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.

God’s justice is satisfied when there is restoration.

God’s justice is higher than merely punishing someone who has committed an injustice—He desires to restore everything that was lost.

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.

Righteous people fulfill God’s commands and work for the wholeness and justice of their 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.