The Fruits of Righteousness

 

The Bible talks about different kinds of rewards. If we trust in futile things our reward will be futility (Job 15 31). There is great reward for the one who keeps the law of the Lord (Psalm 19:11). And we must never forget that children are a reward from our Father in heaven (Psalm 127:3).

Looking through these rewards, especially in the book of Proverbs, can bring us a great deal of hope. But, there does seem to be a clear requirement for receiving them: Righteousness.

It is clear in the scriptures that these rewards are from God. They are not the “good luck” we attain by behaving better than others but come from having such a faith in God and His Word that we are willing to live righteously. Jesus said that if we love Him we will keep His commands.

It is also clear that we will not always receive rewards for our good works. In Psalm 35 David laments that his good works were repaid with evil. However, he goes on to point out that he did not let these people change the way he acted toward them, he turned to the Lord and prayed for Him to stop them in their evil response.

In our day, we often don’t recognize the rewards of the Lord. He promises that faithful people who live righteously (according to His Word) will see these rewards but He never promises that along with them, we will not endure hardships.

So what are these rewards for righteousness? God promises personal rewards, rewards for the family, and rewards for our neighbors.

Among the personal rewards there is peace as the righteous will stop to think before they speak as they “ponder how to answer” (Proverbs 15:28). They will not get ensnared in their sin (Proverbs 29:6), they will see the path God lays out for them (Proverbs 4:18), and their desires will be granted (Proverbs 10:24). Hope brings joy to the righteous (Proverbs 10:28) and the Lord picks us up when we stumble (Proverbs 24:16).

The rewards for the family are also clear and put a lot of responsibility on parents to lead a household that will honor God and His Word in every aspect of life. When Mom and Dad lead a righteous life the Lord promises blessings in their home (Proverbs 3:33) and their children will be delivered from evil (Proverbs 11:21). There will be generational faith (Proverbs 12:7), joy in the home (Proverbs 13:9), and enough food (Proverbs 13:25).

For the neighbor of the righteous there is wisdom in teaching from their lips, there is kindness and godly guidance for them (Proverbs 10:21, 10:31, 21:21; 12:26). The righteous person is a good neighbor.

The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29), this alone should motivate us to trust God and obey His Word because it points us to the more important part of the reward and that is the Rewarder.

We know, intellectually, that God is good, that He blesses obedience and that we should tremble at the thought of His judgment. Yet, many Christians have heard that God is Love and that He loves you just the way you are and that His love is unconditional. We should fear for these people (both the teachers and the hearers), and tremble!

We are told in Psalm 5:5 that God hates the evil doer. Now, in His grace and mercy, God will save the evil doer who repents and turns from that evil. In His godly mercy He convicts us of sin and offers repentance as a great gift. Romans 2:4 says, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

God’s Love saves us from sin and does not leave us in it to be judged when we faithfully follow Him. Conviction is a gift of love. The Great Rewarder will reward repentance with salvation. But Job 34:11 is also clear that God rewards according to our works.

“For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.” Job 34:11

Therefore, not all rewards are desirable (like the bad fruit on the bad trees Luke 6:43) but the Rewarder is. He will lead us in the paths of righteousness and restore our souls (Psalm 23:3). He gives us the fruits of righteousness.

How committed are we to this righteousness? Will we follow God in the paths He has laid out that lead to it?