THE RIGHTEOUS - PART 1

FRIDAY 29 JULY 2022

I love the word "righteous" and I'm so glad that I'm righteous. I'm even more glad that I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. In other words, my righteousness is not man-made. Righteous, in Greek writings, is the word, "dikaios" which denotes - to be just in the eyes of God. As the elect, we have been born into God's Kingdom to conform to His standard, which means that His righteousness is equal to His own being (ie His will and standard of rightness). To make or render us righteous, God had to send His only begotten Son to die for our sins, meaning that He planned everything by Himself. So on account of His death and resurrection, Christ Jesus became our solemn justifier by whom God pronounces us righteous. All we need to do is to place our faith in Christ and accept His finished work. That way, we become acceptable to God by faith and as a result, we receive the name, "righteous", and function correspondingly.

Reference: Psalm 92:12-15 New International Version (NIV) "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."

According to study, this psalm was originally written in the Hebrew language and designed for the sabbath day. It was sabbath thoughts, delightful and profitable to the soul, and therefore, it was penned to honour the Sabbath day. Although Sabbath is religiously observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening, born again Christians acknowledge and fully observe it as sincere worship on Sundays, where we get blessed in the presence of God.

Now this topic is vast and extensive in the sense that as I explore the fundamental knowledge in the above mentioned verses, my expatiation will be king-sized. Since the verses were Hebrew communications before their translations, it is important to master the Hebrew term for righteous. The Hebrew word is "tsaddiq" which is interpreted as being right in conformity with God's standard. So there are inescapable outcomes of being clothed in the righteousness of God and they are listed in the above Scriptures. Firstly, the righteous will definitely flourish like a palm tree. Secondly, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon. Thirdly, planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. Fourthly, they will still bear fruit in old age. Fifthly, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."

Starting with the first, which is - the righteous will definitely flourish like a palm tree, we must acknowledge that palm trees are very significant in the sense that they are uniquely described as the "Princes of the vegetable kingdom." As Princes, they have peculiar leaves and fruits that make them easily noteworthy and uncommon anywhere they grow. In other words, they are public figures in vegetable kingdom (as in lionized, well distinguished, dignified and noble in appearance). For instance, they have remarkable large leaves, specially designed and shaped like feathers or fans, depending on the species. No wonder it was the first thing to be taken into account in the above referenced verses. Furthermore, with their evergreen feather-shaped leaves, they develop successfully in a healthy or vigorous way, meaning that they flourish abundantly. They are also used for certain culinary purposes and in manufacturing various types of products.

Palm tree is symbolic or emblematic of the prosperity of the righteous and all of God's blessings upon their lives. So the Psalmist used it to compare the special and important place we hold in God's heart as the righteous, as well as the advantageous effects, the gift of righteousness exerts in our lives. Beloved, as the righteous, you will flourish like a palm tree. No two ways about it. Stay tuned for part 2 of this topic. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Numbers 24:6; Psalm 1:2-3; Isaiah 55:13; Psalm 52:8.

Guided Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, I love you because you have made me your righteousness in Christ Jesus. As the righteous, you honour me with a festive parade of your goodness; Therefore, I spread out like plants nurtured in their youth and I'm firmly positioned like corner pillars carved to adorn a royal palace. I'm like a palm tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and I prosper in all I do. There is no alternative to your presence in my life and I'm being raised by gentle degrees of your love to function in the wisdom of your Spirit. Hence, today, my heart is full of well-mingled thoughts to proclaim your faithfulness in my world, in Jesus' Name, Amen!