Justice

It's been a while since I've been in this space.  At times I miss it dearly and at times I forget why I even called this little corner home. But today I'm drawn back as I am processing the words of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  There is a wonderful group of women who meet daily over at IF:Equip to discuss Biblical text.  I am one who follows along and jots down my own thoughts with ink and paper. But today, today is different. I've been trying to wrap my mind around this one verse text all day.

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 

Matthew 5:6 NLT

I've been parked here all day. ALL. DAY. What is justice, or righteousness? And why do those who hunger and thirst for it become satisfied?  So many ideas of justice float around in my head, many playing out in one's interpretation of the word. Yet there is only One truly Just, only One Righteous.

Justice

 I began digging for some interpretation that I could gnaw on for a while. Something that would bring clarity and understanding. Thankfully, I came across a definition of righteousness by NT Wright. Midway through this piece he says,

To have 'righteousness' meant to belong to the covenant, the boundary marker of which was the Torah, and the hope of which was that God, in accordance with his own righteousness, would act in history to 'vindicate', to 'justify' his people by saving them from their enemies.

Today, it hit me, to hunger and thirst for righteousness is to hunger and thirst, to long desperately for, the Covenant Maker, the Covenant Keeper.  My mind raced back to Genesis 15. The Lord made a covenant with Abram. It was not because of Abram's ability to keep his end of the covenant nor was it because of anything else Abram did or did not do, but solely on his faith that the Lord counted Abram righteous.

Hunger and Thirst for the One who is Righteous, not just what He can do. Satisfaction comes when we long for Him. Because when we long for Him, He will meet us and we can trust Him.

Who or what are you longing for?