Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

People start reading the Bible at the beginning of the year. They come to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. They read “Matthew 5:6  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Questions start forming.

What does “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness mean?

What does it mean to hunger and thirst for god?

How can God satisfy?

If this is something good, How can I develop this hunger and thirst for righteousness?

Let’s answer those 4 questions, and then I’ll give you a bonus.

INTRO

The most basic question is: What does this mean?

Let’s supply some basic information.

“Blessed” is the mindset that someone is supremely blessed, or blessed far above what they deserve.

“Hunger” in this verse means to be famished, or have a strong craving for food. I’ve heard friends use the word “hAngry” to emphasize how extremely hungry they are. What kind of hungry did Jesus have after fasting 40 days before his temptation.

“Thirst” is very similar. Again, think of intense thirst. Beyond Gatorade thirsty. Intense craving.

The word “Righteousness” is defined by a Greek scholar named Thayer as the “state of him who is as he ought to be”, and “the condition acceptable to God.”

God tells us in the Bible what HE considers to be acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. No man, no single person, not even you, has the right to determine what is acceptable. Only God does.

Peter told Cornelius, “Acts 10:34-35  …“Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,  (35)  but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

And when we do what is right, we become acceptable. We become righteous.

Finally is the word “satisfied”. I experience this word far too often. The word comes from feeding animals just before slaughter. They are over-fed with foods to “fatten them up”. Satisfied here refers to God over-filling you. Think abundance.

Jesus was teaching one day and he said, “Luke 6:37-38  “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;”

Now, are you listening carefully? “(38)  give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

That is the quantity of “satisfaction” God gives.

Now, the second question, “What does it mean to hunger and thirst for God?”

This is a very good question, because if we are starving and thirsty for a life filled with righteousness we are also craving a righteous God.

King David of the Old Testament wrote, “Psalms 42:1-2  “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.  (2)  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. …”

And again, Psalms 63:1  “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

God wants us to search for him. He wants us to find him. Acts 17:27 speaks of people, “ that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. yet he is actually not far from each one of us,”

This leads us to combine the third and fourth questions, “How can God satisfy?” and “How can I develop this hunger and thirst for righteousness?”

First, you need to understand God himself. Do this by getting the Bible into yourself by reading, or by listening to it. I did not say for you to listen to videos about the Bible, or podcasts from preachers. They will tell you about God. But since you need to understand God himself, go to the best source – the Bible.

Second, you need to trust God and his Son. Do whatever he says to do. For example, his son, Jesus, tells you to believe in him (John 8:24). God tells you to stop doing the wrong things. That is called repentance. (Acts 17.30). Jesus tells us to be baptized (Mark 16.16). He tells us to live a new and distinctive lives (Rom 6.3-4). This is how you develop a hunger and thirst for righteousness.

When you do righteous things, you recognize you are righteous. You realize you now have a chance to go to heaven. You understand you can actually live forever with God. All this brings the Blessedness, the happiness, the satisfaction that God has promised. This is how God can satisfy.

Now, how about a bonus, or two? Let me give you two examples of righteous people.

Abraham was told by God to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go to a place God would show him. He trusted God. He obeyed God. Romans 4:3  For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

How about the example of Paul, who became the apostle? Early in his life he violently persecuted the church Jesus died for. That was very bad. But Jesus, through a man named Ananias, told Paul what he should do. He trusted God. He obeyed God. He became a great agent for teaching others about righteousness. At the end of this life, he said, 2 Timothy 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

You can be happy, starting right now. You can become righteous beginning today. You can be satisfied.

Those of us at Timeless Talks would be glad to assist you. Maybe you could use the scripture reading schedule we have available on TimelessTalks.Net. Do you need to visit with someone? Use the phone number you see here to leave a voice message or a text message. You could use the contact page or the prayer request page. We are here to help you become righteous, happy, and satisfied.

Until we can visit again, well, goodbye for now.