Everyone longs for the same things in life, no matter what the circumstances they are experiencing or their stage in life. All of us want to have peace, quietness and confidence and feel glad about life. Gladness is different from joy. Gladness comes from loving righteousness and helps to sustain us when we are weary and we feel all alone. Gladness is what characterized our Lord. Jesus had more gladness than any man on earth when He walked among men.
“You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.” Hebrews 1:9
This verse was written about our Lord.
Gladness is loving righteousness and we do what we love. When we have done “it” right, whatever it is that you needed to do, whether it is paying your bills or raising children or loving your spouse then we have gladness. Doing life right is righteousness. The Lord Jesus gave us His righteousness but also wants us to live according to His righteousness by faith. He also gave us His commandments so that we would know how to live righteously.
“If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Isaiah 48:18.
When we do what is right then not only will we have gladness but we will have peace, quietness and confidence.
“And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.” Isaiah 32:17
Not only did gladness and righteousness characterize our Lord but the Lord mentions three men who could deliver themselves by their righteousness.
“even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their righteousness they could deliver themselves,” declares the Lord God. Ezekiel 14
Why did the Lord mention these three men and not some of the other godly men of the Old Testament? I don’t know but maybe it is because these three men were all alone and their journey was long. They did not become weary and lose heart. They had a peace, a quietness and a confidence in the Lord. They loved righteousness and the the righteous shall live by faith. They lived by faith and were found to be pleasing to the Lord.
