Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

Jeremiah 23:5-6

We live in a generation where right can be perceived as wrong and wrong as right.  If we spend any time watching the news, we see headlines filled with deceit, drama, crisis and fear.  It seems with each passing day the darkness continues to overshadow the light.  

It is no wonder we live in an era where everyone seems so “connected” yet people feel more isolated and lonely than any generation before.

We may not physically worship idols but there any many “gods” that demand our attention and adoration. Tolerance, power, lust, greed, and culture are some of the gods to whom all “must” bow as they so easily creep into our hearts and minds by the simple the ping of a cell phone alert. 

How did we get here?  Is there any hope for our generation and the generations to come?

King Solomon, known as a man of great wisdom once said, 

What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

There is Nothing New Under the Sun

There is nothing new under the sun. Human nature is human nature and our hearts will always be inclined towards sin. We live in a fallen world and as horrible as it seems, is it any different than generations of the past? Can we find wisdom and hope in the words of Solomon, when he says, “there is nothing new under the sun”?

Let’s journey back to the time Jeremiah …

Jeremiah, commonly referred to as the “weeping prophet”, lived in a time where the people of Israel had turned their hearts far away from God.   Injustice and idolatry were rampant.  Rulers and leaders were filled with corruptions which lead to widespread social injustice and exploitation of the most vulnerable in society even to the point of child sacrifice. (sound familiar?)

God spoke through Jeremiah and warned of great devastation that would come upon Israel for their transgressions.   He warned of famine, looting, a foreign invasion and finally exile.  People rose up against Jeremiah accusing him, physically harming him and even to the point of plots of murder against his life.

Jeremiah persisted and continued faithfully in his calling, speaking the warnings and truth of God’s word.

Grace upon Grace

Then something amazing happens. In the midst of the warning and impeding doom. God’s word shines a light in the darkness and declares a hope for the future.

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

Jeremiah 23:5-6

Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord our Righteousness

The Lord OUR righteousness. In the middle of distress, chaos, darkness, corruption and sin – God declared Himself as the Lord our RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Righteousness: the quality of being morally right or justifiable.

God did not come in a time of peace, or to a perfect group of people. He came in a time of corruption and injustice and said I AM YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

It is not by our words or works that we are declared righteous. It is by the grace of God alone. He is our righteousness. It is not our acts, actions or perfections (or lack of) but God’s faithfulness which bring the fulfillment of His prophecy and promise of Jesus. It was never about us and our duty to perform. It is always about God and His faithfulness.

We can find peace and freedom in this truth. We can declare to the idols of today that scream for our attention – I am a child of God and He is my righteousness. We can speak to the shame and sins that try to creep into our hearts and say GOD IS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death

Romans 8:1-2

The message version of the Bible illuminates the same scripture below and we are reminded that shame has no power over our lives. A new power is in operation and that is Jehovah Tsidkenu!

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

Romans 8:1-2

I pray that today, you find freedom from fear of the future, fear of the culture, and the shame of failure or falling short. Jesus Christ came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Jesus Christ came to undo the mischief of the fall for his people.  So far as their sin concerned their breach of the command, that he has removed by his precious blood.

Charles Spurgeon

Many Blessings,

Misty