Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20050807.htm

FEASTING ON THE NAMES OF JEHOVAH
Part VI: Applying The Name Of "Jehovah-Tsidkenu," God Our Righteousness
(Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16)
  1. Introduction
    1. All through Scripture, we learn that righteousness brings blessing where sin brings divine discipline.
    2. Perhaps nowhere in the human experience is discipline so painful as that of defeat before one's heartless enemies! Yet, God's people have faced such discipline as epitomized in Judah's defeat before Babylon!
    3. However, where sin and its defeat before one's cruel, evil enemies once abounded, God's grace will much more abound, providing not only salvation, but victory over such terrible defeat. This is wonderfully taught in Jeremiah 23:6 and 33:16 as "Jehovah-Tsidkenu," i.e., "God Our Righteousness," ministers to us:
  2. Applying The Name Of "Jehovah-Tsidkenu," God Our Righteousness, Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16.
    1. The two verses in Jeremiah where the name, "Jehovah-Tsidkenu" appears are Jeremiah 23:6 and 33:16, cf. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, s. v. "Righteousness." (p. 847)
    2. These two verses are ALMOST identical except for a few SIGNIFICANT differences (as follows): the word, "Israel" in Jer. 23:6 is exchanged for "Jerusalem" in Jer. 33:16, and the preposition, "he" in Jer. 23:6 is exchanged for "it" in Jeremiah 33:16 so that where MESSIAH is named "God Our Righteousness" in Jeremiah 23:6, it is the CITY of JERUSALEM ITSELF that bears that "God Our Righteousness" name, cf. Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1176! We explain this change in the name application as follows:
      1. In Jeremiah 23:6, God led Jeremiah to predict that to replace the unrighteous king Zedekiah of Judah, a man whose name, "Zedekiah" meant "my righteousness is Jahweh," the Lord would raise up the Messiah Whose name would be "the Lord our Righteousness," Ibid., p. 1158.
      2. This prediction was necessary as the kings of Judah had become so evil God had cursed their royal line never to have a man from that line profiting while sitting on David's throne, cf. Jer. 22:24, 28-23:6.
      3. Yet, in Jeremiah 33:16, the need had shifted from the hopelessness of the leadership itself to the great defeat the people of Jerusalem faced at the hands of the Babylonians due to the apostasy of their kings:
        1. Jeremiah 33:4 reveals that as Jerusalem was about to be conquered by the besieging Babylonians, so hopeless were the desperate people of Jerusalem in the future of the seemingly impotent Davidic line that they dismantled the homes of David's line to keep the invaders from breaching their wall.
        2. In contrast to this dire state, God took His promise of the coming Messiah, the "Lord Our Righteousness," and applied it to His people through that Messiah: (a) not only would the Messiah come with blessing as Jeremiah 23:5-6 had predicted, but the PEOPLE of JERUSALEM THEMSELVES would be called by their Messiah's name, "Jehovah-Tsidkenu," "God our Righteousness"! (Jeremiah 33:16) (b) The people in Jerusalem would take on the characteristics of their Messiah (Ibid., p. 1176), and with Him they would enjoy the blessings of ruling and reigning with Messiah over their enemies as they in God's grace would be justified and empowered for blessing, Jeremiah 33:24-26;. Zechariah 13:1; 14:12-14: ((1)) Because of sin in the people as well as in their kings, they were doomed to defeat before the invading Babylonians. ((2)) Yet, Zechariah 13:1 reveals a fountain of cleansing from sin we today know is the cross of Messiah, Jesus will be opened for Judah so that her people will be justified and saved from their sins! (Zechariah 12:10-14) ((3)) Thus, when the Gentile armies come against Jerusalem in the future Great Tribulation as the Babylonians once did against them in Jeremiah's era, God will equip his cleansed people of JERUSALEM to DEFEAT all of their attacking Gentile enemy armies, Zechariah 12:9; 14:12-14!
Lesson: Though sin in Jerusalem's kings and people left them vulnerable to destruction by their enemies, their SALVATION through Messiah, Jesus will REVERSE their fortunes DRAMATICALLY, for "God Our Righteousness" will have HIS righteousness applied to THEM for BLESSING in conquering their former, overwhelming and cruel enemies!

Application: (1) May WE avail ourselves of the CLEANSING from SIN in Christ that WE might REVERSE our DEFEATS caused by SIN, 1 John 1:9. (2) In OUR era, in Rev. 3:21, God promises US rule over our enemies providing WE "overcome" the world's lusts through Christ, cf. John 16:33; may we then rely on Christ to resist the lusts of the flesh, the eyes and pride of this life to be thus blessed!