Old Testament Righteousness

April 17, 2026

When we analyze what Biblical righteousness means we need to first take a look at the word in the Old Testament. It is important to have an understanding of what it meant to be in right standing in the eyes of the Lord prior to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I am going to briefly skim through the word Righteousness in the Old Testament since my primary focus of this particular series will be dissecting the word based on the New Testament. When we analyze what it meant to be in right standing with the Lord prior to Christ, we can determine that it had to do with having faith in God paired with having an actual relationship with Him.

The Lord took His covenant with the children of Israel very seriously and we can see that covenantal relationship scattered throughout the Old Testament Scriptures. There are many examples of people that lived upright before the Lord and a few of those examples are:

Noah (Genesis 6:9)- We can see that the Lord considered Noah to be righteous and blameless.

Job (Job 1:1)- The Lord describes Job as blameless and upright and one that fears the Lord.

Daniel (Daniel 6)- Daniel faced severe persecution to the point where his life was threatened. However, he did not allow his faith in the Lord to waver.

Joseph (Genesis 39:9)- When faced with committing adultery with Potiphar’s wife, he refused to commit such sin. It was because of the fact that he feared the Lord and did not want to disobey Him.

Now let’s take a look at the first mention of the word righteousness which is found in the book of Genesis.

Genesis 15:6

“Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

The words “as righteousness” being used here is the Hebrew word “ṣᵊḏāqâ” which means: righteousness as ethically right. In order to fully understand what is meant by the primary text up above, we need to go back a little bit in the Scriptures. The Lord made a covenant with Abram letting him know that a son would be born to him that would be his heir, Genesis 15:4.

God went on to state that He would have more descendants than the stars in the sky. Genesis 15:5 details, “He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Here we can see that the Lord made an undeniable promise to Abram and Abram believed Him.

As the years went by, Abram (Abraham) held onto this promise regardless of what things looked like around him. He became a lot older and his wife Sarah was past childbearing age (Genesis 18:11) but they still had not conceived the promised inheritor to the covenant that was made between the Lord and Abram. He did not let that hinder him from having absolute faith in what God had vowed to him.

Abram knew what the Lord said and even though those around him did not believe that it would come to pass, he had faith in the promise that was made! God actually visited Abram once again to reiterate the same covenant that was made many years prior, but this time He changed his name to Abraham (father of nations) to let him know that He is serious about His promises.

How many of us have received a promise from the Lord, but still carry unbelief? Abraham had a special connection with the Lord and He took His Word at face value! The Scriptures reveal, “Abram believed the Lord…” him believing resulted in the Lord counting his belief as righteousness.

We need to get to the point in our Christian walk with the Lord that we can trust the assurances that He provides us with! We should be able to stand on them without allowing our faith to waver! The more that you get into God’s Word, the more you will know that one of His characteristics is a man that does not lie, Numbers 23:19.

Let’s take a look at another Old Testament example of the word righteousness being used.

1 Samuel 26:23

“The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.”

Here we can see that the word “righteousness” is being used with the word “faithfulness.” We have broken down what the Hebrew word “righteousness” means so now let’s take a look a closer look at the word “faithfulness.” It is the Hebrew word “’ĕmûnâ” which means: faithfulness, trust, and a man of great faithfulness. This Scripture is talking about King David before he became king.

He was under a very jealous ruler named King Saul that wanted to kill him! The enemy had built such a stronghold of jealousy in his heart that he could not see David as anything other than his adversary! He had been chasing him for some time now in an attempt to take his life, but God was with David.

As Saul and his men took a break from chasing David, the Lord intentionally put them in a deep sleep. 1 Samuel 26:12 accounts, “…They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.” When an opportunity came for David to kill Saul, his reverence and respect for the Lord would not allow him to.

Even though this seemingly was the perfect time for David to take out his adversary Saul, he knew what the Lord wanted him to do. 1 Samuel 26:9 details, “But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?” David knew that if he killed Saul that he would no longer be rendered guiltless which would prevent him from remaining in right standing (righteous) in the eyes of the Lord.

How many of us have been in circumstances where we are given a choice to take vengeance on the ones that have harmed us, hurt us, and done things to us that we deem unforgivable. It is what you do in those moments that will either keep you in right standing with the Lord or cause you to act out and cause separation between you and God.

David truly loved the Lord and was actually called a man after God’s heart, Acts 13:22. He did not want to do anything to intentionally hurt the Lord. We have to get to that place in our lives that we say “it doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing around me, I will not go against the Lord or His Word.” He has to be placed above everything and anything else!

Conclusion:

We can see how the word “righteousness” was being used in the Old Testament first with Abraham and then with David. These were two men that were faithful to the Lord and wanted to please Him to the best of their abilities. Of course, they were going to fall short because their righteousness was based upon their own actions. One thing they both had was undeniable Faith and belief that God was Who He said He was!

We need to glean from some of the Old Testament accounts of mighty men and women of God that stood firm on their faith no matter the cost! Being in right standing with the Lord means that you take His relationship seriously. You don’t want to do anything that will intentionally create a wedge between you and Him. Just like David was, you strive to be a faithful person after the Lord’s own heart!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other current blogs:

Why Your Mountain Won’t Move-Unforgiveness

Why Your Mountain Won’t Move-You walk by Sight and not by Faith

Why Your Mountain Won’t Move-You Speak Words of Defeat

Why Your Mountain Won’t Move-You aren’t Speaking to it!

Why Your Mountain Won’t Move-Your mountain i5 Magnified

Why Your Mountain Won’t Move-You Doubt God’s Will

Why Your Mountain Won’t Move-What is a “Mountain”

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2

The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration

The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles

The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!

The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding

Below are some books that I have personally read that I recommend to help you get set free from the enemy and his devices. Each one provides you with warfare practices that you can apply to your daily life. Just click on the Link below the book and it will lead you straight to it. You will not be disappointed!