Isaiah 11:5
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 11:1-5
Looking at verses 3-5 today more closely, there is a lot we could cover about this passage. As much as we could look at its prophetic message that will be fulfilled when Jesus comes again, I think the best part of this passage is its message to us as Christ-followers.
We are told some things about our Messiah:
- He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes
- He will not decide by what he hears with his ears
- He will judge the needy with righteousness
- He will give just decisions for the poor of the earth
- He will be righteous
- He will be faithful
All humans crave justice. It seems to be part of our basic nature. We quickly recognize when someone has done something wrong to us. We want justice for ourselves when we are wronged. We want justice to be served to our offender. We want things to be made right. We want righteousness.
I think we also recognize when we do something wrong to someone else. There are of course exceptions, but it seems to be human nature to know when we are guilty of wronging another person. This sense can be dulled over time with repeated wrongful actions, but deep down inside, I don’t think it ever goes away. God has instilled in us our sense of guilt.
Righteousness is simply doing the right thing every time. It is choosing to live for God regardless of what that will cost. Faithfulness is a close cousin to righteousness. Faithfulness is a measure of our reliability. If we always choose righteousness, then we are faithful. If we are faithful then we can be relied upon to do what is right every time.
Jesus is righteous and faithful. He wears them for everyone to see. He doesn’t conceal his desire to see justice. He is in active pursuit of it. The analogy that Isaiah makes is that righteousness is his belt and faithfulness is his sash. Righteousness and faithfulness are at the core of Jesus’ character. Jesus always does the right thing. He is completely faithful and fully righteous.
Because Jesus is faithful and righteous, we must pursue these things as well. Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). If Christ lives in us, then we must also be faithful to relentlessly pursue righteousness. Paul made this passage in Isaiah one of his foundational principles for us as followers of Christ:
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:13-17).
“But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet” (1 Thes 5:8).
The armor of God is Jesus. If Jesus is in us, then we will pursue these things just as he did. Remember that righteousness is doing the right thing every time. It is choosing to live for God regardless of what that will cost. We are not at war against those around us. We are in a spiritual war against sin. Paul tells us, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Cor 10:4).
Righteousness is to be our pursuit. Faithfulness should be our name tag. We cannot pursue Jesus without pursuing righteousness. We cannot love Jesus with all our hearts if we do not hunger and thirst after righteousness. We will overcome the world and find peace if we are faithful in this pursuit.
“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:3-4).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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