To know that this great and varied meaning belongs to _righteousness_ gives us new insight into those passages, which find in it all the motive and efficiency of the Divine action: _It pleased Jehovah for His righteousness' sake_ (xlii. 21); _His righteousness, it upheld Him; and He put on righteousness as a breastplate_ (lix. 16, 17).
With such a righteousness did Jehovah deal with Israel. To her despair that He has forgotten her He recounts the historical events by which He has made her His own, and affirms that He will carry them on; and you feel the expression both of fidelity and of the consciousness of ability to fulfil, in the words, _I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness. Right hand_--there is more than the touch of fidelity in this; there is the grasp of power. Again, to the Israel who was conscious of being His Servant, God says, _I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness_; and, taken with the context, the word plainly means good faith and intention to sustain and carry to success.
It was easy to transfer the name _righteousness_ from the character of God's action to its results, but always, of course, in the vindication of His purpose and word. Therefore, just as the salvation of Israel, which was the chief result of the Divine purpose, is called Israel's righteousness, so it is also called _Jehovah's righteousness_. Thus, in xlvi. 13, _I bring near My righteousness_; and in li. 5, _My righteousness is near, My salvation is gone forth_; ver. 6, _My salvation shall be for ever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished._ It seems to be in the same sense, of finished and visible results, that the skies are called upon _to pour down righteousness, and the earth to open that they may be fruitful in salvation, and let her cause righteousness to spring up together_ (xlv. 8; _cf._ lxi. 10, _My Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness to spring forth_).
One passage is of great interest, because in it _righteousness_ is used to play upon itself, in its two meanings of human duty and Divine effect--lvi. 1, _Observe judgement_--probably religious ordinances--_and do righteousness; for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed_.