(For anyone who wants to dig deeper after reading or watching my sermon, here are the rest of the pertinent scriptures for this topic).
God is upright:
Deu 32:4 - "The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.
Psa 25:8 - "Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way."
Psa 33:1, 4 - "Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. ... For the word of the LORD is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness."
Ps. 45:6 "Your throne, O God is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom."
Ps. 67:4 "Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For You will judge the peoples with uprightness And guide the nations on the earth."
Psa 92:15 - To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Psa 119:137 Righteous are You, O LORD, And upright are Your judgments.
Isa 26:7 - The way of the righteous is smooth; O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
Isa 45:19 - "I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek Me in a waste place'; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are upright.
Definition: “Honest, just…conformable to moral rectitude” Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
It means to be a person of integrity. A person who does the right thing in every circumstance no matter the pressure or temptation to do otherwise. To be upright is to take the high road; to resist compromise, cutting corners, stretching the envelope.
God intended for us to be upright, but sin made us liars:
Ecc 7:29 - "Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices."
“….let God be found true, though every man be found a liar,….” Romans 3:4
God delights in and is intimate with the upright:
“For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.” Psalm 11:7
Psa 140:13 - Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.
Pro 3:32 - For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright.
Pro 15:8 - The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight
“……Act resolutely, and the LORD be with the upright." II Chron. 19:11
Uprightness leads to Prosperity:
“Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity.” Psalm 37:37
Psa 112:2,3 - His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.”
The house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish. Prov. 14:11
Job 1:1, 8 - There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. ... The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil."
Job 8:6 - If you are pure and upright, Surely now He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous estate.(Bildad speaking)
By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down. Prov. 11:11
Uprightness leads to Joy & Gladness:
Psa 32:11 - Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Psa 64:10 - The righteous man will be glad in the LORD and will take refuge in Him; And all the upright in heart will glory.
Psa 97:11 - Light is sown like seed for the righteous And gladness for the upright in heart.
Psa 107:42 - The upright see it and are glad; But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.
There are no occurrences of the word “upright” in the New Testament
There is one occurrence of "uprightly" in I Thessalonians 2:10
Below are the other occurrences of "upright" in the Old Testament:
Num 23:10 - "Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, And let my end be like his!" Balaam to Balak
1Sa 29:6 - Then Achish called David and said to him, "As the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army are pleasing in my sight; for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, you are not pleasing in the sight of the lords.
2Ch 19:11 - "Behold, Amariah the chief priest will be over you in all that pertains to the LORD, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all that pertains to the king. Also the Levites shall be officers before you. Act resolutely, and the LORD be with the upright."
Job 1:1, 8 - There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. ... The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil."
Job 2:3 - The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause."
Job 8:6 - If you are pure and upright, Surely now He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous estate.(Bildad speaking)
Job 17:8 - "The upright will be appalled at this, And the innocent will stir up himself against the godless.(Job speaking)
Job 23:7 - "There the upright would reason with Him; And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
Job 31 he asserts his integrity and uprightness
Psa 7:10 - My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.
Psa 11:2, 7 - For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. ... For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.
Psa 32:11 - Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Psa 36:10 - O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Psa 37:14, 37 - The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. ... Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity.
Psa 49:14 - As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation.
Psa 64:10 - The righteous man will be glad in the LORD and will take refuge in Him; And all the upright in heart will glory.
Psa 94:15 - For judgment will again be righteous, And all the upright in heart will follow it.
Psa 97:11 - Light is sown like seed for the righteous And gladness for the upright in heart.
Psa 107:42 - The upright see it and are glad; But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.
Psa 111:1 - Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly.
Psa 112:2, 4 - His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. ... Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
Psa 125:4 - Do good, O LORD, to those who are good And to those who are upright in their hearts.
Psa 140:13 - Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.
Pro 2:7, 21 - He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, ... For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it;
Pro 3:32 - For the devious are an abomination to the LORD; But He is intimate with the upright.
Pro 4:11 - I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths.
Pro 10:29 - The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, But ruin to the workers of iniquity.
Pro 11:3, 6, 11 - The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. ... The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed. ... By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
Pro 12:6 - The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
Pro 14:9, 11 - Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will. ... The house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish.
Pro 15:8, 19 - The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight. ... The way of the lazy is as a hedge of thorns, But the path of the upright is a highway.
Pro 16:17 - The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life.
Pro 21:8, 18, 29 - The way of a guilty man is crooked, But as for the pure, his conduct is upright. ... The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, And the treacherous is in the place of the upright. ... A wicked man displays a bold face, But as for the upright, he makes his way sure.
Pro 28:10 - He who leads the upright astray in an evil way Will himself fall into his own pit, But the blameless will inherit good.
Pro 29:10, 27 - Men of bloodshed hate the blameless, But the upright are concerned for his life. ... An unjust man is abominable to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is abominable to the wicked.
Ecc 7:29 - "Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices."
Isa 57:2 - He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, Each one who walked in his upright way.
Mic 7:2, 4 - The godly person has perished from the land, And there is no upright person among men. All of them lie in wait for bloodshed; Each of them hunts the other with a net. ... The best of them is like a briar, The most upright like a thorn hedge. The day when you post your watchmen, Your punishment will come. Then their confusion will occur.
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