30 Days With the Psalmsਨਮੂਨਾ

Receiving the gift of righteousness

“He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:5 ESV).

Righteousness is a gift from God, the above verse says. At first sight, that seems odd. We would expect righteousness to be our gift for God, as a prerequisite to receive His blessing. But here we read that both blessing and righteousness are given to “him”. Who is this person?

It is someone “who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:4 ESV). Such a person actively tries to obey God’s will and to treat other people fairly. He “does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully” (Psalm 24:4 ESV). Are you such a person?

If we are really honest with ourselves, no matter how hard we try, we’ll never be able to meet God’s standards perfectly. Our “righteousness” falls short. As Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) states it, “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”

But there’s no need for despair. God offers us “the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness” that Jesus earned in our place (Romans 5:17 ESV). By accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, we can receive “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Romans 3:22 ESV).

Do you accept this gift?