The NIV 365 Day Devotional

5 Principles for Righteous Living

5 “Suppose there is a righteous man
  who does what is just and right.
6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines
  or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
  or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.
7 He does not oppress anyone,
  but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
  but gives his food to the hungry
  and provides clothing for the naked.
8 He does not lend to them at interest
  or take a profit from them.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
  and judges fairly between two parties.
9 He follows my decrees
  and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;
  he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign Lord.

Ezekiel 18:5–9

Righteousness implies a correct relationship to the will of God and conformity to his demands and obligations. In the Old Testament, righteous action was the proper response to God’s gracious election of Israel. In the New Testament, righteousness is the response to our union with Christ.

But what does a righteous person look like? How will a righteous person act? Ezekiel 18:5–9 presents a code of ethics for a righteous person (repeated in different form in vv. 10–13 and 14–17).

“Suppose there is a righteous man
  who does what is just and right.
He does not eat at the mountain shrines
  or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
  or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.
He does not oppress anyone,
  but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
  but gives his food to the hungry
  and provides clothing for the naked.
He does not lend to them at interest
  or take a profit from them.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
  and judges fairly between two parties.
He follows my decrees
  and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;
  he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign LORD.”

When we examine this passage we find that Ezekiel has outlined five principles that characterize the life of the righteous.

1. The righteous will have a general orientation to doing “what is just and right” (see v. 5).
2. The righteous person rejects pagan practices and idolatry and worships the one true God (see v. 6a).
3. The righteous person avoids adultery and maintains moral purity in sexual relationships and practices (see v. 6b).
4. The righteous person doesn’t take advantage of his neighbor: he isn’t oppressive; he repays his loans; he doesn’t steal; he feeds the hungry and clothes the poor; he doesn’t exploit those in need; he doesn’t get involved in wrongdoing; and he is an honest and impartial judge (see vv. 7–8).

Last, Ezekiel provides a principle that summarizes the others:

1. The righteous person respects and observes divine and human law (see v. 9).

Practical Takeaway: Ezekiel provides an example of what our lives will look like when we’re living in accordance with God’s will.

Taken from the NIV Spiritual Habits Bible.