As I continue to read in Jeremiah it’s clear that Judah had come apart at the spiritual seams. Her kings led her into deeper and deeper apostasy . . . her shepherds had lost all affection and care for the flock and were leading her to feed in rotten pastures of idol worship . . . and her prophets had determined to no longer seek the voice of God but to ad lib, passing off their own hollow words of, “It will be OK” as “thus says the LORD.” Dark . . . ominous . . . judgment is sure. But this morning I encountered a ray of light . . . some hope for the hopeless . . . a safe harbor for those in the storm . . .

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 ESV)

Even as the God of Israel is about to lay waste the land and send an adulteress people into captivity, He promises that He will gather a remnant of His flock out of the countries where He drives them . . . that they shall, one day, again be fruitful and multiply . . . that He will set shepherds over them who will care for them (23:3-4). And at the center of this promise is the Branch.

He will be a sprout or shoot from the Davidic tree . . . His will be of the line of royalty . . . His will be the right to rule . . . and He will be righteous. Unlike the wayward kings Israel had known . . . juxtaposed to the self-seeking shepherds of the day . . . in contrast to the false prophets and their bogus words . . . He will be the King who rules with a scepter of righteousness . . . He will be the Shepherd willing to give His life for the sheep and able to lead them to green pastures . . . He will be the very Word of God, truth personified.

And what grabs me this morning is that this righteous Branch will be called Jehovah-Tsidkenu . . . that is, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

That is the “secret sauce” of our salvation. That He is our righteousness.

This morning I’m reminded that the only ground I stand upon before a holy God is the ground secured by His Righteous Branch. This Branch who is Jehovah . . . God, very God . . . Himself the radiance of God’s glory, the exact imprint of God’s nature . . . the Creator and Sustainer of all things . . . worthy alone to be seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:2-3).

This Branch who is Tsidkenu . . . our Righteousness . . . having Himself made purification for sins . . . having become the once for all sacrifice of my sin . . . pierced for my transgressions, crushed for my iniquities, His chastisement bringing me peace, the Lord having laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:5-6). The righteousness which affords me access into the Most Holy Place is the righteousness of the Christ . . . a righteousness that I put on by faith.

For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.    (2Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

I’m a bit overwhelmed at the depths of love and grace shown through THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS! O’ what a name! O’ what a Savior!

Amen?