Righteousness - The Right To Favor

"For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor you will surround him as with a shield." - Psalm 5:12

Are you righteous?
Hopefully, by this point you've come to the conclusion that you are. By placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been declared right with God - you are a righteous person now.

So let's continue our discussion on your newfound rights - the Biblical results of your righteousness. According to the verse we just read, righteous people have the right to favor that surrounds them.

What Is Favor?

"Chen" (pronounced "kane").

This is the Hebrew word that is most often translated into the English word "favor". Twenty-six times we read this in the King James as "favor".

Here are a few examples:

   "But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison." - Genesis 39:21

   "And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they plundered the Egyptians." - Exodus 12:36

   "And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight..." Esther 5:2

At first glance, it seems that favor could be defined as goodwill from one person towards another. This is easily understood, and not at all inaccurate! It appears that when you have favor with someone, they're pleased with you and want to do something to bless you.

There's another English word that is used for "chen" - it's the word "grace".

   "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." - Genesis 6:8

   "I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found grace in my sight, and I know you by name." - Exodus 33:17

   "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." - Psalm 84:11

Now we see a more complete understanding of what favor is - it's grace! It's more than just goodwill toward someone, it's an undeserved goodwill. Regardless of what you have or have not done to get on someone's "good side" - favor is when someone treats you as if you've done everything right!

Now, we know that this is what God has done for us. We know that He always extends grace toward us; in the forms of forgiveness, righteousness, power, freedom, deliverance, etc.

But for the purpose of this post, "favor" is undeserved goodwill - both from God and from other people!

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." - Luke 2:52

Apparently, when God gives you favor with someone, it motivates that person to action. They want to do something to bless you or help you in any way they can. And because it's grace, they aren't just returning a favor! No, this isn't a repayment - it's an undeserved blessing from someone else toward you.

Maybe it takes the form of a gift or a otherwise-unexplained deal.

Maybe it's a decision in your favor by someone in authority.

Maybe it's preferential treatment.

It may even be an undeserved position or pay raise.

All of this comes from favor - grace in the eyes of people!

Favor That Defends You

"For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield." - Psalm 5:12

Notice that God surrounds us with favor. If it's surrounding us, then it's obviously not just vertical - that is, between Him and us. No, this is also horizontal - between us and other people. No matter what angle someone sees us from, they have to look through favor!

You'll also see one of the functions of favor in the phrase "as with a shield." This favor surrounds us to defend and protect us.

An example of this can be found in 1 Chronicles 22:9 - "Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days."

Students of Bible history will tell you, the days that Solomon was king of Israel were peaceful. There was no war, no battles, no conflicts. Sure, there were still enemies....but they didn't come near the kingdom. Israel was at rest.

How did this happen? I believe it was because they were surround by favor. And that favor defended them like a shield. Solomon Himself wrote about this in Proverbs 16:7 - "When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."

Even if someone doesn't particularly like you...when God's favor and grace is involved, there's nothing they can do about it! This is why we read verses like Exodus 12:36 - ""And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they plundered the Egyptians."

Israel was a nation of slaves - they were owned by the Egyptians. These were the same Egyptians that were throwing Israelite babies into the river a few decades earlier! And yet, they suddenly wanted to give the Israelites everything they had? Why? It was because God gave His people grace in the eyes of their enemies!

Don't Feel Intimidated!

Listen to me - God's people have favor. They have grace in God's eyes AND in the eyes of the world. 

Now don't get me wrong, they may not (and should not) like you! They won't like your stand for righteousness - and they'll oppose you in everything they say. Jesus told us in that they'll actually hate you and persecute you relentlessly. But when it comes to action...they will find themselves inexplicably wanting to bless you!

Godless city council members will suddenly take a stand in favor of a church.

Cruel and angry bosses will suddenly find themselves promoting believers to better positions.

Sellers wont know why they're offering deals to certain people...."it's just something about them".

So be bold my friend! It's not about what you deserve. Don't cower to the world when God leads you into an opportunity. When His favor kicks in - they can't say no!