And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. (Deuteronomy 6:18)
There are several instances in the Scripture where it is recorded that Israel did “evil in the sight of the LORD” or that men were doing what was right “in their own eyes.” In either case, what followed was struggle, hardship and even destruction for those who were guilty of being in opposition to God’s standards. Thus we understand that it is not sufficient to do what is right according to culture or our own opinion but we must do what is right according to the Word of God. Many egregious things are committed that, according to the laws of the land, are right and legal but are, nevertheless, lawless in the eyes of God. In short, culture embraces lawless laws.
I would add that, even when it comes to God’s Word, we have sometimes mishandled and even misinterpreted what He said to suit our own inclinations and preferences. For instance, in some sects of Judaism and even in Christianity, there are those who promote a strict adherence to “Law” but fail to see the spirit of what was written. In fact, there are Jewish commentators who taught Jerusalem was destroyed because people disregarded equity, mercy and justice in deference to strict adherence to the Law. In other words, strict adherence to the letter of the Law doesn’t necessarily mean we are doing what is right according to the Law. You see, God’s standard of justice is doing what is right in His eyes rather than to “be right” in the eyes of men.
Yeshua never disavowed or disputed what was written in the law but made it very clear that those who keep what was written should not neglect what was embedded within what was written. He referred to this as “the weightier matters” ― justice, mercy and faith (Matthew 23:23). Consider the woman caught in adultery: He didn’t dispute what Moses wrote but He carefully judged the situation and determined that it was right to extend mercy even as others were calling for death. When He said, “Go and sin no more” He was doing what was right in God’s eyes rather than appearing to be right in the eyes of “law abiding men.”
It may seem lonely, at times, to do what is right in the eyes of God, especially in this day and age. Not only lonely, but illogical and bizarre in the eyes of those who follow the tendencies of our society. But to those who align themselves with righteousness and Godly standards, we have the promise of favor; we have the promise that God will bring us into our destiny and allow us to possess the land.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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