The Sermon On the Mount
Matthew, Chapter 5
Part III
Matthew 5:6) Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
In regards to “are they which do hunger,”
“To be hungry, famished, starved” [Word Study Dictionary].
“metaphorically to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire” [Thayer].
Concerning “hunger and thirst after righteousness,”
“Heavenly things cannot support the body; they are not suited to its nature: earthly things cannot support the soul, for the same reason” [Clarke].
“Hunger is a felt want, in this case a want of righteousness before God, the righteousness that comes from the forgiveness of sins” [PNT].
“denoting that spiritual and entire conformity to the law of God, under the want of which the saints groan, and the possession of which constitutes the only true saintship” [JFB].
“nor a moral, legal righteousness, which the generality of the Jewish nation were eagerly pursuing; but the justifying righteousness of Christ, which is imputed by God the Father, and received by faith” [Gill].
“trusting not in their own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Christ, which by the apostle is called the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ which is unto all and upon all them that believe” [Family NT Notes].
Romans 8:18-23) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19) For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20) For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope,
21) Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23) And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body.
1John 3:2) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Philippians 3:7-10) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8) Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ,
9) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10) That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
NOTE: We who are Christians 1) hunger/groan to do right, and 2) hunger/groan to walk in right standing with God. We are “filled” with the 2nd when we accept Christ; we will be “filled” with the 1st when we “see him as he is.”
ANOTHER NOTE: Basically, Jesus is saying that the one blessed is the one who desires to experience justification.
Life Application:
When we are hungry for food WE SEEK IT OUT!! We grow in this Christian walk the way we began it (Gal. 3:2-3). We hungered for a right relationship with God, and we were filled. To grow we must continue to desire to walk in this right relationship, or walk out this right relationship. If we hunger for this, WE WILL SEEK IT OUT!!