Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Matthew 5:6 (ESV)
As I was reading Proverbs 11 this week, I was struck by the wonderful blessings found in the position of righteousness. While we understand that, from a legal standpoint, we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, there is also the vital aspect of living right before Him. It is this thought I want to consider with you today.
Righteousness is God’s standard of being and doing what is right. Many may proclaim their own goodness, but God is the One who determines what is right. He is just and right in all His ways (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 119:137).
We learn from the story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis that mankind has an appetite to be his own judge of right and wrong. Adam and Eve violated God's command, and God called it sin, which removed them from their right standing with Him.
Our need for a Saviour is found in the natural state of mankind apart from God. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's standard of righteousness. Thus, we need a Saviour who can make us right. We find in 2 Corinthians 5:21 the provision God has made for us to be made right with Him.
Being made right creates a heart that desires to do what is right in the sight of God. Being made right enables us to come to God as our Father and enjoy all the benefits that come through Jesus. This brings us to Proverbs 11, where we find the fruit of doing what is right. The following verses in this chapter reveal these blessings:
Verse 4 — Righteousness delivers from death.
Verse 5 — The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight.
Verse 6 — The righteousness of the upright delivers them.
Verse 8 — The righteous are delivered from trouble.
Verse 19 — Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live.
Verse 21 — The offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
Verse 23 — The desire of the righteous ends only in good.
Verse 28 — The righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
Verse 30 — The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.
Verse 31 — The righteous are repaid on earth.
When we hunger and thirst for being and doing what is right before the Father, Jesus said we would be satisfied.
The Greek word translated satisfied is chortazō, meaning to feed, to fill, or to satisfy. Its root concept portrays the movement from emptiness to fullness. Whether used of stomachs or souls, it signals the moment when a need is fully met and longing ceases.
God does not merely relieve our hunger; He fills to overflowing those who hunger and thirst to be and do what is right in His sight.