“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” (Mt 5:6)
The New Living Translation says justice, not righteousness, which makes me wonder how they are related. They seem so different. As I studied, I found there are other synonyms to consider for justice and righteousness. Look at these words and how they add to our understanding of this verse:
“Blesses are those who hunger and thirst for…
righteousness
justice
godliness
honesty
right-ness
fairness
blamelessness
innocence
for they will be satisfied.”
What do all these have in common? It is a theme of proper assessment, which can only be done by God Himself. So when our church gets involved in other countries, we are helping bring this verse to life. As people come to know Christ, they understand that He is the One who satisfies all things. Even if they are being treated poorly by others, they know Christ treats them fair. If they have suffered an injustice, they know that Christ’s offer of salvation is a just offer to them.
A past president of Kenya said to the newspaper, “Africans are crafty people. They tell you one thing when at the back of their mind they are planning something else.” But according to this verse, when an African encounters God, God is not planning anything different from what He’s already said. He is an honest God, first time and every time. The hunger and thirst for honest talk will be satisfied.
A Christian orphanage in India was recently targeted in a smear campaign by a local newspaper when two babies about to die were brought to the orphanage. They were blamed for the childrens deaths, which no one could have prevented at that late stage. The orphanage leadership was hungry and thirsty to be declared blameless. In time God satisfied their desire and brought favor on them through local government leaders who recognized the injustice happening. The orphanage is now in good public standing, still operating, serving hungry and thirsty children!
Listen to the above verse one more time, with all the synonyms and my understanding of how the satisfaction comes:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness/justice/godliness/honesty/right-nes/fairness/blamelessness/innocence for they will be properly assessed and receive an outcome from God that totally satisfies their appetite.”
God is the One who delivers our satisfaction, through what He’s already done or through other people. He has that kind of power. Next week, we will talk about the power He gives to us.
Til then, Dan
