How
blessed are those who keep justice,
Who practice righteousness at all times!
Who practice righteousness at all times!
Psalm 106:3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
This psalm recounts
the many times Israel
rebelled against God, and the many times God delivered them. The writings of
the prophets often recounted injustice as one of the main reasons why God
punished them. They did not keep justice or practice righteous living and they
were miserable because of it. The Bible also says that only those whose lives
show integrity, deeds show righteousness and are honest to the core can abide
in God. And abiding in God is one of the key elements to being blessed. We are
happy and prosperous if we are just and walk in God’s ways constantly. If we
are unjust or turn from God’s ways at all, we suffer the consequences of wrong
living. This does not mean that the good are always happy while the bad are
always miserable. Many do not even see the connection to their circumstances
and their life choices. But nothing assures us of a trouble-free life. Yes bad
choices mean bad consequences, but there are many who are crooked and yet seem
to prosper, and many who do only good and yet seem to always be in hard times. There
is a lot more behind our circumstances than just our decisions, though those do
help. The point of being blessed is not that we never suffer, but that we
delight in God in the midst of suffering. That blessing is an inner
satisfaction from being in God’s will and obeying His command that surpasses
our temporary situations. We may be perfectly just and righteous and yet go
through hard times. We may even encounter hard times (ridicule etc) because we are so just and righteous. The
blessing comes from God and that inner peace and joy from our spiritual success
and obedience to Him.
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