The Way of The Lord

There are a number of passages in the Bible that refer to the way of the Lord. In Judges 2:22 God tested his people, to see “whether they will keep the way of the LORD.” In Proverbs 10:29 we read, “The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright.” In 2 Kings 21:22 we are told that King Amon “did not walk in the way of the LORD.” And in Jeremiah 5:4 God said that His people, “Do not know the way of the Lord.”

But as is often the case, it is the first occurrence of this phrase that is the most revealing of all. In Genesis 18:19 God is speaking about Abraham and declares,

“I have chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and judgment…”

In this verse God not only uses the phrase “The way of the Lord” He actually defines it using this phrase: “doing righteousness and justice.” This phrase or a variation of it is recorded over 35 times in Old Testament. It is quite possibly the most concise definition of “The way of the Lord” found in The Bible. And seeing as it was God Himself who spoke this definition, it deserves our serious consideration.

The first part of this definition – “doing righteousness” may be rephrased as doing what is right in God’s eyes. When God gave his people the Law through Moses, He was in essence giving them a definition of what was right in His eyes. But it is important to point out that at the time God spoke these words, The Law of Moses had not yet been given. Paul would later point this out in Romans 4:13, stating that the righteousness God was expecting from Abraham was the righteousness that came through faith, not works. Ultimately “doing righteousness” means living in conformity with God’s standards of what is right and what is wrong. And the only way man can do this is not through law, but by first believing in Jesus, and then being filled with His Spirit, who will bring forth the fruit of righteousness of God in our lives. (Ephesians 5:9, Philippians 1:11)

The second part of this definition – “doing justice” is the same phrase used in Micah 6:8, where the prophet says that the first thing God requires of mankind is “To do justice.” This phrase may also be translated as “To execute judgment.” The idea behind this phrase is standing up for what is right in situations where injustice would otherwise triumph – such as the exploitation of the weak by the strong. Consider these verses:

Proverbs 31:9

“Open your mouth, judge righteously; defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.”

Isaiah 1:17

“Seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”

Christians often shrink back from situations such as those described in the verses above, particularly when it comes to “reproving the ruthless.” Often they justify their silence by quoting Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” But if we are serious about keeping “The way of the Lord,” then we will have learn to follow both parts of the command Jesus gave us in John 7:24:

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”