Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness…
Matt. 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.”
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who long to possess the character of God, for they shall be filled.
Where do we see the character of God? We must see it everywhere in His creation.
Remember that Genesis 1 and 2 establish the beginning of our story. Creation and Eden are God’s character manifest through His actions. Genesis 3 is the beginning of a long rebellion by His creatures, a rebellion whose foundation was a lie – “You will not surely die” (Gen 3:4). God’s character was assassinated because He had no defender. Adam and Eve believed the false accuser and did not testify on God’s behalf.
At Creation, the character of God and man had been the same, for God had pronounced His Creation “good.”
What was this character? “Character” has many different meanings according to Webster’s, including “essential quality, nature…, pattern of behavior…, moral constitution…, reputation,” etc. The implication is that character is the result of adhering consistently to certain principles.
As we might expect, the principles upon which His Creation operate are the same principles that are His character. This is why a moral law exists, a law that is understood by mankind whether aware of God or not (Romans 2:13-16).
The end of our story is Revelation 21 and 22, in which God’s character is revealed again. The destruction caused by Satan’s rebellion that rages from Genesis 3 through Revelation 20 occurs in spite of God and not through Him. God’s character is tested but does not fail. All things are made new as truth again prevails. God’s character is again Creation’s character.
We get caught up in the controversy that rages From Genesis 3 through Revelation 20. We lose our focus.
Romans 1:18-32 is a brief synopsis of the consequences of our rebellion, of mankind’s rebellion through the ages, a cyclical story. The time to lay down our arms has long since passed.
We were created in His image, but we have fallen from a spiritual state with a human form to a human form with a spiritual state. This transformation may seem subtle, but this is the key to our present condition.
The subjection of our spiritual nature to our physical nature changes the perspective to the point where the spiritual may seem irrelevant. After all, spiritual is by its nature not physical - not tangible, not visible, not available to our physical senses. There is even the possibility to deny the existence of our spiritual nature.
We are made in His image. We have a longing to be like Him, a God-shaped hole within us longing to be filled with Him, His character.
Longing to bear the character of God, to live in mercy and truth and to be mercy and truth, is the prayer that now ascends from the Altar of Incense. Our gaze is directed to the Ark of the Covenant, directly ahead in the Most Holy Place.
The Ark of the Covenant contained the Testimony (the Ten Commandments written on the tablets of stone), the manna, and Aaron’s rod that had budded (Heb. 9:4). The character of God is represented in these symbols.
The Ten Commandments are the foundational laws of relationship between man and God (Commandments 1 – 4) and between man and man (Commandments 5 – 10).
These Commandments were summarized by Moses in the Old Testament in two verses: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5), and “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). Jesus restated these summary statements in the Gospels (e.g., Matt. 22:37-40).
The manna that had given life to the Israelites for forty years in the desert represents the Word of God. After arriving in the Promised Land, Moses recounted to the people the history of their sojourn in the desert, reminding them of the Commandments and then of the manna. Moses went on to remind them that “man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3). Jesus used this same verse in responding to Satan’s first temptation, that Jesus should turn a stone to bread to satisfy His hunger (Matt. 4:4).
The opening line of John’s Gospel comes to mind: “In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1). The Word is identified with God, as God, as the source of all that exists. The Word of God as His instructions, as the food for our spirit, and as the food for our bodies, are inside the Ark.
Aaron’s rod, the symbol of God’s authority, is here in the Ark, also. The rod of Aaron, like the rods of the other tribal leaders put to the test in Numbers 17, was a dead piece of wood. All the rods were left overnight in the tabernacle of witness. The following day, “…the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds” (Num. 17:8).
The symbolism of Aaron’s rod is dramatic. Here we have resurrection, the dead stick brought back to life. The almond tree is the first tree to blossom after the cold death of winter, another rebirth after death. The almonds are the first fruits of a renewed life. The rod is transformed by the authority of God.
The Law, the bread and the rod are a single unit. The Word is simultaneously the Law, the bread, and the authority of God. The mind, the body, and the spirit are also one.
Jesus’ rebuke to Satan’s temptation comes back before us: “’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Deut. 8:3, Matt. 4:4).
We hunger and thirst, but are not filled. We are eating, but our selection is not appropriate for the hunger we feel. The prophets understood.
Isaiah asked,
Isa. 55:2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?”
Those things for which we truly hunger and thirst now are seen clearly, and we will be filled.
