God has no unrighteousness

Psalm 92:1-4,12-15

It is good to give thanks to God,   to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,   and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,   to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O God, have made me glad by your work;   at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
The righteous flourish like the palm tree,   and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of God;   they flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they still produce fruit;    they are always green and full of sap,showing that God is upright; 
God is my rock, and has no unrighteousness.

Righteousness in scripture is very closely related to justice.  In many places they are interchangeable - the one who is just is righteous, and the one who is righteous is just.  Does this passage change at all when you replace the word righteous with just or justice?  "Those who are just (concerned and focused on justice) flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon...they flourish in the courts of our God."  In God there is no injustice.

In our culture, when we think of justice we tend to think of the court system.  The pervasiveness of crime and law dramas on television have caused us to form our vocabulary and understandings in that realm.  But, there is more to justice than determining between right and wrong, making sure that those who are "wrong" receive their due punishment, that justice is delivered.  Justice is also about making sure that all are given the respect they deserve.  In the court of law, the ideal is that the rich defendant and the impoverished plaintiff both get equal treatment.  That's the ideal, how well that actually works out is another conversation.

In God, they get equal treatment.  In God's eyes there is nothing to make one person receive better treatment or respect, or whatever, than anyone else - except justice.  How you think of and treat those around you.  God's grace extends to all in equal measure.  God's love is available to all.

Is your love extended to all?  Are justice and equality an important part of your life and faith?  Is there any injustice in you?  Are you flourishing in the courts of our God?  Are you loving (and seeking the justice for) your neighbor in the same ways (and with as much energy)as you are fighting for your own justice?

I know I can do better.  Thanks be to God that our God is not only full of love, but also patience and grace.  Each day is a new one, and in each day may we seek to live our lives in the ways of God, seeking to follow in the steps and ways of Jesus.  May the Reign of God, the reign of justice and peace, the reign of love and servanthood, be not only our place of residence but the focus of our life and actions.