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THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LORD"O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD." (Mic. 6:5)This is a nice little nugget that the Holy Spirit has planted right in the middle of the minor prophets. The verse says that one needs to know the “righteousness of the LORD” by learning what Balaam said to Balak back in Numbers chapter twenty-three. What Balaam said was that God had “not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel.” (Num. 23:21) Israel had certainly committed plenty of iniquity, but God didn’t behold it because He had given the Jews His righteousness just as He did for Abraham in Genesis 15:6: “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”This is what we call the doctrine of imputation or imputed righteousness. According to Paul’s inspired comments in Romans chapter four, this is what today’s sinner receives when he believes on Christ: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Rom. 4:5-8)BLESSED INDEED!!!