Happy Restoration

7.4.2012

Hebrews 1.8-9 8 But of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. 9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.” NASB

In the beginning God created a perfect world in which perfect people would live in a perfect thing called righteousness: doing what is right. Doing right appeals to us all for we all have an inward monitoring mechanism of how we wish to be treated. We wish to be treated fairly and justly. We all want to come out on top and live happily.

But soon after the beginning came the ending: sin entered God’s perfect world and as a result righteousness became something of a byword and was replaced by selfishness: doing my own thing. Selfishness also has a monitoring mechanism of how we wish to be treated: we wish to be treated fairly and justly according to our own interpretation is what is fair and just. And sin caused all of us to see fairness and justice according to our own perspective… which has been horribly marred by sin.

Enter Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1.8 says Jesus’ throne is forever and ever and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His Kingdom. (Scepter: an ornamented rod or staff borne by rulers on ceremonial occasions as an emblem of authority and sovereignty.) The scepter of our Lord is righteousness. The symbol of His Kingdom is doing what is right.

In verse 9 it says (quoting Psalm 45): “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.” So from this we learn that Jesus loves righteousness and order and He hates unrighteousness and disorder. Jesus is coming back to this world to set things in order forever because He loves righteousness.

The older I get the more I see the inequities of life. The older I get the more I see the unfairness of life and the injustice of life. It would be one thing if I saw these things as they pertain to me but I also see them as they pertain to others. My conclusion is this: I long for righteousness and for things to be set in back into their proper order. My problem however is I am so used to the way things go on this earth that I lose my focus (or it comes and goes) on the things that are wrong and need to be set right. One thing I want to do more than ever is keep my focus on what is right and Who it is that is coming to set this world back into its original state and purpose.

So my monitor needs to be configured that I don’t give into self-wish and self-will but to His wish and His will. From my view this world, with its momentary good and its massive bad, I need to make sure that I remember, and cling, to the One who loves righteousness and hates lawlessness; and Whose anointing is the oil of gladness in that one day soon everything will be restored to its original righteous purpose according to His goodness, rule, and authority, and evil will be no more.