Righteous comes from the Hebrew word ‘Tzedek’, which means right and moral. YHWH ADONAI is righteous, which is demonstrated by his just, moral, and righteous actions towards humans (Deut 32:4; Psalm 145:17; Zeph 3:5). Righteousness is multifaceted and in the Bible, it is also used to denote holiness, goodness, and justice. [i]. Righteousness means the condition of abounding in what is good and proper. For the Jew, Tzedakah is fulfilling moral and legal relationships with oneself, others, and YHWH ADONAI. It impacts society positively with stability, strength, and wholeness. It is the constant pursuit of justice, the performance of positive deeds, and not merely abstention from evil. It defines the righteous person. They are required to provide alms to the needy. the poor do more by accepting the alms by allowing giving and they must also give to others. (Encyclopedia Judaica). This means that humans themselves cannot be righteous unless it is imputed to them by ELOHIM.
Who were the righteous in the Bible?
Only a handful of people in the Bible have been called righteous or just. In the OT it was Noah (Gen 6:9), Job (Job 1:1,8), and Daniel. (Ezekiel 14:14,20) while Melchizedek was the King of righteousness (Gen 14:18-20). Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous in the NT because ‘they walked blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord’ (Luke 1:5-6). Hebrews 11:32,33 tells us that Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah performed acts of righteousness. They were counted as righteous because of their covenant relationship with YHWH ADONAI and their faithful obedience to Him.
Despite being right, they still needed salvation through faith in Yeshua Messiah.
Yeshua the Messiah, is the Righteous One (1 John 2:1)[ii]
RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
Romans 3:21-26 clearly explains how ADONAI demonstrates His righteousness by presenting His beloved Son Yeshua as a sacrifice of atonement. Yeshua became the sinless sacrifice and His shed blood atoned for the sins of the world, including you and me. He took the punishment of death that was ours and died in our place. The great exchange is when we hand over our sins to Yeshua, He gives us His righteousness. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21. We are justified by faith in Yeshua Messiah. This righteousness is ELOHIM'S DNA that we receive when we receive the Holy Spirit. It is eternal and does not fade away. We cannot earn it or work for it. It is given to us freely because Yeshua paid the price. But ADONAI tells us, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." ( Micah 6:8). This righteousness requires us to be faithful and obedient to do His will to bring His kingdom on earth.
The Sadducees/ Tzedukim
Descendants of Zadok were the high priests during the reign of King David and Solomon till the second century BCE (1 Kings 2:35; 2 Samuel 15:23-29). They lasted till the temple's destruction in 70 AD. Others claim they were a religious-political sect. Their name came from ‘zadak’ (to be righteous). They were deeply involved in the temple activities and were wealthy and powerful. They held the position of the Chief priests and high priests and the majority of 70 seats in the Sanhedrin. They were at loggerheads with the Pharisees over the numerous ritual and Torah requirements. They accepted Moses’ Torah only and rejected all other books. They denied the resurrection of the dead, immortality of the soul, and the existence of angels. They compromised with Rome to bring peace to Israel and were hated by the commoners.
The Righteous after that.
Many men and women have acted righteously when it was necessary to save lives. Corrie Ten Boom and her family risked their lives to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis. Miep Gies and Jan hid Anne Frank and her family in Otto Frank’s business house in Amsterdam. Firefighters and police are righteous when they save people in dangerous situations while endangering themselves.
Israel has a database called 'The Righteous among the Nations' in which they record the names of the people who helped the Jews escape the Nazis and displayed extraordinary courage. The Yad Vashem or the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre remembers and documents these courageous people. One such story tells of Leopold Socha a sewage worker in Lwow, Poland. He helped hide Jewish people in the sewage canals and provided food and necessities. These were harsh living conditions and they stayed there for thirteen months. When Lwow was liberated on July 27, 1944, the survivors celebrated in Socha's family home. Of the twenty-three who took refuge in the sewage system, ten survived. Leopold and his wife Magdalena are recognized as 'righteous
among the nations in Israel.
Too good to be true.
Yes, can you believe that the Most High Elohim takes your filth, rags, sin, and guilt and gives you His righteousness instead? We can shout for joy and praise His holy Name. He wants everyone to become part of His family and Kingdom. He wants us to bring His justice and righteousness to rule our nations. Here is one example. Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. Jer 22:3.
Shalom, my righteous friend.
Atonement means to cover, to purge, to reconcile from the Hebrew word Kaphar. Strongs's3722.
टिप्पणियां