Deuteronomy 6:25

6:17-25 Moses gives charge to keep God's commandments. Negligence will ruin us; but we cannot be saved without diligence. It is our interest, as well as our duty, to be religious. It will be our life. Godliness has the promise of the continuance and comfort of the life that now is, as far as it is for God's glory. It will be our righteousness. It is only through the Mediator we can be righteous before God. The knowledge of the spirituality and excellency of the holy law of God, is suited to show sinful man his need of a Saviour, and to prepare his heart to welcome a free salvation. The gospel honours the law, not only in the perfect obedience of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ; but in that it is a plan for bringing back apostate rebels and enemies, by repentance, faith, forgiveness, and renewing grace, to love God above all things, even in this world; and in the world above, to love him perfectly, even as angels love him.

And it shall be our righteousness,.... Or a mercy, benefit, and blessing to us; or this shall be reckoned our righteousness, and that by which we shall be justified: if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us; in order to have such a justifying righteousness, a man must keep all the commandments of God, not one excepted; and that perfectly, without the least breach of them in thought, word, or deed; and that before the Lord, in his sight, not as it may appear to a man himself, or to others, but as it appears to God, who sees the heart, and weighs all actions; and a man must keep them in the manner the Lord has commanded, even with all his heart, soul, and strength, as in Deuteronomy 6:5 and this is not possible for a sinful man to do; and therefore righteousness cannot be by the law. Only Christ could thus keep all the commandments of God, and his obedience is our righteousness; and he only is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes, and to him we must seek for it.

Deuteronomy 6:25 . It shall be our righteousness — Hebrew, Righteousness shall be to us. We shall be owned, and pronounced by God to be righteous and holy persons, if we sincerely obey him; otherwise we shall be declared to be unrighteous and ungodly. Or, mercy shall be to us, or with us. For as the Hebrew word rendered righteousness is very often put for mercy, (as Psalm 24:5 ; Psalm 36:10 ; Psalm 51:14 ; Proverbs 10:2 ; Proverbs 11:4 ; Daniel 9:16 ,) so this sense seems best to agree both with the Scripture use of this phrase, (in which righteousness seldom or never, but grace or mercy frequently, is said to be to us, or with us,) and with the foregoing verse and argument. God, saith he, ( Deuteronomy 6:24 ,) commanded these things for our good, that he might preserve us alive, as it is this day. And, adds he in this verse, this is not all; for as he hath done us good, so he will go on to do us more and more good, and God’s mercy shall be to us, or with us, in the remainder of our lives, and for ever, if we observe these commandments. “Our sincere obedience,” says Henry, (including in the term, repentance, faith, and love, with all other graces,) “shall be accepted through a Mediator, to denominate us, as Noah was, righteous before God, Genesis 7:1 ; Luke 1:6 ; and 1 John 3:7 . The Chaldee reads it, There shall be a reward to us if we observe to do these commandments.”

(25) And it shall be our righteousness. —In one Targum, “It shall be merit to us,” or more fully, in the other, “It shall be merit laid up for us against the world to come.” In the LXX., “It shall be alms to us.” This conjunction of ideas will help to explain why in Matthew 6:1 “alms” and “righteousness” occur as alternative readings. We have “alms” in the Authorised Version, “righteousness” in the Revised Version. To this day the Jews call alms ts’dâkah, “righteousness.”

Verse 25. - And it shall be our righteousness ; literally, And righteousness shall be to us , i . e . we shall be held righteous by God if we observe to do all that he has enjoined (comp. Romans 10:5 ; Romans 6:16 ; Philippians 3:6 ). Before the Lord , i . e . not only in his sight, but according to his judgment, so as to be approved of him (cf. Psalm 56:13 ; Psalm 116:9 ). Deuteronomy 6:25

Heb. righteousness shall be to us. and pronounced by God to be truly righteous and holy persons, if we sincerely obey him, otherwise we shall be declared to be unrighteous and ungodly persons, and all our profession of religion will appear to be in hypocrisy. Or, mercy shall be to us, or with us. For as the Hebrew word rendered righteousness is very oft put for mercy, as Psalm 24:5 36:10 51:14 Proverbs 10:2 11:4 Daniel 9:16 , &c.; so this sense seems best to agree both with the Scripture use of this phrase, in which righteousness , seldom or never, to my remembrance, but grace or mercy frequently, is said to be to us or with us , as 2 Samuel 15:20 Psalm 89:24 Proverbs 14:22 Galatians 6:16 2Jo 1:3 ; and with the foregoing verse and argument, God, saith he, Deu 6:24 , commanded these things for our good, that he might preserve us alive, as it is this day. And , saith he in this verse, this is not all; for as he hath done us good, so he will go on to do us more and more good, and God’s mercy shall be to us , or with us, in the remainder of our lives, and for ever, if we observe, & c.

25 . it shall be righteousness unto us ] The thought of the previous verse shows that righteousness here does not mean goodness, uprightness, but rather justification, vindication, the right to live, and by consequence their life itself. Cf. the post-exilic Isaiah 61:11 , Isaiah 62:1-2 , in which righteousness is parallel to renown , to salvation and to glory . (See the present writer’s Isaiah xl.–lxvi. 217 ff.) Contrast Deuteronomy 25:13 . before Jehovah our God ] Cp. Deuteronomy 24:13 , where this phrase ( thy God ) follows immediately on righteousness unto thee . That may, as some suggest, have been the order here, too, but the transposition is not necessary. ‘To fulfil the commandment before Jehovah means so to fulfil it that He sees it, and that is a speaking feature of legal piety ( Nehemiah 5:19 ; Nehemiah 13:14 ; Nehemiah 13:22 ; Nehemiah 13:31 )’ (Bertholet).

"And righteousness will be to us, if we observe to do:" i.e., our righteousness will consist in the observance of the law; we shall be regarded and treated by God as righteous, if we are diligent in the observance of the law. "Before Jehovah" refers primarily, no doubt, to the expression, "to do all these commandments;" but, as we may see from Deuteronomy 24:13 , this does not prevent the further reference to the "righteousness" also. This righteousness before Jehovah, it is true, is not really the gospel "righteousness of faith;" but there is no opposition between the two, as the righteousness mentioned here is not founded upon the outward (pharisaic) righteousness of works, but upon an earnest striving after the fulfilment of the law, to love God with all the heart; and this love is altogether impossible without living faith.