The fourth Beatitude confirms those things for which we truly hunger and thirst.
Luke’s version of the Beatitude is more abrupt:
Luke 6:21 “Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be filled.”
Luke 6:25 “Woe to you who are full,
For you shall hunger.”
In the same context as Luke’s, “Blessed are you poor…” those who hunger have made a more admirable choice. They do not fill barns with food to protect themselves against an uncertain future, but freely make available any bounty they have so that all may partake. If at some point they also hunger, they are assured that they will be filled.
The poverty, hunger, and weeping of Luke’s first three Beatitudes are linked to his fourth and final Beatitude in which men hate, exclude, and revile God’s people. Undoubtedly, this persecution will cause greater hardship, even to hunger and death, for those who seek His kingdom.
Luke’s corresponding “Woe…” is aimed at those who hated, reviled, and excluded the seekers of righteousness. Those who had been rich in worldly terms will find their riches worthless and will hunger for that which is of value in the new kingdom.
The contents of the Ark are a bounty. The character of God and the Word with which He feeds us are too rich for a single course. God neither gives us more than we can handle in our trials (1 Cor. 10:13), nor does He give us more truth than we can bear at any given moment (John 16:12). We must return here often as we grow in understanding.
From a spiritual perspective, the scribes and Pharisees were “full,” considering themselves to be the elect of God. They were blind to their true state and their lack of relationship with God. The people whom they professed to teach, however, could see no way to attain to the level of law-keeping maintained by the legalists. Indeed, the blind were leading the blind (Matt. 15:14). Jesus’ teachings in His Sermon on the Mount turns the tables, giving those who hear Him hope as He condemns the false practices of the religious teachers.
Those who follow Jesus are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is our blessedness, our happiness, as we hunger and thirst for righteousness: we are being filled as we follow Him. As we adopt His concepts and incorporate His teachings into our daily lives, we fill the emptiness that has been compelling us to search for that which will satisfy our hunger for identity in a variable and inconsistent world. Stepping out of the world and standing on solid ground, we can understand why we have been hungry and thirsty.
With each step deeper into the Sanctuary, the state of blessedness increases.
Our gaze moves higher to the Mercy Seat resting on top of the Ark.
Next article
Matt. 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.”
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who long to possess the character of God, for they shall be filled.
Where do we see the character of God? We must see it everywhere in His creation.
Remember that Genesis 1 and 2 establish the beginning of our story. Creation and Eden are God’s character manifest through His actions. Genesis 3 is the beginning of a long rebellion by His creatures, a rebellion whose foundation was a lie – “You will not surely die” (Gen 3:4). God’s character was assassinated because He had no defender. Adam and Eve believed the false accuser and did not testify on God’s behalf.
At Creation, the character of God and man had been the same, for God had pronounced His Creation “good.”
What was this character? “Character” has many different meanings according to Webster’s, including “essential quality, nature…, pattern of behavior…, moral constitution…, reputation,” etc. The implication is that character is the result of adhering consistently to certain principles.
As we might expect, the principles upon which His Creation operate are the same principles that are His character. This is why a moral law exists, a law that is understood by mankind whether aware of God or not (Romans 2:13-16).
The end of our story is Revelation 21 and 22, in which God’s character is revealed again. The destruction caused by Satan’s rebellion that rages from Genesis 3 through Revelation 20 occurs in spite of God and not through Him. God’s character is tested but does not fail. All things are made new as truth again prevails. God’s character is again Creation’s character.
We get caught up in the controversy that rages From Genesis 3 through Revelation 20. We lose our focus.
Romans 1:18-32 is a brief synopsis of the consequences of our rebellion, of mankind’s rebellion through the ages, a cyclical story. The time to lay down our arms has long since passed.
We were created in His image, but we have fallen from a spiritual state with a human form to a human form with a spiritual state. This transformation may seem subtle, but this is the key to our present condition.
The subjection of our spiritual nature to our physical nature changes the perspective to the point where the spiritual may seem irrelevant. After all, spiritual is by its nature not physical - not tangible, not visible, not available to our physical senses. There is even the possibility to deny the existence of our spiritual nature.
We are made in His image. We have a longing to be like Him, a God-shaped hole within us longing to be filled with Him, His character.
Longing to bear the character of God, to live in mercy and truth and to be mercy and truth, is the prayer that now ascends from the Altar of Incense. Our gaze is directed to the Ark of the Covenant, directly ahead in the Most Holy Place.
