Above: King Zedekiah
Image in the Public Domain
Righteousness, Justification, Justice, and Awe
JULY 10 and 11, 2023
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The Collect:
You are great, O God, and greatly to be praised.
You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.
Grant that we may believe in you, call upon you, know you, and serve you,
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 41
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 27:1-11, 16-22 (Monday)
Jeremiah 28:10-17 (Tuesday)
Psalm 131 (Both Days)
Romans 1:18-25 (Monday)
Romans 3:1-8 (Tuesday)
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O LORD, I am not proud;
I have no haughty looks.
I do not occupy myself with great matters,
or with things that are too hard for me.
But I still my soul and make it quiet,
like a child upon its mother’s breast;
my soul is quieted within me.
O Israel, wait upon the LORD,
from this time forth for evermore.
–Psalm 131, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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“Righteousness” and “justification” are English translations of the same Greek word. “Justification” refers to how we get right with God. St. Paul the Apostle, understanding faith as something which comes with works as a component of it (as opposed to the author of the Letter of James, who comprehended faith as intellectual and therefore requiring the addition of works for justification), argued that faith alone was sufficient for justification. The two men agreed in principle, but not their definition of faith. They arrived at the same conclusion by different routes. That conclusion was that actions must accompany thoughts if the the thoughts are to be of any good.
A note on page 2011 of The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (2003) makes an excellent point:
In the OT, righteousness and justice repeatedly characterize God’s nature and activity, particularly in relationship to the covenant with Israel.
Thus we arrive at the lections from Jeremiah, excerpts from a section of that book. The prophet argued that God had made Judah a vassal state of the Babylonians, so rebellion against them would constitute a sin. Hananiah was a false prophet who advocated for the opposite point of view. The argument that a fight for national liberation is wrong might seem odd to many people, but it made sense to Jeremiah in a particular context.
Discerning the will of God in a given context can prove to be challenging at best. Often the greatest obstacle to overcome is our penchant for confirmation bias–to reinforce what we think already. Are we listening to God’s message or conducting an internal monologue? But, when we succeed in discerning the divine will, we might realize that we do not understand or agree with it. Honesty is the best policy with God; may we acknowledge truthfully where we stand spiritually and proceed from that point. If divine justice confuses or frustrates us, may we tell God that. If we argue, may we do so faithfully, and so claim part of our spiritual inheritance from the Jews, our elder siblings in faith. Jeremiah, for example, argued with God often.
And may we trust in the faithfulness of God, the mysteries of whom we can never hope to explore completely. Mystery can be wonderful, inspiring people with a sense of awe, the meaning of “the fear of God.” Such awe provides us with proper context relative to God. Such awe shows us how small we are relative to ultimate reality, God. And such awe reinforces the wondrous nature of grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 13, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTONY OF PADUA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK
THE FEAST OF G. K. (GILBERT KEITH) CHESTERTON, AUTHOR
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ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS 
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