Friday, July 26, 202 4
Foundation of Your Throne – Psalm 89:14 Submitted by Kay Crumley
What comes to mind with you hear anything about foundations? I work crosswords and sometimes the clue just doesn’t seem to correspond with the solution because I didn’t associate the two the same way the puzzle writer did. Foundation can mean different things to different people or in different settings. The reference today is the foundation as in what holds something together. There is no shortage of TV ads about foundation repair. Strong foundation is necessary to a stable and lasting building.
The key verse is Psalm 89:14. Here we find that righteousness and justice are the foundation, the columns that support God’s throne. His faithful, steadfast love is forever His character, and His Word is true. Those are the attributes that lead our path as we follow Him.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you. CSB
Justice may be the way we think of right versus wrong. What do we mean when we say we want justice? Generally, in our society we want the right to prevail over wrong or those who are law abiding to win against those who break the law. The Hebrew word for justice is mishpat. God advocates for the widows and orphans and expects His followers to do the same. At the core of mishpat is honor and shame. Those who are considered ‘less than’ in our society are dismissed and often made to feel ashamed. That may be due to many circumstances, such as lack of wealth, education, social standing, or ethnicity. Author and educator Kristi McLelland explains the actions Jesus took as reaching down from a place of honor to the one in a place of shame and lifting them out of their shame to restore honor in their life. Isn’t that what happened when Jesus lifted us out of our lives of sin into a life of honor as adopted children of God. How then can we not do the same for those who have been cast aside by society? Have you ever felt that you were surrounded by darkness or living under a cloud? Psalm 97:2 restates the idea of what our foundation in God is,
Clouds and total darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, justice, restoration to honor, is one of the pillars that support the foundation of His throne.
We are reassured of the presence of both justice and righteousness in Psalm 99:4 The mighty King loves justice. You have established fairness; you have administered justice and righteousness in Jacob. Our mighty God loves justice and is fair in His treatment of all of Israel.
The Hebrew word for righteousness is tzedakah. When it is used within relationships it means generosity. In Matthew 6:1-4 we see that being generous to the poor is considered righteous. Jesus taught that giving to those in need should be done privately, not to impress others, but to glorify God by doing what is right in His sight. Righteous living is doing what is right in the sight of God and includes being generous to others.
We can be generous in many ways other than just by giving money to others. For some, having someone spend time in conversation with them is what they truly need. There may be neighbors, family, or friends in your life who are lonely and feel no one cares about them. Just having a cup of coffee with them and listening to their thoughts might be the most helpful thing for them to feel honor rather than shame.
Psalm 85:10 reinforces the idea that righteousness holds a broader meaning than we think. Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. The idea that the true faithful love of God and truth of God are together is amazing. They aren’t separate and cannot be separated. To love someone as we are commanded to do means to be true to them and treat them rightly, generously, and to live in peace with them. As Christ followers, we have no other option than to practice justice and righteousness since those are the foundations of His throne.
The deeper understanding of those terms leads us to understand justice to be to lift that one in shame to a place of honor. That may be changing the way we treat others. Then to live generously to others by giving what God has given us to them without expecting anything in return. In today’s world of busyness, time may be the most valuable commodity we can give. Sharing the gift of God’s love and salvation through Jesus is our command and truly is the greatest gift.
