01.13.2021
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6).
We continue to look at the Beatitudes. These short sayings from the Lord Jesus are part of what we know as ‘the Sermon on the Mount.’ They picture the ideal heart, the heart of one who will help populate the Millennial Kingdom. They describe how one can be fully spiritually satisfied in this life.
The first Beatitude deals with my attitude toward myself— Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The first step toward godliness is to realize my own spiritual bankruptcy. Only then can I come to the God of grace through His Son.
Beatitudes two through four deal with my attitude toward sin. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. I need to genuinely repent of my sin. Only as my heart is broken over my sin, and I turn from it am I able to turn to God through His Son, who loves me, who died for me and rose again.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. After I place my faith in the Father through the Son, the natural reaction of my heart is to surrender my all to Him who died for me. As the songwriter wrote: “Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe.” Living for Jesus will be the heartbeat of my life.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness… We come now to the fourth Beatitude.
Having physical hunger and thirst is quite natural. Yet few modern Americans know anything about true hunger or thirst. Few first-century Jews had not experienced these things. A spiritual hunger and thirst after righteousness is evidence of spiritual health. It is sad when people hunger after the wrong things: drugs, money, alcohol, power, possessions, etc.
When Jesus speaks here of ‘righteousness,’ He is speaking of practical righteousness, not the imputed righteousness one receives when he accepts Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Here the reference is to the desire to do what is right. It is a continuous attitude of yearning, like a starving man longs for a piece of bread. As the psalmist wrote: As the deer pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…(Psalm 42:1, 2).
…for they shall be filled. The word ‘filled’ is used of fattening cattle to slaughter; thus of complete satisfaction. The language here is passive—one cannot fill himself. It is like a newborn that must be fed. Only God Himself can do the filling. This comes through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Thus, the fourth step to godliness is the heartfelt desire for God and His righteousness. This can be fulfilled in part in this life as we walk with God and spend time in His Word. Yet, only in heaven will the believer be fully satisfied. Only eternity will reveal all that God has in store for those who know Him.
Where are you in your relationship to the God who loves you and gave His Son for you?
How wonderful it would be if you would begin a new year by giving your heart to God. It will be the beginning of a life of adventure as you hunger and thirst after God and His righteousness.