For many of us, justice is something that is static, idealistic, and codified. In contrast, mishpat is dynamic, realistic, and creative.

These righteous people were not boring—they were exciting, dynamic leaders characterized by their wholehearted loyalty to God and willingness to take huge steps of faith that didn’t make sense to the world around them.

Happiness is a mark of the righteous- not frustration, boredom, or a judgmental attitude.

God’s personal, passionate concern for justice and righteousness was the starting place for His people to build them into every part of their culture. The place we should all live from is “justice and righteousness.” Everything we do, from the way we raise our families to the way we run our businesses to our own relationships with the vulnerable, should reflect “justice and righteousness.

God’s justice is satisfied when there is restoration.

The list of what righteousness does is a list of things that most people would want: it delivers from death (see Proverbs 11:4); gives life (see Proverbs 12:28); exalts a nation (see Proverbs 14:34); establishes the king’s throne (see Proverbs 16:12); and brings blessings (see Psalm 106:3), rewards (see Proverbs 11:18), and peace (see Isaiah 32:17).

I thought that righteous people were the types that liked rules for the sake of rules. But really, righteous people love things like people, relationship, happiness, connection, holistic prosperity, and community.

Doing “justice and righteousness” means loving the things that lead to life and actively righting the wrongs that keep people from experiencing life as God created it to be.

Doing “justice and righteousness” means honoring and expressing God’s intended order and His ways for life. That means doing things that lead to wholeness, freedom, and prosperity for people and His physical world.