Matthew 5:6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied (filled).
Unless you are living under a rock or have chosen to be a hermit, you find yourself continually exposed to evil in multiple forms. Recently, I viewed a short video warning parents of the dangers of allowing their children to post innocent things on the internet because their photos could be copied, altered, and inserted into pornography using AI. Some kids have even committed suicide when they have found themselves targets of such deplorable activity. Missionaries working with Muslims realize posting photos can lead to new converts being slaughtered. Now we’re also hearing accounts of teens using ChatGPT messages that have convinced them to commit suicide. Meanwhile, hackers can steal your identity, rendering you a non-person in a world increasingly dominated by online information. But what does “righteousness” really mean?
Biblehub.com defines righteousness like this: Righteousness, in a biblical context, refers to a quality of moral uprightness and purity that aligns with the perfect character and will of God. It signifies acting in accordance with divine standards rather than merely human ones. Moreover, righteousness is not solely about external behavior; it involves an inward posture of the heart, grounded in faith and a right relationship with God. According to Scripture, humankind cannot achieve ultimate righteousness on its own, but can receive it through faith. As it is written, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed-a righteousness that is by faith from start to finish”
What does it mean to hunger and thirst after righteousness? We turn to David Guzik and his “Enduring Word Commentary.”
Blessed are those who hunger: This describes a profound hunger that cannot be satisfied by a snack. This is a longing that endures and is never completely satisfied on this side of eternity.
· This passion is real, just like hunger and thirst are real.
· This passion is natural, just like hunger and thirst are natural in a healthy person.
· This passion is intense, just like hunger and thirst can be.
· This passion can be painful, just like real hunger and thirst can cause pain.
· This passion is a driving force, just like hunger and thirst can drive a man.
· This passion is a sign of health, just like hunger and thirst show health.
b. Hunger and thirst for righteousness: We see Christians hungering for many things: power, authority, success, comfort, happiness – but how many hunger and thirst for righteousness?
i. It is good to remember that Jesus said this in a day and to a culture that really knew what it was to be hungry and thirsty. Modern man – at least in the western world – is often so distant from the basic needs of hunger and thirst that they also find it difficult to hunger and thirst after righteousness…
iii. How does this hunger and thirst for righteousness express itself?
· A man longs to have a righteous nature.
· A man wants to be sanctified, to be made more holy.
· A man longs to continue in God’s righteousness.
· A man longs to see righteousness promoted in the world.
iv. “He hungers and thirsts after righteousness. He does not hunger and thirst that his own political party may get into power, but he does hunger and thirst that righteousness may be done in the land. He does not hunger and thirst that his own opinions may come to the front, and that his own sect or denomination may increase in numbers and influence, but he does desire that righteousness may come to the fore.” (Spurgeon)
c. For they shall be filled: Jesus promised to fill the hungry; to fill them with as much as they could eat. This is a strange filling that both satisfies us and keeps us longing for more.
Blaise Pascal, a sixteenth century mathematician and philosopher, is quoted as having said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.”
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle avowed that “Nature abhors a vacuum.” He proposed the concept of horror vacui, arguing that a true vacuum, or completely empty space, could not exist because nature inherently seeks to fill any void.” Righteousness is kind of like your favorite food such as pizza or ice cream. Even if you have just eaten some, you know that you would be happy to eat more if you could. But once you gain a hunger or thirst for righteousness, nothing less will satisfy you, even if you try to fill the void with something else.
Many of us try to fill our God-shaped vacuums with “good stuff,” little realizing that only Jesus Christ will truly satisfy. Why not pray and ask God to take away the substitutes you’ve been using and to fill your heart with Himself?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we have tried filling our hearts with things we think will satisfy, only to find ourselves empty and frustrated. Please take away the substitutes we have used and fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit and Your love. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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