What does "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" mean? Setting the scene • Matthew 5:6 stands in the Beatitudes, where Jesus names the heart-attitudes God blesses. • The crowd hears the word “blessed”—literally “approved, favored by God.” The word picture: hunger and thirst • Hunger and thirst in first-century Palestine meant life-or-death need, not mild desire. • Scripture often uses the same imagery: – Psalm 42:1-2: “As the deer pants for streams of water…” – Isaiah 55:1-2 invites the thirsty to come without cost. – Psalm 107:9: “For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” • Jesus calls for that level of desperation—but aimed at righteousness. What “righteousness” means • Right standing with God—received by faith in Christ (Romans 3:22). • Right living—conforming daily conduct to God’s moral standard (1 John 2:29). • Right relationships—justice, mercy, integrity toward others (Micah 6:8). The promise: they will be filled • “Filled” (chortazō) speaks of complete satisfaction—no leftovers of emptiness. • God Himself supplies it: – John 6:35: “I am the bread of life…”. – John 4:14: “Whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst.”. • Fulfillment begins now (justification, sanctification) and is perfected in eternity (Revelation 7:16-17). Why this matters today • Worldly substitutes—success, entertainment, even religion without Christ—leave the soul lean. • True blessing rests on longing for God’s righteousness, not self-made “goodness.” • A believer who keeps craving righteousness will: – Grow in holiness (2 Peter 3:18). – Influence others salt-and-light style (Matthew 5:13-16). – Experience deep joy that circumstances cannot steal (Philippians 4:4-7). Cultivating the appetite • Feast on Scripture daily (Jeremiah 15:16). • Pray for a soft, responsive heart (Psalm 51:10). • Fellowship with believers who spur holiness (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Flee what dulls the appetite—sin, cynicism, spiritual laziness (2 Timothy 2:22). • Pursue obedience immediately when truth is revealed (James 1:22-25). In a sentence To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to feel an unquenchable, life-or-death craving for God’s character in us and His standards around us; Jesus guarantees that those who crave it will be abundantly, eternally satisfied. |
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