Theological Commentary: Click Here
The two psalms
for today give us a shift in perspective.
Rather than focusing on the evil nature of the wicked around us, today’s
psalms ask us to contemplate what it means to be a person who walks in the ways
of the Lord. Who are the righteous? What does their life look like? What does it mean to not simply speak one’s
faith in words but actually live it out?
The first
thing that we note is that a righteous person is righteous in their heart. That righteousness comes from truth. The heart of the righteous is focused on
truth, not lies or deceit. The righteous
person’s heart seeks a fair look, and not a biased look, at their own life. They are honest, not deceptive.
There are
fruit to be had when one’s heart is right.
A righteous heart leads to productive relationships with one’s
neighbors. It leads to disgust when
looking at evil or vile behavior. It
leads to fair and even generous sharing of resources. In other words, the righteous person becomes
a blessing to one’s community, not just oneself. You can always tell the work of a righteous
person because he makes the world around him a better place.
So how does
one get a righteous heart? Psalm 16 gives
us some good advice. The righteous
person is informed by, not just in, the Lord’s ways. The Lord’s ways aren’t something to be
understood but lived. It is the counsel
of the Lord that the righteous seek. It
is the comfort that comes with closeness to the Lord that the righteous
seek. It is the joy that comes with
walking with one’s God that the righteous seek.
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