Psalm 18:20
20 The LORD [Yahovah] rewarded [gamal] me according to my righteousness; [tsedeq] according to the cleanness [bor] of my hands [yad] hath he
recompensed [shuwb] me. KJV-Interlinear
20 The
Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness
of my hands He has recompensed me. NASB
Rewarded, ‘gamal,’ means
to treat a person well, to benefit, to ripen, reward, recompense, to pay.
Recompensed, ‘shuwb,’
means to turn back, away, fetch home, recover, refresh, render, compensate.
There are two issues in
the spiritual life. The first being the spiritual
maturity or status of the individual. And
second, the spiritual pattern or daily life pursued by the individual.
The first deals with your
spiritual knowledge and wisdom, that has accumulated within your soul, and thus
becomes the framework of your spiritual life.
The second, is the
application of that spiritual information to your daily life and how you live
from day to day.
The two combined, your
spiritual growth or maturity, and your spiritual production, make up the basis
for that which God rewards you.
There is only one
righteousness, and that is Gods righteousness.
Man has no righteousness except for that which is conveyed to him by way
of Gods truth, or doctrine.
Mans righteousness is as
filthy rags, and Isaiah had a little better descriptive phrase for that, but
filthy rags will suffice for now. Man has
no righteousness in and of himself.
Only Gods righteousness,
which is the sinless perfection of Gods essence, can be obtained by man through
doctrine and the spiritual life. Man has
no other means of obtaining any sort of righteousness, except through the daily
study of bible doctrine.
Cleanness of my hands, is
a descriptive phrase that identifies ones daily activities. The work of the hands is a representative
symbol that describes the persons activity in life.
Since you are what you
think, then you do in accordance with the standards that you have adopted for
your life.
Bible doctrine is the
ultimate standard for truth, honesty, integrity, hard work, fair and unbiased treatment
of others, and living the good and decent life.
These things are never driven by sincerity or good intentions or
emotions or other standards that exclude Gods word as defined by Gods word.
The cleanness, is a
reference to the fellowship environment in which you live your spiritual life.
After one has been saved,
sin will enter into your life sooner or later and most probably on a daily
basis in one way or another. When one
sins, then you are out of fellowship, and your spiritual life does not
function.
When you confess your
sins to God the Father, then you are restored into fellowship, and thus your
spiritual life functions properly. Whatever
you do, while in fellowship, especially your daily studies, prayers and such,
but also your general daily activity, become a part of your spiritual production.
Anything done while out
of fellowship is not a part of your spiritual production.
Therefore, God blesses
and rewards you in accordance with your level of spiritual growth (advancement
toward maturity), and the level of your spiritual production.
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