Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times! (Psalm 106:3)

At a glance, this verse seems to say that the person who lives a life based on what is right and just — i.e. a person who does what is right in God’s eyes in every situation — is blessed and happy. However, the Hebrew wording hints at something that doesn’t jump out at you when reading it in English. Specifically, the Hebrew word translated as “keep” comes from a root word that means “to guard.” In other words, not only does the blessing come upon those who live a life of righteousness and justice but those who also protect and guard justice. 

The point is that a blessed person is not passive about their faith — they are willing to safeguard what is just and right at all costs. These are people who “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3), Why? Because, as God’s people, we have to continually be on guard for those who “have crept in unnoticed” and who “turn the grace of our God into lewdness” (Jude 1:4). In short, blessed are those who are ready to defend the faith that has been entrusted to us. Blessed are those who do as Peter instructed: “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

It is important to understand that the Kingdom of God is designed to be on the move, always advancing against the realm of darkness. In so doing, we must be prepared to stand against the fiery darts of the Adversary and “guard justice and do righteousness.” We are to be witnesses to those who seek to come out of the darkness into His marvelous light. What could be more blessed than to know that we have faithfully performed the will of our Master and that others have come to His light, in part, because we have been staunch defenders of the faith? Let us be diligent in this regard and stand fast. It is written: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil … that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:10-11, 13).

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill