Ben Fourie

And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Saviour, there is none but me. Isaiah 45:21b (NIV)

Yesterday, we touched on the subject of God as righteous and impartial. Today, we are going to look more closely at this characteristic of God and also ask the question about our own righteousness and impartiality. When someone was called “tsaddik” in the Bible it meant that it was someone known to be righteous, someone who took care to ensure that other people also acted in a just manner especially in judicial matters.

When we read the name El Tsaddik, Righteous God, in this verse from Isaiah: it is very important that it is not the prophet or some other person who called Him thus, but God who called himself a Righteous God. In other places in the Bible, Psalm 7 for instance, it is the poet who calls him righteous, but in this verse, He calls himself a Righteous God and Saviour.

The dictionary says to be righteous means to be honest and impartial. We find the word many times in the Bible when it refers to God but it also refers to people, especially in Job, the Psalms and the Book of Proverbs. There is always very high regard for someone who is perceived as righteous and it is seen as a great virtue. You and I are also bound to act in a righteous and impartial way towards our partners, children, employees or anyone who crosses our path, and it also means to be honest in sport and games.

God’s righteousness is on a different level. We, unfortunately, fail many times by being partial and dishonest, but God is always honest and impartial, as can be seen in the way he treats even the most insignificant person. He wants to save us all, rich and poor alike, those who are well known and those who are ordinary. He wants to save you and me.

Prayer: Thank you that you have no favourites. Amen