The Ark of the Covenant contained the Testimony (the Ten Commandments written on the tablets of stone), the manna, and Aaron’s rod that had budded (Heb. 9:4). The character of God is represented in these symbols.
The Ten Commandments are the foundational laws of relationship between man and God (Commandments 1 – 4) and between man and man (Commandments 5 – 10).
These Commandments were summarized by Moses in the Old Testament in two verses: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5), and “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). Jesus restated these summary statements in the Gospels (e.g., Matt. 22:37-40).
The manna that had given life to the Israelites for forty years in the desert represents the Word of God. After arriving in the Promised Land, Moses recounted to the people the history of their sojourn in the desert, reminding them of the Commandments and then of the manna. Moses went on to remind them that “man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3). Jesus used this same verse in responding to Satan’s first temptation, that Jesus should turn a stone to bread to satisfy His hunger (Matt. 4:4).
The opening line of John’s Gospel comes to mind: “In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1). The Word is identified with God, as God, as the source of all that exists. The Word of God as His instructions, as the food for our spirit, and as the food for our bodies, are inside the Ark.
Aaron’s rod, the symbol of God’s authority, is here in the Ark, also. The rod of Aaron, like the rods of the other tribal leaders put to the test in Numbers 17, was a dead piece of wood. All the rods were left overnight in the tabernacle of witness. The following day, “…the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds” (Num. 17:8).
The symbolism of Aaron’s rod is dramatic. Here we have resurrection, the dead stick brought back to life. The almond tree is the first tree to blossom after the cold death of winter, another rebirth after death. The almonds are the first fruits of a renewed life. The rod is transformed by the authority of God.
The Law, the bread and the rod are a single unit. The Word is simultaneously the Law, the bread, and the authority of God. The mind, the body, and the spirit are also one.
Jesus’ rebuke to Satan’s temptation comes back before us: “’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Deut. 8:3, Matt. 4:4).
We hunger and thirst, but are not filled. We are eating, but our selection is not appropriate for the hunger we feel. The prophets understood.
Isaiah asked,
Isa. 55:2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?”
Those things for which we truly hunger and thirst now are seen clearly, and we will be filled.
The fourth Beatitude confirms those things for which we truly hunger and thirst.
Luke’s version of the Beatitude is more abrupt:
Luke 6:21 “Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be filled.”
Luke 6:25 “Woe to you who are full,
For you shall hunger.”
In the same context as Luke’s, “Blessed are you poor…” those who hunger have made a more admirable choice. They do not fill barns with food to protect themselves against an uncertain future, but freely make available any bounty they have so that all may partake. If at some point they also hunger, they are assured that they will be filled.
The poverty, hunger, and weeping of Luke’s first three Beatitudes are linked to his fourth and final Beatitude in which men hate, exclude, and revile God’s people. Undoubtedly, this persecution will cause greater hardship, even to hunger and death, for those who seek His kingdom.
Luke’s corresponding “Woe…” is aimed at those who hated, reviled, and excluded the seekers of righteousness. Those who had been rich in worldly terms will find their riches worthless and will hunger for that which is of value in the new kingdom.
The contents of the Ark are a bounty. The character of God and the Word with which He feeds us are too rich for a single course. God neither gives us more than we can handle in our trials (1 Cor. 10:13), nor does He give us more truth than we can bear at any given moment (John 16:12). We must return here often as we grow in understanding.
From a spiritual perspective, the scribes and Pharisees were “full,” considering themselves to be the elect of God. They were blind to their true state and their lack of relationship with God. The people whom they professed to teach, however, could see no way to attain to the level of law-keeping maintained by the legalists. Indeed, the blind were leading the blind (Matt. 15:14). Jesus’ teachings in His Sermon on the Mount turns the tables, giving those who hear Him hope as He condemns the false practices of the religious teachers.
Those who follow Jesus are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is our blessedness, our happiness, as we hunger and thirst for righteousness: we are being filled as we follow Him. As we adopt His concepts and incorporate His teachings into our daily lives, we fill the emptiness that has been compelling us to search for that which will satisfy our hunger for identity in a variable and inconsistent world. Stepping out of the world and standing on solid ground, we can understand why we have been hungry and thirsty.
With each step deeper into the Sanctuary, the state of blessedness increases.
Our gaze moves higher to the Mercy Seat resting on top of the Ark.
Next article
