Righteousness, like God, might seem like an antiquated Word Tool in our modern time.
However We ought to revive, reclaim, and understand it.
Here, in Isaiah, the Spirit speaks of what it truly means to fast and be right with God. The Spirit of God speaks through Isaiah:
*Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
*Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted...
Then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; If you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly...
Then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Here, the Spirit of God speaks out an image of Righteousness, reflecting the conditional nature of our relationship to Reality and Ultimate Reality.
The Love of God is Unconditional - the Spirit of God is Absolute And Unconditional Love. However the Outcomes we experience are Conditional and reflect the Way in which we interact with the Logos of the universe.
Because there is a Logos to the Universe, we cannot simply exist in any way we choose. We must walk in the Way of God, and if we do so, then (things will go well with us, and we will flourish in harmony with God, Nature, and One Another).
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