These next two scriptures catch my attention because they talk about righteousness, justice and judgement being the habitation of God’s throne. Wouldn’t that mean that righteousness, justice and judgement are where God lives and/or who He is? I think I’m fascinated by it because I don’t think I would normally think of character traits as being a habitation like a house or a physical structure. But we are told that God the Father is a Spirit.
Psalms 89:14
“Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne: MERCY AND TRUTH shall go before Thy face.”
Psalms 97:2
“Clouds and darkness are round about Him: RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUDGMENT are the habitation of His throne.”
John 4:23-24
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
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Acts 7:49
“Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool: what house will ye build Me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of My rest?”
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Since God is a Spirit and His habitation isn’t necessarily a physical habitation but spiritual in nature like the holy character traits of justice, judgment and righteousness, what kind of habitation are we preparing for God? Can we prepare an acceptable living environment for Him if we are living in unrepentant sin, cherishing sin in our hearts, hating His laws and not keeping His covenant that include His laws?
2Corinthians 6:16
“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
1John 1:5-10
This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
This scripture in Isaiah 9:7 is describing God’s kingdom ruled by Jesus Christ, the King of kings. It’s describing a godly kingdom that has law and order because it’s established with justice and judgment. We know by logic that there is law because there’s no way to have justice and judgment if God’s laws are not being kept and practiced. It also says this government of peace will never be destroyed or end.
Isaiah 9:7
“Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be NO END, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, AND TO ESTABLISH IT WITH JUDGMENT AND WITH JUSTICE FROM HENCEFORTH EVEN FOR EVER. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
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Psalms 119:152
“Concerning Thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.”
(Thy testimony = Thy law)
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If God’s kingdom is established this way forever, what does this mean under the New Covenant? It means as citizens of God’s kingdom we are obeying God’s laws to the best of our ability just like Abraham did. God praised him and here’s God’s testimony about Abraham and why the LORD was ENABLED to bring the blessings of His covenant upon Abraham.
Genesis 18:19
“For I know him,
that he will command his children
and his household after him,
and they shall keep the way of the LORD,
TO DO JUSTICE AND JUDGMENT;
THAT the LORD MAY BRING
upon Abraham that which
He hath spoken of him.”
What is God’s definition of justice and judgment? It is to do what is right in God’s determination, it’s to do His will, it’s to obey His laws even under the New Covenant (Isaiah 9:7).
Proverbs 1:3
“To receive the instruction of WISDOM, justice, and judgment, and EQUITY”
Proverbs 21:3
“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”
Isaiah 56:1
“Thus saith the LORD,
Keep ye judgment, and do justice:
for My salvation is near to come,
and My righteousness to be revealed.”
Jesus is the Rock of our salvation. Can we build our houses on this Rock if we are not obeying God’s laws? What did Jesus tell us? He told us that building our houses is more than just confessing Him to be our Lord and Savior.
Luke 6:46-49
“And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Whosoever cometh to Me, and heareth My sayings, AND DOETH THEM, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
But he that heareth, AND DOETH NOT, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
GOD is extremely upset that His people are being taught that His laws no longer exist and no longer apply to them. This is one of Satan’s biggest and deadliest lies. Satan is probably thrilled by it because it causes people to be destroyed eternally. The devil knows that God requires His covenant of salvation to be kept which includes the laws that govern His kingdom with justice and judgment.
Jeremiah 50:6-7
“My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace. All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, WE OFFEND NOT, BECAUSE THEY HAVE SINNED against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.”
Proverbs 19:27
“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.”
Isaiah 3:12
“As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people, THEY WHICH LEAD THEE CAUSE THEE TO ERR, and destroy the way of thy paths.”
Isaiah 9:16
“For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.”
Amos 2:4
“Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof;
BECAUSE THEY HAVE DESPISED THE LAW of the LORD, and have not kept His commandments, and their LIES CAUSED THEM TO ERR, after the which their fathers have walked”
Please continue to keep in mind that while no law could ever provide the remedy for sin or pay our sin debt of “the wages of sin is death”; we are still required by God according to His established covenant to keep His laws. In order to receive God’s free gift of salvation, everyone including all the Old Testament believers, were and are required to keep God’s laws. These laws would include all His moral laws and His sanctuary laws.
I’ve never heard a preacher repeat God’s instructions that we are supposed to obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve never heard a preacher teach that we are required by God’s conditional covenant of salvation to obey all His moral and heavenly sanctuary laws governed under our high priest Jesus Christ. I’ve never heard a preacher discuss that righteousness by faith is obedience to the laws governing the New Covenant. Why not?
Remember Isaiah 9:7?
We know that laws are kept and obeyed.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is made up of laws.
It’s a misunderstanding to think that the gospel is just to be heard and not something to be performed.
Romans 10:16
“But they have not all OBEYED THE GOSPEL. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?”
(The gospel of Jesus Christ existed under the Old Covenant as well because we see here in Romans 10:16 that Isaiah said “who hath believed our report?” and the apostle Paul is pointing out that Isaiah was preaching the gospel. No one including Adam could be saved without having faith in Jesus Christ, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. That saving faith is defined in James chapter 2 as being believing plus obeying God.)
2Thessalonians 1:8
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that OBEY NOT THE GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus Christ”
1Peter 4:17
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that OBEY NOT THE GOSPEL of God?”
Romans 2:13
“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”
James 1:22
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
(As believers we are joined into the one kingdom of God, one Body by one Holy Spirit; we are part of the Israel of God and we are the spiritual descendants of Abraham through God’s spiritual promise to Abraham, we aren’t separate from spiritual Israel.)
Ezekiel 34:1-10
“And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: BUT YE FEED NOT THE FLOCK. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, My flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not My flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require My flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.”
Jeremiah 31:23
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.”
Habakkuk 2:14
“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
Isaiah 11:9
“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
Numbers 14:21
“But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.”
Colossians 1:9-15
“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature”
Matthew 7:21
“Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 12:50
“For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.”
The kingdom of Jesus Christ, the King of kings:
Isaiah 9:7
“Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be NO END, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, AND TO ESTABLISH IT WITH JUDGMENT AND WITH JUSTICE FROM HENCEFORTH EVEN FOR EVER. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
It’s by God’s laws that we know and understand His character and His will; the things that please Him. Just as the scripture explains that God inhabits the praise of His children, which is a form of justice and judgment, so God lives within us when we keep His holy covenant of salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ.