Verse 24
Instead, the person who felt satisfied should "boast" because he or she understood and knew Yahweh as a God who loves and practices loyal love (loyalty, lovingkindness, steadfast love, unfailing devotion, merciful love, Heb. hesed), justice (Heb. mishpat), and righteousness (right, integrity, deliverance, salvation, Heb. sedaqa) on the earth. Truly knowing the Lord in this way implies participating with Him in valuing and practicing these essential covenant virtues. The standard is not social custom or community consensus, but the character and will of Yahweh (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Corinthians 10:17; James 1:9).
". . . true religion consists in a personal and existential knowledge of God, and in a commitment to those qualities displayed by Yahweh himself-unfailing loyalty, justice, and right dealing." [Note: Thompson, p. 318.]
This verse is a concise summary of Israel’s religion at its highest (cf. Micah 6:8). For Israel, true religion consisted of acknowledging the sovereignty of God over all of life, and allowing Him to produce the qualities that distinguish Him in the lives of all His people.
"It is not reliance on one’s own wisdom and strength that brings well-being, but the knowledge of the Lord and of His dealings in grace and justice (ix. 22-25)." [Note: Keil, 1:190.]
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