DAVID DECLARES IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS Devotion 20 of 28 "Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works." (Rom 4:6) – Tomorrow:
"But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 'Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin." (Romans 4:5-8, NKJV)
One of the undesirable traits of a law-approach to God is its de-emphasis of the Lord's blessing. Those enslaved to law rarely speak of being blessed by God. By nature they are more interested in precision and form than in obtaining something from God. In fact, attempting to serve God through the principle of law does not move a person to expect things from God – particularly blessings. The thrust of their message is what is offered to God, not what is received from Him. Having once been snared by this emphasis myself, I know all to well of its effects upon the human spirit.
When a person begins to depend on his own works for Divine acceptance, a cloud of despair rises on the horizon of life. The soul seems to sense the inadequacy of independent human effort. By independent human effort, I mean working without a knowledge of grace and Divine acceptance. I also mean attempting to obey God in self-energy. Additionally, it involves an effort to serve God while in a state of personal defilement. Before any real progress can be made in the light, an awareness of God's blessing must register upon our spirits. Our text confirms this is the case.
There is such a thing as a state of blessedness: "Blessed is the man!" The law held out the promise of blessing to those who would "hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day." Three things were required, and not a bit of deviation was allowed. First the person had to hearken diligently, or obey consistently, the voice of the Lord. There could be no times of dullness or inattentiveness – not a single one. There could be no delays in the peoples' response, and there could be no waning in their obedience. Second, they had to "observe carefully" what the Lord said, weighing it and taking it into their hearts and minds. They could not push God's word from them – not a single time. They could not be indifferent toward that word. Third, they had to do what the Lord said, carrying out His word to the most minute detail. No tolerance for failing to so this existed. Whatever God told them to do was to be done instantly, thoroughly, and with great care.
If the people did this, certain blessings would follow. The Divine commitment is staggering. It is not possible for the incentives to be greater. Hear what blessing would be conferred upon those who hearkened diligently, carefully observed, and did everything the Lord commanded. The passage is lengthy, but is worthy of your consideration.
"Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The LORD shall open unto thee His good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them" (Deut 28:3-13).
Then, to accent that absolutely no deviation was permitted – not the slightest infraction of the law – the Lord added. "And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them" (Deut 28:14).
Who is the person who will say he qualifies for the blessing of the Law? Where is there an individual who has flawlessly, consistently, and without interruption hearkened to, observed, and did everything God has required of him? Should anyone claim to qualify for the blessing, we will without any hesitation whatsoever declare him to be a liar of the worst rank and order! Without any equivocation whatsoever God Almighty says, "There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Rom 3:10-12). If man is going to be blessed b y God, it must be on a basis other than Law!
How marvelous, therefore, to hear the glad sound: "God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him TO BLESS YOU, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities" (Acts 3:26). And again, "knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should INHERIT A BLESSING" (1 Pet 3:9). There is such a thing as "the FULNESS OF THE BLESSING of the gospel of Christ" (Rom 15:29). This is the blessing of our text, and is experienced b y the person "unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works."
To accentuate that God has ALWAYS taken faith as the preeminent thing, the Spirit takes us back to a saying of David, who was a man particularly close to God. Scripture refers to him as "a man after His own heart," and "the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel" (1 Sam 13:14; 2 Sam 23:1). It should at once be apparent to us that David will be able to more perfectly articulate the purpose of God. God does not refer us to some saying of Balaam, "who loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Pet 2:15). The Spirit does not cite a proverb of Solomon, or a saying of some worldly dignitary. Rather, He will refer us to someone who knew something of this truth, and through whom He could speak with precision. "just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT" (Rom 4:6-8; Psa 32:1-2, NASB
PRAYER POINT: Father, through Jesus Christ, I thank You that You sent Jesus to bless me by turning me away from my iniquities – my infractions of your unbending law!