“But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”” (Hebrews 1:8–9 ESV).
Goodness and gladness. Justice and joy. No human alive is perfectly balanced, but the everlasting reign of Jesus Christ will always be wholly righteous and overwhelmingly glad. From his uprightness flows his joy, and from his cheer comes his righteousness. Intermingled together, singular and indivisible, the eternal justice and joy of Jesus will color his kingdom. Forever, we will bask in the goodness and gladness of Christ.
We might strive, however imperfectly, for a similar balance, but we cannot attain it. Still, his Spirit drives us forward, longing to create the Christlike attitude in us. He drives forward to harmony, the balance of longing for that which is good and right and true, but also enjoying that which is delightful and wonderful and good. He moves us, slowly and steadily, to joy and holiness, for they are intermingled. Jesus' kingdom will forever have the full dose of both, and we long to taste it today.
We all know people who are rather joyful or just, but Jesus is the perfect combination of both. He does not become dour due to a preoccupation with the hatred of wickedness, though he does hate it. Nor does he become delusional by masking everything with a happy-clappy joy. Instead, with justice and righteousness, he lives and moves and, to our point, reigns with gladness and uprightness.
I cannot wait to see it. I feel the fluctuation of his kingdom happening in my own soul. I struggle for the gladness as a pursuit of uprightness consumes my being. Then, I fight to retain a fear of the Lord when I am distracted by life's delights. However, with Jesus, there is a balance -- and more than a balance. Equal parts righteousness and rest, joy and justice, goodness and gladness. One day the full weight of each will come crashing down upon us, in us, and through us. When his kingdom is fully realized, wholly known and seen, we will discover the full blast of both his gladness and righteousness.
Count me in.
