the only standards worth having. His grace means new living, not just in terms of a code of ethics but in the actions we choose. It is the same for nations. Surrender to God is the only way to moral integrity. Self-rule is no rule at all.
We are a nation that has abandoned God. And God has a very keen memory. Ask the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Egyptians and the Israelites. God’s hand is heavy on those who refuse to obey. Pray with me that we will not feel this heavy hand, that we will return to the house of the Lord with repentance and rebuild His standards. The cup of wrath is filling up.
