Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.

Ever been really thirsty? I mean so thirsty that if you didn’t get a drink in the next few minutes you’d die? Probably, most have us have never found ourselves in the middle of the desert – the scorching sun blazing in the sky beating down mercilessly, buzzards circling overhead, numerous encounters with bleached white skulls of cattle. I hear Marty Robbins, the ole cowboy crooner singing in the background:

“Keep a-movin, Dan, dontcha listen to him, Dan

He's a devil, not a man

He spreads the burning sand with water

Dan, can ya see that big, green tree?

here the water's runnin' free

And it's waitin' there for me and you?

Cool, clear, water

Cool, clear, water”

I know, most of you are saying “Marty who?” …I’m old - what can I say. Anyway, all that to say, there have been times in my life when I have been so thirsty that to me, it felt almost as bad as a trip through the desert. I can remember numerous hot, hot summers, when I worked all day on the hay wagon or in the hay mounds – sweating off far more than I was taking in – and then finally finishing and rushing down ahead of the others to grab that icy cold jug of water and feel it flow down my parched, dusty throat. There are few moments of greater satisfaction – “Cool, clear water”. As we turn our attention to this particular beatitude, I am immediately challenged with its intensity: “God blesses those that hunger and thirst for Justice”. Most recognize the translation of “Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness’ so there may be some confusion as to ‘which is the right’. Well, the answer is – both. In our western mind we separate out the ideas of Righteousness (inward, personal, being) and Justice (outward, corporate, doing). The Greek word used is ‘dikaiosune’ – and is typically translated as ‘righteousness’. But, it can equally be translated as Justice. For the ancient Hebrew mind, these concepts also appear inseparable – to be ‘righteous’ person and a ‘just’ person are interchangeable. I have sided here with the New Living Translation which has chosen to use the word justice, rather than righteousness. However, we need to see these two words not as opposing, or different, but like two sides of a coin – both images appear to have different faces, but share the same entity. When we are hungry and thirsty our mind is consumed with the thoughts of food and water. The hungrier and thirstier you become the more urgent the need to find satisfaction. But, we have a context problem – in our part of the world, we don’t fully understand this concept of truly being hungry or thirsty to the point of desperation, satisfaction is always close at hand.

To participate in God’s Kingdom is to become as desperate as the man crawling and dying in desert who would willingly do anything to have that drink of water. He’s so aware of his thirst, knowing that if it is not quenched he will certainly die. Our desire and commitment to Justice is to be like that – all consuming. Over the next few days, we are going to explore this justice idea – and seek to understand what God means when He asks us to ‘to do justice’ (Micah 6:8 NASB).

It’s interesting to note that our pursuit of God is to be the same – as one who is hungry and thirsty. We shouldn’t allow anything else to enter into that quest if we are to truly encounter Him – not family, not spouse, not material possessions, not self. Unfortunately, we often settle for the lesser snack packs on the way, don’t we - those things that for a moment seem to satisfy or distract – or convince us that ‘we only need to go this far’.

Prayer: Father, this day, help to me hear Your Word – help me to know what it means to truly ‘hunger and thirst’ after You.

Anyway, I was just thinking.

Neil