Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Barnes suggests:

Blessed are they which do hunger … – Hunger and thirst, here, are expressive of strong desire. Nothing would better express the strong desire which we ought to feel to obtain righteousness than hunger and thirst. No needs are so keen, none so imperiously demand supply, as these. They occur daily, and when long continued, as in case of those shipwrecked, and doomed to wander months or years over burning sands, with scarcely any drink or food, nothing is more distressing. An ardent desire for anything is often represented in the Scriptures by hunger and thirst, Psa 42:1-2 Psa 63:1 A desire for the blessings of pardon and peace; a deep sense of sin, and want, and wretchedness, is also represented by thirsting, Isa 55:1

They shall be filled – They shall be satisfied as a hungry man is when supplied with food, or a thirsty man when supplied with drink. Those who are perishing for want of righteousness; those who feel that they are lost sinners and strongly desire to be holy, shall be thus satisfied. Never was there a desire to be holy which God was not willing to gratify, and the gospel of Christ has made provision to satisfy all who truly desire to be holy.

See Isa 55:1-3 Isa 65:13 Joh 4:14 Joh 6:35 Joh 7:37 Psa 17:15

What an utterly selfish, egotistical interpretation of “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”! This is the first time I utterly disagree with Albert Barnes. It makes no sense to focus this text on US, you and me, and have it somehow imply our personal status before God. For one, it wouldn’t be the perspective Jesus had. He would have come from the perspective of Deuteronomy 16:20: “Justice, justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” ‘Justice’ here is Tzeddeq, the same word used about Noach and Abraham (Genesis 6:9; James 2:23). ‘Tzeddeq’ means “that which is right and just”. “Follow”, ‘radaph’ means “pursue, run after” by implication with a passion. So it’s unlikely Christ was referring to OUR justifaction before God, and almost certain that He was referring to us being PURSUING Justice, righteousness and that which is right ON BEHALF of others, and that this Justice, Righteousness and Right has nothing to do with spiritual justification, status or appearance. It is all a matter of PRACTICAL application. When Christ talks about righteousness, justice, as with everything else He says, He makes it a hidden command for us to follow. What’s more, His audience would, like me, immediately have Deuteronomy 16:20 in mind, and they would have heard Him say that “Blessed are you who hunger and thirst for the implementation of Righteousness and Justice for all… for you shall be satisfied.” As with the other Beatitudes already covered here, the satisfaction comes with OUR practical work to implement God’s Will. When we fight for what is right, just and ethical from the perspective of the Sermon on the Mount, we will see Right, Justice, and Righteousness sown, sprout and grown. THAT will in turn be counted us a Righteousness before God, as it did with Abraham.
Blessings,
Henry