Righteousness and Praise!
The above passage comes from Isaiah 61. The chapter ends in verse 11 saying, “For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.”
God rewards righteousness and celebrates in praise. The heart surrendered to Christ is committed to righteousness and expresses uncontrollable praise. These are not circumstantially driven, but remain as anchors to the soul amidst the oppression of turmoil and the temptation of arrogance in success. There are many Biblical examples of people dedicated to righteousness and abundant in praise. My mind is most commonly drawn to Joseph. Genesis 37-50 narrates the historical account of his life. We find revealed there that Joseph has a standard of excellence that he is unwilling to compromise with. This is evidenced in his refusal to take advantage of Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39). His acts of righteousness do not eliminate all struggle and do not result in immediate reward. But the Lord was always with Joseph and honored the righteousness in Joseph’s heart and mind. Joseph praised God in sorrow and in success. I encourage you to read these chapters in Genesis and reflect on the dynamic relationship between God and Joseph.
God’s creation clearly reflects the truth of our Isaiah passage. It is God who causes righteousness and praise to resound before all the earth. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). Creation is righteous in that it lives strictly according to its design and in submission to its maker. The very rocks cry out praise to the King of Kings through whom all things were made and all things are held together. Get outside today! Your maker has something brilliant to show you.
Praiseallujiah!
Jon
