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The Work of

Righteousness

By Bobbie Jean Merck    

“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness

quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17).

As I diligently sought the Lord for His guidance in giving to you the Truth of His Word and heart for such a crucial time as this, I heard the words, “Without righteousness there is no peace!” For greater understanding and wisdom we must have knowledge of what God says, and no other.

            As it is written in Hosea 4:6, we must face the Truth that our God is a righteous Judge. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea clearly states that God’s own people are: (1) destroyed for lack of knowledge; (2) resulting from the rejection of God’s knowledge (not doing His Word and thus are self-deceived); (3) rejected by God because they have chosen to do so; (4) lose priesthood; (5) forget God’s ways and leading; (6) their own children are thus forgotten by God.

            God is the Judge!

“O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud” (Psalm 94:1-2).

 “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:22-24).

            We are dealing with God. Someone has said that our generation does not primarily ask God for help or guidance. Rather, this generation is in the mindset and action, “if it works, do it.” This reminds me of the children of Israel who complained and grumbled until God gave them their own desires. Their lusts only became greater. Yes, God gave them their desires, but He also gave them leanness of soul along with it. I have a godly fear of this horrible result!

            The standard has been, is, and shall be raised for the true child of Almighty God. That standard is righteousness! The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (see Romans 14:17). The Holy Spirit is God! Therefore He will direct one to and in righteousness. Righteousness will produce peace and joy. There is no peace for the wicked. Why? Because the wicked are not righteous.  “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20-21).

            Sometimes believers become weary in well-doing, so they choose the standard of unrighteousness. Do you remember what the children of Israel did when they became weary in waiting for Moses to return from his time with the Lord? They suffered greatly for it. It is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God. Having done all (that is righteous) to stand, we stand until we see the salvation of our God!

            Righteousness is Truth and Truth prevails and is victorious! Therefore righteousness is the true victorious and conquering element in all people-place-thing situations. Jacob was confident of this! When he was being abused, mistreated and falsely accused by Laban he said, “So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come…” (Genesis 30:33). And it did!

            Another one who had this confidence in God’s righteousness was Hannah. Her name means grace or gracious. The essence of Hannah’s life and lifestyle was one of grace and graciousness. She was the chosen of God in her day. But…she had an enemy who “provoked her sore” (see 1 Samuel 1:6).

            This word sore is interesting. It means to look away from one thing so as to observe another. This provocation was intended to make Hannah fret which means violently. Provoked means disturbed, grieved. It is the stirring of the heart to a heated condition. The results are meant to be carried out in action. And you can imagine the results.

            Peninnah means coral. Coral is sharp. It cuts, hurts, and brings harm. Yes, it is beautiful, but its work can be devastating. But God…

            God had chosen Hannah to bear a son whose name was to be Samuel. Samuel bridged the gap between the periods of the judges and kings. He was a mighty prophet of God, and the last one to serve as a judge in Israel. Hannah’s gracious righteousness was victorious!

            Righteousness is consistent with and revealed in God’s own nature and promises. Righteousness is truly of and from Almighty God. We are righteous because we have been born again, we are of Him, and God has made us the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Without God we cannot be or produce righteousness in ourselves. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.

            If we think like Christ, we will be like Christ. Yes, we are given the mind of Christ when we are born again, but we have to constantly renew our minds. A converted mind can be corrupted, and a corrupted mind can be conquered: converted, corrupted, conquered. We must take heed what we put in our minds! “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). 

            “The righteousness of God” is the same as His faithfulness and truthfulness. In His righteousness God is neither indifferent to sin and neither does He lightly regard it. He showed us His righteousness in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ as He died for, or because of, sin! Jesus paid it all! Is what we think, speak, or do worth the price He paid?

            Consider this: can what we do be offered up to God in worship? Can we worship God with it? The sacrifice of worship that He receives must be pure. In the Old Testament, the lamb had to be pure. Jesus was the Lamb given to take away the sins of the world.

Webster’s New World Dictionary defines pure as: free from anything that adulterates, taints, etc: unmixed; faultless; blameless; and certainly Jesus was pure and holy.

I present to you the following which is taken From Notes on Galatians, by Hogg and Vine, pp. 246, 247.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

1. dikaiosune NT: 1343 is “the character or quality of being right or just”; it was formerly spelled “rightwiseness,” which clearly expresses the meaning. It is used to denote an attribute of God, e.g., Rom. 3:5, the context of which shows that “the righteousness of God” means essentially the same as His faithfulness, or truthfulness, that which is consistent with His own nature and promises; Rom. 3:25,26 speaks of His “righteousness” as exhibited in the death of Christ, which is sufficient to show men that God is neither indifferent to sin nor regards it lightly. On the contrary, it demonstrates that quality of holiness in Him which must find expression in His condemnation of sin.

“Dikaiosune is found in the sayings of the Lord Jesus, (a) of whatever is right or just in itself, whatever conforms to the revealed will of God, Matt. 5:6,10,20; John 16:8,10; (b) whatever has been appointed by God to be acknowledged and obeyed by man, Matt. 3:15; 21:32; (c) the sum total of the requirements of God, Matt. 6:33; (d) religious duties, Matt. 6:1 (distinguished as almsgiving, man’s duty to his neighbor, vv. 2-4, prayer, his duty to God, vv. 5-15, fasting, the duty of self-control, vv. 16-18).”

There is one whom we must please if we are to have faith in God to do all we need and want Him to do, and that One is God! “How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?”  (John 5:44). 

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground:

for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

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