RIGHTEOUS

RIGHTEOUS

I SUPPOSE THE PROBLEM BEGINS WITH ME

IT USUALLY ALWAYS DOES

BUT MY LATEST HICCUP

ARE THE WORDS

RIGHTEOUS

RIGHTEOUSNESS

THEY ARE CHURCH WORDS

AND NOT UNDERSTOOD

I ASKED SEVERAL DIFFERENT PEOPLE

NON CLERGY

WHAT THEY MEAN

I GOT SEVERAL DIFFERENT ANSWERS

SO MUCH FOR CHURCH SPEAK

AND CONFUSING THE LAITY

IN ROMANS 4:3

PAUL WRITES

“WHAT DOES THE SCRIPTURE SAY

ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD,

AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS”

WOULDN’T IT BE BETTER SAID

THAT ABRAHAM

BELIEVED GOD

TRUSTED GOD

AND ACTED ON THAT BELIEF

WORDIER MAYBE

BUT I THINK CLEARER

THE WORD WAS COINED BY WILLIAM TYNDALE

FROM AN EARLIER ENGLISH WORD

RIHTWIS

WHOSE ROOTS MEAN RIGHT

AND MANNER OR WAY

HE WAS TRANSLATING THE HEBREW WORD


TZEDEK

WHICH MEANS

UPRIGHT JUST STRAIGHT INNOCENT TRUE SINCERE

SO ABRAHAM ACTED IN A RIGHT WAY

AND IN MANY THINGS HE DID

THEY WERE DONE IN THE RIGHT WAY

FROM BELIEVING GOD

LEAVING EVERYTHING

GOING SOUTH

DEFERRING TO LOT

IN THE DIVISION OF GRAZING LAND

RESCUING LOT WHEN SOLDIERS CAPTURED HIM

DEALING FAVORABLY WITH HIS NEIGHBORS

IN BUSINESS DEALS

NO SHARP PRACTICES

BARGAINING WITH GOD

TO SAVE A VILLAGE

THERE WERE SOME DARK SPOTS TOO

LIKE SENDING HIS WIFE

TO A KIND OF WHOREDOM

BECAUSE HE WAS AFRAID

CHASING HIS FIRST SON

AND THE CHILD’S MOTHER

INTO THE WILDERNESS

A POOR TREATMENT

FOR THEY

WHO GOD HAD BREATHED LIFE INTO

A CHILD BORN

BECAUSE HE DIDN’T TRUST GOD

BUT THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC

PUZZLES ME

HE OBEYED GOD

BUT DID HE MISS THE MARK

BY NOT REMINDING GOD

THAT KILLING WAS WRONG

AS GOD SAID TO CAIN

“YOUR BROTHER'S BLOOD

CRIES OUT TO ME

FROM THE GROUND”

I WOULD HOPE SO

SO WE HAVE IN ABRAHAM

A MAN

WHO ACTS NOBLY

AND IGNOBLY

SOMEONE JUST LIKE US

WE ARE CALLED TO LEAVE OUR COMFORT ZONE

TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER THAN IT IS

IS WORLD HUNGER THE RIGHT WAY

BEING POOR

DESTITUTE

THROUGH NO FAULT OF YOUR OWN

IS THAT THE RIGHT WAY

DENYING A MOTHER WHOSE CHILD WAS BORN

WITH A HARELIP

INSURANCE COVERAGE

BECAUSE IT WAS A PREEXISTING CONDITION

IS THAT THE RIGHT WAY

CEO RECEIVING BONUSES

WHILE WORKERS GIVE UP WAGES

IS THAT THE RIGHT WAY

CALLING ONESELF RIGHTEOUS

AND THEN DOING NOTHING

IS THAT THE RIGHT WAY

HATING THE SOJOURNER IN YOUR MIDST

IS THAT THE RIGHT WAY

KILLING CHILDREN IN THE WOMB

IS THAT THE RIGHT WAY

IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME

FOR US TO BE RIGHTEOUS

TO BEAR THE NAME

BUT WE HAVE BEEN ASKED TO START THE JOURNEY

AND LIKE A PEBBLE

ROLLING DOWN THE HILL

GRAVITY

AND GOD

WILL HELP US DO THE REST

FRANK A VOLLMER