What is Good And Right And True
A 2 Chron. 31:20, Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah,
and he did what was good and
right and true before the Lord his God. That scripture describes
the life of Hezekiah, king of
Judah. No nobler words could be spoken of any human.
1. To live life at its best, we must learn to combine three things:
what is good, what is right, and what is true. Learning to recognize
these things is no small achievement. And learning to balance
them harmoniously in your life is an even greater achievement.
a. The Hebrew word translated "good" in this text is
the same as in Gen. 1:4, which says, "And God saw the light,
that it was good." It is a word the Hebrews used to describe
things that are beautiful, and pleasant. In this sense, our conduct
is "good" when it is characterized by grace and gladness
and good cheer. The warmth of such goodness is what makes life
joyful.
(1) The Hebrew word "right" Referes to justice, equity,
and uprightness. Qualities that are no less important than goodness.
If we are to be all that God desires us to be, we must learn to
balance the beauty of goodness with the uprightness of justice.
It means you learn and strive to reproduce God's own character
in your own life. Paul refers to it as learning the lessons of
history from Gods Word, Rom. 11:22, Consider therefore
the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell,
but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness.
Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
(1) People excuse their failures by saying, I thought I
was doing what was good and right. They make uninformed
decisions without really knowing if it is right or not. Informed
decisions from Gods Word are the only ones accepted by God.
(2) The Hebrew word truth is (emeth) denotes certainty,
trustworthiness,
or stability. It referred especially to the bedrock dependability
of God's Word.
To be a person of truth was to be a devout, religious person,
living according
to the sure truth is revealed in Gods Word.
(2) David prayed, "Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for
You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day."
Ps. 25:5.
(1) Any attempt to do what is good and right can do great harm
if it is not controlled by a prior devotion to the truth of Gods
Word. Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is always
now.
(1) Acts 20:32.
Spur - 12/01/02 pm
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