“And they were both righteous before [Love], walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” Luke 1:6 KJV
In my experiment with God as Love, I hadn’t planned to skip from Genesis to the New Testament so soon, but I think it’s a fitting time to spend the next few days on the Incarnation, or the birth of Jesus, when God the Son became the Son of God.
The story in Luke begins with Zacharias the priest and his wife Elizabeth, who were about to become the parents of John the Baptist. The Scripture says they were both righteous and blameless before Love, obeying all the commandments and ordinances. Now it might be rare but possible to obey all the commandments and ordinances of God, as Paul says in Philippians 3:4-7 about himself being blameless regarding the righteousness of the letter of the law before his conversion.
But to be righteous before Love in all the commandments and ordinances says something different. This points to Jesus’ statement that all the commandments hang on love to God with all our being and love to our fellows as ourselves (Matt. 22:38-40; Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18). Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous before Love, that is to say Love Himself believed they were righteous. What a testimony! This is a whole new perspective.
I wonder if there are other Zacharias’s and Elizabeth’s today, righteous before Love? Do you know anyone? If there were some in Jesus’s day, I’m sure there are some in our day. Perhaps we’ll get the chance to meet them someday. In the meantime, let’s submit ourselves to Love every day to become like them.
Love, we praise You that You see us, and judge us fairly, and know how to use us in Your kingdom, no matter what our state of love is. Forgive our lack of love, and help us repent. Convert us as you converted Saul into Paul, until it changes us. Prepare us for Your kingdom of Love. Amen.
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