Knowing God In Jer 23 (May 10)

The Lord Our Righteousness

Time is running out for Judah.
Already a growing sense of doom
grips the nation. Popular opinion
regarding the prophet of God stands
at an all-time low. But even that
cannot deter Jeremiah from
his appointed task: declaring to
leaders and lay persons alike God’s
displeasure with their conduct.
Moving from the nation in general
to the nation’s leaders in particular,
Jeremiah singles out three kings
for judgment before turning his
attention to the Messiah-King
who will restore righteousness
and justice on the earth. The nation
will lie desolate for 70 long years
when the wrath of God is finally
poured out upon His wayward flock.

Praise be Jehovah Tsidkenu:
Behold the days are coming,
says the Lord, That I will raise to
David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and execute
righteousness in the earth.
In His days, Judah will be saved;
And this is His name by which
He will be called, The Lord
our righteousness (Jehovah
Tsidkenu) – Jer 23:5-6.

Lord Jehovah Tsidkenu, we have
no righteousness of our own
but the righteousness we have
come through faith in Christ.
It is the righteousness that
depends entirely on faith; and
through this faith, You Lord
give us a clean slate of purity.
For our sake You made Him to
be sin who knew no sin so that
in Him we might become the
righteousness of God. Amen.

Lord, I come to You with all
the sins I have ever committed,
seeking Your forgiveness & mercy.
Forgive me for every unkind word
I have thought or spoken. Forgive
me for every selfish act I have committed. Forgive the hardness
of my heart and my lack of faith.
Pardon my fears, remove my
doubts & cover my insecurities
with Your covenantal love. Amen.

Lord Jehovah Tsidkenu, as You cover
us in Your righteousness, we pray
for the grace to be ever mindful
of the cost of this gift. We do not
want to treat it lightly or forget the
price You paid to offer this to us.
Make us useful Lord as we
serve in humility and worship in
righteousness before Your throne.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.