“And Hezekiah did so throughout all Judah, and did what was good, and right, and right, in the sight of the LORD his God” (2 Chronicles 31:20).
To live life to its best, we must learn to combine three things: what is good, what is right, and what is true. Learning to recognize these things is no small challenge, and learning to balance them harmoniously is an even greater challenge.
Good. The Hebrew word translated “good” in this text is the same as in Genesis 1:4: “And God saw the light, that it was good.” It is a word that is used in Hebrew to describe things that are beautiful, fair, and pleasant. In this sense, our conduct is “good” when it reflects grace, happiness, and good spirits. The warmth of such goodness naturally attracts us. We welcome the joy and happiness that we associate with goodness.
Correct. By their word for “right,” the Hebrews referred to justice, equality, and honesty—virtues that are no less important than goodness. If we are to be all that God wants us to be, we must learn to balance the beauty of goodness with the purity of justice, striving to imitate God’s own character in this regard (Romans 11:22). Jean-Jacques Rousseau said, “We always love what is good or what we think is good; it is in our judgment of what is good that we can make mistakes.” Our passion for what is good must be informed by our commitment to what is right. If it is not so then our goodness will be no more than selfishness.
Truth. Hebrew words ameth Reflects certainty, dependability and faithfulness. It had to do with certainty and stability, and it specifically referred to the cornerstone reliance on the Word of God. To be a man of truth in ancient Israel meant to be a devout, religious person, living according to the certain truth that was revealed to the nation by God. David prayed, “Lead me into your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all the day” (Psalm 25:5). In the long run, it is this truth that will provide stability to our concepts of both goodness and justice. In fact, our efforts to do what is good and right can cause great harm if they are not tempered by prior commitment to the truth. We have never done ourselves or others a greater favor than when we improve our understanding by submitting to the authority of the truth.
“Truth has no particular time of its own. Its time is now – always” (Albert Schweitzer).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
