Reflection

Both Hebrew and Greek use the same words for “righteousness” and “justice.” Scripture always brings together the ideas of personal holiness (uprightness) and public holiness (a just distribution of resources). While Scripture combines the personal and the public, the English language and western politics divide them.

The image of those who “hunger and thirst” is visceral. When someone sins against us (such as a spouse who commits adultery) or oppresses us (such as a corporate employer that intentionally caps wages or restricts hours to avoid having to provide health care), we feel sharp pangs of desire for righteousness and justice. Can we yearn for righteousness/justice as we might hunger for food, even when unrighteousness and injustice aren’t affecting us directly?

Action (Contemplate)

Are you in a situation in which you are being affected by someone’s personal sin or an unjust system? Or do you know of someone who is being affected by sin or injustice? Prayerfully bring the situation to God and then respond by writing out God’s heart towards you or the situation in your journal.

Do you tend toward one end of the personal righteousness/public justice spectrum? If so, can you see the importance of the other perspective? Write a couple of sentences in your journal about how and why the other perspective matters.