“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6) A well-known verse to any that study the Scriptures, or at least to those who pay attention to them with ears to hear when they read the Word of God. I would like to spend some time today in this letter to you around two of the words in this particular verse, thirst and hunger.
Many who just pass over this verse see only the promise of it, the fact that when this life is over, they will be filled, in their glorified bodies they, we, will know true righteousness, in fact, we will be filled with it, but that would not be understanding in its totality the words of the Lord here. Those who thirst and hunger will not be filled, will not know the righteousness that Christ speaks of here, until they are glorified, until then they are suffering, they are continuously thirsty and hungry. Far too many believers hide in Phil. 4:8, where we are told to think on these things, whatever is good and pure, and they decide within themselves not to look upon those things in the world that are unrighteous, those actions of people and things in the world that the Lord God hates. Of a surety, there must be a balance, or the daily suffering would become too much to bear, for no one can look on the face of evil continuously and not be brought to sorrow and deep frustration, but if it is always purposefully removed from our view by our own selves, we will never truly understand the Fear of the Lord, reverential trust and a hatred of evil.
Even the secular newscasts understand this concept, start at the top of the program with doom and gloom, finish with the kitty being saved from the highest branch of the tree, start with turmoil and strife, end with hope. I am one of those who thirsts and hungers, and it is not the path that I would have chosen in life for myself, but it is the one our Lord has placed me upon at this point in time, and so I thirst and hunger. To those whom He has blessed with a heart that can even in a small way discern between good and evil (Heb. 5:14), suffering is the natural companion to the knowledge of unrighteousness, and the hatred of it is the testimony of the Fear of the Lord. To be able to see the unrighteousness, the evil of the world which is growing exponentially each day, is a burden that cannot be carried alone, and yet one must use extreme caution when speaking to others about this subject, for the lost of course it is in its essence impossible to understand, for it is spiritually discerned. (1 Cor. 2:14) For many who profess Christ, it is a depressing subject, they would rather have blue skies and warm sunny days instead of dark thunderclouds and severe lightening, and so they live the majority of their lives refusing to spend any amount of time thirsting and hungering, they put on their rose colored glasses, as it were, and look only on the bright side of life.
These will never truly know the Fear of the Lord, they will see only what they want to see, for the continual and growing advent of evil that is spreading upon this planet is too disturbing for them to contemplate, and so then, what will they be filled with if they are never thirsting or hungering? Those who are seeking to be filled with righteousness do not just sit around and wait for this blessing, they are pro-active in the fight against the wiles of the adversary, and these actions are as many and varied as there are sins of unrighteousness. Some pick a cause, and hopefully in this cause they are led by the Lord, others are prepared by Him to go wherever the battle is raging, either way they all have one thing in common, they are adamant, and extremely so, and in this they create intimidation in others. These are they that fully understand David’s words against the giant Goliath, (1 Sam. 17:45-47) and the reason that he did not just approach his adversary, but ran towards him, the confidence that comes from the knowledge that the Lord God is with them, and that His cause is righteous and just. They fully comprehend the faith of Abraham in Gen. 22:3, “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.” No hesitations, no questions no doubts, go and do what I have commanded you to do.
These are not afraid to speak the truths of God’s Word and to those in positions of authority within religious organizations that are leading millions astray, much less the member of the church who is dishonoring the Holy name of God while still continuing to attend the church services. Consequences to themselves are of no meaning to those who are thirsting and hungering after righteousness, they stand for the righteousness of God, and when it is defamed, they are angry, what more can you do to a man who is always thirsty and hungry? Love is as always the main factor, but the hatred of evil must never be watered down, firm truth, a strong resolve, and faithfulness to the knowledge of the will of God and the Truths of His Word must take precedence over all, no compromises must ever be allowed. These are the “Thus saith the Lord” people, they cannot be swayed, they will fall, of that you can rest assured, but even though a just man falls seven times, (Prov. 24:16) he will be set back on his feet again, prepared for the next battle.
There is another point about these individuals that you can be sure of, they will all tell you firmly that it is not of themselves, it is in the confidence of the Lord God that they walk. Did you ever think that perhaps Samson was about 5’6” tall and weighed maybe 140 pounds, or how Israel, Jacob, walked with a severe limp for the rest of his life after his wrestling match, but was revered by all, and what of the age and stature of David as he ran toward the giant. Size does not matter to God, He does not look on men as men do, (Romans 2:11) it is the confidence that the Lord God is Sovereign, that His promises are true, that we can do all things thru Him, (Phil. 4:13) that our lives are worth everything that He asks of us. Not all are called to this path, and that is a blessing in itself, for frustration, anger and hatred is no way for a man to live for very long, it is wearing upon the soul, it causes unintended strife among the weaker brothers, it is intimidating to many, for it causes a man to become adamant for the Lord, that which is unrighteous is an aberration to the Lord, and so it is to them also.
I have been torn asunder by this for many years, “I hate them with a perfect hatred: I count them my enemies.” (Psalms 139:22) “Love your enemies.” (Matt. 5:44) David spoke these words in the Psalms, a man after God’s own heart, and yet I am not to emulate him. God’s enemies are my enemies, and yet those human beings, created in His image, I love because if they die in their sins, I know their end, and I would desire that for none. But I will not tolerate their actions or words against my Savior, I will not keep quite when those who feign a relationship with our Lord live in sin, and I will fear no man in doing so. Never do I do these things of my own accord, always in prayer and wise discernment must these actions be taken, it is the Lord Jesus Christ that leads, I am no more than a lowly servant, but this servant has been commanded to obey, and humbly and in great humility he sees this service as completely useless to his Lord, but serve he does.
Evil is begetting evil at an exponential rate, unrighteousness is abounding, and the roaring lion is not just looking anymore, he is devouring with a ferocity unseen before, you can choose to stand, or you can choose to hide, our Lord forces very little on any of His children, know this though, the time is short, and for this I give great thanks, for I will finally be filled.