Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled – Matthew 5:6
If a man is hungry, he must move towards the direction of ‘food’. We cannot claim to be hungry for the kingdom of God and His righteousness and yet scarcely sit on the table of the Lord. Come, says the Lord, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. It is the responsibility of the Lord to prepare a table before us (Psalm 23:5), but to go to the table, sit down and eat is the duty of man. If our hunger does not move us to action, then such hunger is weak and may achieve little. According to Dr A. W. Tozer, ‘The religious urge that is not followed by a corresponding act of the will in the direction of that urge is a waste of emotion’. If we seek desired ends, then we must not ignore constituted means to reach those ends.
A man who desires a life of righteousness, cannot walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor hang around with sinners, nor sit in the company of mockers. To do so, is to wish one way and walk another. King David said in Psalm 27:4 – “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after…….” The proof of any genuine hunger is the action taken to satisfy that hunger. In 1 Timothy 6:11, Paul said to Timothy – “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness”. If we hunger after righteousness, then we must pursue it while fleeing unrighteousness. We must seek righteous companies, righteous fellowships, righteous partnerships, righteous relationships, and if any association or personal pursuit tends to pull us away from righteousness, then we must run away from such.
Hunger After Righteousness
This hungry heart is firmly focused upon one object only and it is righteousness. Anything that would jeopardise this pursuit is shunned. He will continue to fight the good fight of faith until his battle against the world and the flesh is won. His desire is to be an overcomer and that no temptation will have the mastery over him. If he has overcome one habit, he does not rest until he, through the grace of his Lord overcomes another. He knows that a lustful look is adultery, that a covetous desire is theft, that wrongful anger is murder, that a haughty spirit is pride and that except his righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, he will have no place in his master’s kingdom. He craves not only to be free from these vices, but to be like his Master who loves righteousness and hates iniquity. He longs to bring his life into accord with Psalm 15 –
“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;
whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbour,
and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person
but honours those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things
will never be shaken”
Though he does not despise the blessings of God, yet his hunger is not for riches for he would rather be poor and righteous than be rich through unrighteous means. He knows that “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich” – Proverbs 28:6. He knows that if righteousness is his chief pursuit, then the things that the Gentiles seek after will be added unto him. He believes firmly in the convictions of Moses who would rather suffer affliction with the righteous than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. He esteems the reproach of Christ far greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. His pursuit of righteousness is not tied to any earthly gain. He would choose righteousness whether it brings joy or pain, riches or poverty, honour or scorn.
For They Shall Be Filled….
This is the Lord’s promise to the hungry – They shall be filled: filled with righteousness, filled with good things. A man who is filled with righteousness has no room for ‘other’ things, just as a man who is filled with other things will have no room for righteous desires. Herein lies the secret of breaking free from sinful pleasures. When our hearts are filled with righteousness, sinful pleasures can only watch helplessly from a distance. The more we hunger and are filled with righteousness, the less room there is for unrighteousness. However, the more we are filled with other pleasures, the less room we will have for righteousness. In Luke 1:53, Mary, the Lord’s mother said “He has satisfied the hungry hearts and sent the rich away with empty hands”. From these inspired words, we learn that not everyone who sits on the table get served. The Lord Himself instructed the disciples not to cast their pearls before hogs lest they trample upon them with their feet. Sadly, there may have been times when we gathered at the table and the Master had to send some people away not because they did not dress well, neither was it because they did not participate in the singing and dancing but the vital ingredient of hunger was not found in their hearts. Such people may continue to sit in the meeting, sing and dance and even give an offering but as far as Heaven was concerned, no bread was to be put before them because it will waste. It’s a scriptural principle that he who is satiated [with sensual pleasures] loathes and treads underfoot a honeycomb.
A heart that is not hungry for righteousness may yet engage in some righteous acts so long as such deeds costs him nothing. However, when faced with a choice between right and wrong with a price attached, more often will choose unrighteousness. Such hearts will always provide excuses and justification for failures, not knowing that tolerating sin will continually keep a man in a half-dead condition. The man who pursues righteousness will find no comfort in excuses neither does he blame others for his wrong. If he inadvertently puts his foot in the dirty waters of unrighteousness, he is heartbroken and sorrowful and will return to his Lord with truth in the inward parts because he knows that the sacrifices of his God is not burnt offering but a broken spirit and a contrite heart. He would do a thorough work of repentance, accept his master’s forgiveness and continue his pursuit of righteousness. David was such a man and the Lord gave a testimony about him in Acts 13:22 – “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will and carry out my program fully”. In our day, God is also looking for such men and women whose hearts thirsteth after righteousness in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and to them He says – “Come, everyone who is thirsty—here is water! Come, you that have no money—buy grain and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk—it will cost you nothing! Why spend money on what does not satisfy? Why spend your wages and still be hungry? Listen to me and do what I say, and you will enjoy the best food of all. Listen now, my people, and come to me; come to me, and you will have life! I will make a lasting covenant with you and give you the blessings I promised to David. I made him a leader and commander of nations, and through him I showed them my power. Now you will summon foreign nations; at one time they did not know you, but now they will come running to join you! I, the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel, will make all this happen; I will give you honour and glory.” – Isaiah 55:1-5.