Reflections on One Word

“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” –Matthew 5:6NLT

What a difference one word makes! The New International Version of the Bible is my favorite. I spend most of my Bible study and devotional time in that translation. But every now and then, I like to read from another version to see how other scholars have interpreted God’s Word from its original Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. It especially catches my attention when they insert unfamiliar words into a familiar passage like the Beautitudes (Matthew 5:5-12). In the case of verse 6, they changed the NIV’s righteousness to justice and sent me down a whole new rabbit trail of thought.

When I think of hungering and thirsting for righteousness, I think of longing to be made righteous personally. I think of my own failings, sins, fallen nature and how hungering and thirsting for righteousness led me to Christ Who took my sins on Himself on the cross that He could clothe me in His righteousness. Thanks to Christ, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied!

But the word justice changes everything. When I hunger and thirst for justice, which I often do, I’m demanding that life be made fair, that those who hurt others pay for their crimes, that everybody get what’s rightfully coming to them.

This world is full of people who are hungering and thirsting for justice. But demanding justice is an impossible way to live. In their book, Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain, Paul Meier and David Henderson offer two examples: If we treat two children with different IQ’s the same, one will excel and one will fail. Is this just? Yet if we treat them differently, offering more time and aid to the one with the lower IQ, is this fair to the one who needs less? If we set the fine for speeding at $200 per offense are we being fair to the school teacher who has so much less than the billionaire? But if we fine her less for committing the same crime is this fair to the billionaire? (p. 6)

Trying to make everything fair in this life is a frustrating exercise in futility. And when I think about demanding that everyone get what they deserve, good or bad, God gently reminds me that I really don’t want what I really deserve. Jesus died to save me from that. Thanks to Him, I live under grace, not law.

Which led me to the next Beatitude! “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7NLT) When I read this, I noticed that when we hunger and thirst for justice, God promises satisfaction. He takes care of it. We leave our perceived need in His hands. But we are to be merciful. We do something. We show something. We offer mercy to others, and receive it from God in return. Our hands are tied as far as justice is concerned, but mercy is something we can give. This passage doesn’t say God blesses those who make everything right and fair. He blesses those who long for a world that is right and fair; they will be satisfied. It’s a promise they can claim, but God will do the work. In the meantime, we offer mercy to those who’ve hurt us, knowing our God is merciful to us.

Wow!

But that’s not all. Verse 5 says, “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth” (NLT). As I continued my devotional reading today, I came across this verse, “The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfection and meditating in his Temple” (Psalm 27:4NLT). To me, that’s the ultimate definition of humility. We seek God. We live in His Presence. We leave justice in His capable hands. And we show mercy to the people who surround us each day.

In her book, Jesus Calling, Sarah Young says, “Instead of grasping and controlling, you are learning to release and receive” (p. 326). Instead of grasping and controlling and demanding life be fair, I release it all, dwell in God’s Presence, and thankfully receive all He gives. I can’t make everything fair. I may hunger and thirst for justice, but I must trust God to satisfy that need. Jesus promises He will. In the meantime, I show mercy. I am forgiven; I forgive.

Lord, I often long for a perfect world where everything is just and right and fair. I see so much wrong that I cannot fix. Help me to release this to You knowing You will make everything right in Your time. While I wait, I’ll walk with You, delighting in Your perfection and meditating in Your Temple, offering mercy to those who offend me that, hopefully, they will find Your grace, too. Teach me to release and receive. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.