Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Tonight’s Study, Session 12: Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness

Introduction: Righteousness isn’t a popular word in our culture. Yet righteousness is essential to our happiness because it involves being in right relationship or right standing with God and comforting to His character, fulfilling our responsibilities toward Him and others. But righteousness is impossible to achieve, no matter how much we long for it. It comes only as God’s gift to us through faith in His Son. When we know Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness, we know the God who has intervened on our behalf to restore us to His likeness and therefore to fellowship with Himself.

The key Scripture verse where the name Jehovah Tsidkenu is found is Jeremiah 23:6.

Let’s Look at the Name in the Scriptural Context Where it is Found: “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord. “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord. “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jeremiah 23:1-6)

Pastor Paul’s Commentary on the Text

The false leaders (shepherds) of Israel had failed to shepherd and care for God’s people. God likened the false leaders to shepherds who failed to lead and care for their flock of sheep and the sheep were scattered. A scattered flock was a sign of bad shepherding which put the sheep in danger (v.1). God warned the leaders of His people who failed to lead that He would deal with them (v.2). The Lord promised to gather the remnant of His flock from wherever they were scattered to bring them back to their folds. He also promised to give them shepherds who would feed them and that they would have nothing to fear or be dismayed about (vv.3-4). God promised that in the future He would raise up from David’s lineage a Branch of righteousness (Messiah Jesus Christ) to lead His flock (v.5). Messiah’s shepherding is contrasted with that of the false shepherds. Judah and Israel will be reunited (v.6).

God always has and always will demand righteousness from His people. The righteousness of the people sometimes is only as good as their leaders. Since the leaders of God’s people had failed to lead righteously, God promised to send a Branch of righteousness in the person of His son, Jesus Christ. Jeremiah rightly prophesied this promise in Jeremiah 23:5-6.

Though people were often called righteous in the Hebrew Scriptures if they obeyed the Law, Jesus and the writers of the New Testament stress that righteousness is not merely a matter of outward behavior but a matter of the heart – of thoughts, motives, and desires. The goal is not merely to do what God says but to become like Him. In other words, righteousness is primarily and basically a relationship, never an attainment.

A Relationship with Jesus Makes All the Difference

Christian righteousness is a direction, a loyalty, a commitment, a hope – and someday an arrival. The prophet Jeremiah predicted the coming of a king who would be called “The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jehovah Tsidkenu). Jesus fulfilled this prophecy by restoring our relationship with God through His life, death, and resurrection.

The Promise of 2 Corinthians 5:21

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The Branch of righteousness, Jesus, took all of our sin and gave us all of His righteousness. The great exchange took place on the cross. Oh, what grace God has given unworthy sinners. He gave us all of His righteousness and called all of our sin His own.

A Precious Nugget of Eternal Truth – The sinless become sin so the sinner would be declared righteous!

Paul proclaimed in his letter to the Romans, But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. (Romans 3:21-22)

Connecting To The Name

Jeremiah reveals that the coming king will be known as “The Lord Our Righteousness,” as Jehovah Tsidkenu. Every truly born-again believer in Jesus Christ should be humbled when we hear the words “righteous” or “righteousness.” God’s laws are written on the hearts of the righteous. Only the righteous are able to obey and follow God’s laws.

The Big Difference Between Relationship and Religion Is:

• A relationship with God through Christ is the key to our righteousness.
• A religion without a relationship with God through Christ only leads to self-righteousness. Self-righteousness neither saves the soul nor satisfies the wrath of God.

A Word of Testimony from the Apostle Paul

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)

Promises from Jehovah Tsidkenu

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

(Proverbs 10:6)

The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted.

(Proverbs 10:24)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

(Matthew 5:6)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Matthew 5:10)

Conclusion: What a blessing to be called “righteous” by our heavenly Father. God, from the very beginning was going to send one who would be a “branch” of righteousness” to make His people right. And that righteousness is only given to us because of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus took all of our sin and called it His own on the cross, and in turn gave us all of His righteousness. What a blessing to know Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness!

Next Week, Session 13: El Elyon– God Most High