God’s righteousness means that he rules his creation with impartiality, he punishes the wicked with wrath, he keeps his promises, and he rescues the oppressed. All of these things are right. But they are not the heart of God’s righteousness. They are what God’s righteousness does, but they are not what righteousness is.
In other words, when we’re talking about God’s righteousness and justice, there is something deeper than ruling creation impartially, and judging the wicked, and rescuing the oppressed, and keeping his promises. And we can get at this deeper thing by asking, “How does God know what is right?” Does he have a book that tells him? When he’s deciding on a course of action, does he pull a volume off his shelf and consult it?
The Righteousness of God
Psalm 9
August 11, 2019 • Joe Rigney
More from
Summer of Psalms
Deceit and Our Deliverer
September 1, 2019 • Brett Toney
Lies, flattery, and double-speak are rampant all around us. It seems like we face malevolent deceit, manipulative flattery, and two-faced deception at every turn. This was just as true in ancient days as it is today. In Psalm 12 we see the Psalmist lament this reality. But in this Psalm we also see the believer's hope: God is the one who sovereignty protects us from the deceit of our world. God is our deliverer!
Refuge for the Anxious and Afraid
August 25, 2019 • Nick Aufenkamp
It often seems like anxiety is the air we breathe today. Whether you consider yourself an anxious person or not, you cannot deny that fear and anxiety pervade our cultural landscape. And anxiety has a wide range of intensity. At every turn, it seems like darkness and despair are everywhere. However, Psalm 11 models for us a faith-filled response and reminds us that God is our refuge. It may seem to some as if the Gospel has lost its potency, but that is simply not true. Christ is our rock. God is always our refuge.
What God Actually Does
August 18, 2019 • Jonathan Parnell
If God is really present then how can the wicked live like he’s not and live so well? If God is really present then how can the wicked persist in their wickedness with no consequences? Those are the kinds of questions that try to mess with us. And to add insult to injury, or to deepen the disconnect, in Psalm 10 the psalmist shows us how the wicked actually think. There are four quotations in this psalm of what the wicked think and say to themselves — and we don’t find this anywhere else in the Bible. This is profound.