Today's Meditation
Read Psalm 112
1Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments.
2Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
4They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.
6For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.
7They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
8Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.
10The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
Merriam-Webster's dictionary first states that the definition of righteous means - acting in accord with divine or moral law; free from guilt or sin. The second definition - morally right, justifiable.
With that definition in mind, can any of us be considered righteous? I find it difficult to imagine being free from sin. Forgiven of my sins, yes. But completely free from them? I doubt it.
Since these words are rarely used outside of religious/theological language, I think their definition and connotation have gotten misconstrued over the years. As in the Merriam-Webster's definition we have often used them to refer to individuals who are bound by legalism in religious law, but we have emptied the definition of the soul and spirit of that law.
I wish there was a more complex definition for these words, with the fullness of their original meaning. Alas, there is not. However, if we take a look at the context that surround these words in this psalm, we might catch a glimpse of what being righteous actually means - in practice.
Those who are righteous - fear the Lord (They have an awe-inspiring view of God).
Those who are righteous - greatly delight in following and living by God's commandments (all of them). You don't get to choose which ones you like and which ones you don't feel like following. Think of the 10 Commandments and also the 2 commandments Jesus gave.
Those who are righteous - have wealth and riches within their house. The psalmist isn't speaking about tangible gold, but rather the intangible things that make for a full and rich life - joy, happiness, love, peace, etc... within their house.
Those who are righteous - rise in the darkness. I pondered about this for a bit and it suddenly hit me. These are the folk who on an average day you might not notice, but when conflict arises, when society gets "dark", these are the folks that rise to the top and speak words of levity, that lead people back to themselves, that bring civility and peacefulness. They are "gracious and merciful". These are the folks that speak out against injustice and make all of us better people for their words and actions.
Those who are righteous - are generous and work for justice.
Those who are righteous - are not afraid of evil nor the power of evil, because their hearts are centered on God, not on human beings or on their own delight.
Those who are righteous - they know and understand society's balance sheet - distributing evenly, and giving to those who are less fortunate.
The wicked see it and their countenance is angry. They burn red in the face, name-calling and summoning their forces of darkness. But those who are righteous rise and will not back down. They are not free of sin, but they are bound by higher standards and call all of us to be better people.
This is a much better definition of righteous and righteousness than what is mentioned in the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary.
These are the righteous!
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