It can be debated whether this means
that those who turn to the LORD will be made inherently righteous or be legally
pronounced righteous; nevertheless, the use of the verb (the Qal imperfect of צְדַק)
expounds the meaning of the noun (צְדָקוֹת, v 24) and the adjective (צַדִּיק, v
21) and suggests that God’s identity as “a righteous God and a Savior” is to be
understood in terms of his bringing about a salvation that involves his making
righteous or declaring righteous those who turn to him. And since this righteousness
is found only “in the LORD,” it is not inappropriate to speak of “the
righteousness of/from God” in this context, a righteousness that those who turn
to God receive from him. It is even possible that Paul himself intertextually
alludes to Isaiah 45:21-25 in several of the key passages that we will discuss
later, especially 1 Cor 1:30; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 2:17; Phil 3:9, which use the
"in Christ" formula (or some equivalent) in connection with
righteousness or justification.
Nor is there any thought in this
verse, or anywhere in the near context, that God's saving activity is
"righteous" in the sense that his salvation is the expression of his covenant
faithfulness, or that he saves his covenant people in accordance with his faithfulness
to his election of them. Although such statements would no doubt be perfectly
good theology, the focus of the immediate context is not on God's faithfulness to
his people, but on the polemic against those - whether the rebellious covenant
people or the idolatrous nations - who turn to their false gods for
deliverance. The verses that immediately follow make this clear: "Turn to
me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is
no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a
word that shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall
swear allegiance'" (vv 22-23) (ESV). The fact that God is "a
righteous God and a Savior" is thus an argument against idolatry, whether
that of the nations or that of the covenant people. All humans must turn to the
one true Creator God as their source of salvation and deliverance, since he
alone provides true, righteous deliverance. Nothing in the context suggests
that "a righteous God" is code for God's covenant faithfulness to Israel,
a thought that would be out of place in the immediate context, which is a
polemic against Gentile idolatry and a universal call to all the nations to acknowledge
the one true God. (Charles Lee Irons, “ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣΥΝΗ ΘΕΟΥ: A Lexical Examination
of the Covenant-Faithfulness Interpretation” [PhD Dissertation; Fuller
Theological Seminary, May 2011], 192-94)
Zech 9:9 is a parallel passage to Isa
45:21 in that it contains the same juxtaposition of the adjective צַדִּיק and a
form of "to save" (in this case, the Niphal participle of יָשַׁע):
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation
is he (צַדִּ֥יק וְנֹושָׁ֖ע ה֑וּא/δικαιος
και σωζων
αυτος)" (ESV). The coming messianic king is
characterized as "righteous" and "having salvation," with
the implication that he will bring salvation to the people by means of
royal-judicial activity. (Ibid., 194 n. 80)
