Psalm 89:5-18
As the psalmist sings about God’s faithfulness and declares God’s promises for those yet to come, God’s strength and glory emerges for all to see and hear. The poet details God’s victories and acknowledges the greatness of God’s creation.
And then, right there in the middle of this song, the singer reveals its centerpiece: Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne (v. 14).
To worship God is to remember this foundation of our faith. To live in the light of Christ is to live in the light of God’s righteousness and justice. They are one light. The righteousness and justice of God’s Kingdom exalts love and mercy over power and control. This looks a lot different from the way of the world. Remember when Jesus tells the story of the workers who came late but still received the same pay? That one’s still hard for us to wrap our minds and hearts around.
Righteousness and justice are foundational to God. Are they foundational to us? Could everything in our lives trace its source back to God’s righteousness and justice? When we strive for this kind of life, we will find ourselves joining in the psalmist’s song:
Happy are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance;
they exult in your name all day long,
and extol your righteousness (vv. 15-16).
Consider
What is righteous and just in the eyes of God? Is this how you see righteousness and justice? When we declare that things aren’t fair, are we relying on the world’s standard, or God’s more inspired vision of justice?
Pray
May justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amen.