The Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright. (Psalm 11:7)
There is a famous quote ascribed to Oscar Wilde that says, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Unfortunately, some have used this as an excuse for blatantly copying others which, in the business world for example, can get you into serious trouble. For some, this kind of imitation is actually the lowest form of flattery. However, the LORD who is righteous, desires as many as who will to imitate Him fully in this regard.
As David said, the LORD loves those who perform righteous deeds in emulation of the Almighty. In fact, in order that this objective might be attained, He gave us His Word so that we would know what to do in order to be more like Him and, in so doing, please Him. In short, as He said, “You shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44).
For those who pursue righteousness and strive to be as He has directed us, we have the promise that His countenance would be fixed upon us. In other words, His face would be directed toward us which implies that blessings and prosperity will be our lot. This is precisely what He wishes for us and is why He instructed the priests of Israel to bless the people in this manner: “The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:25-26).
As wonderful as that is, there is another way to look at this statement, in fact, some translations render it to say, “The upright will behold His face.” Think of it — Moses was told that no one could behold God’s face and live, and yet, here is a declaration that, one day, those who have striven to live in accordance with God’s purpose will behold His face.
In another psalm David, speaking confidently of his resurrection said, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness” (Psalm 17:15). David’s expectations are validated by the words of John who wrote of those who enter into the New Jerusalem, “They shall see His face” (Revelation 22:4).
All of this is to say that to imitate God in terms of righteousness is not only the sincerest form of flattery (if that is the word to be used), but also results in the greatest of all benefits — to spend eternity in the Presence of the Most High. To those who overcome by the blood of the Lamb, God will dwell with them and allow them to see Him face to face. I don’t think we can come up with any words that could accurately and appropriately describe the unbounded joy that we will experience but, as we look to that day, let us imitate our Creator and Messiah. Continue to walk upright before Him and look ahead to the day when we shall see Him face to face.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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