“Yahweh Tsidkenu”—The Lord Our Righteousness

“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.’”-Joshua 23:5-6.

“A Branch out of the stem of David” was one of the most acclaimed Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.  It is no wonder that when Jesus came to earth and His followers began to claim him as the promised Messiah, they expected Him to overthrow Roman rule and set up a kingdom of righteousness and justice and quell the reign of oppression.  Jeremiah recognized that the promised king would be “Yahweh Tsidkenu”—or “The Lord our Righteousness.”  God had a larger plan than just for the nations of Judah and Israel.  “The Lord our Righteousness” would be for all people who acknowledged the Messiah and attuned to His rule of righteousness.  But the Kingdom is not of this world.  It is in the hearts of men and women and children who truly recognize Jesus as Lord of Lord and King of Kings.  This was reinforced, as given in the angel’s announcement to Mary at the time of her conception:  “”And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:30-33).  It was seen  in Matthew 2:2: when wise men from the East came to bow before Jesus: “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews?  For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  When Jesus called Nathanael to be a disciple, he accepted with these words:  “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel” (Luke 2:1:49).  Jesus replied to Nathanael:  “Truly, truly I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (Luke 1:51).  Nathanael lived to see Jesus’ prophetic words come true, for he gathered with the other believers at the ascension of Christ back into heaven after His mission to earth was finished. 

The greatest news about the “Branch out of the stem of David” who is “the righteousness of God” is that we have His righteousness credited to our account:  “For our sake He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Jesus imputed (credited) His righteousness to our account.  This is justification by Him through our faith for “we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we are healed” (1 Peter 2:24b).  And under God’s saving grace made possible through faith in Jesus Christ, our sins and iniquities are not only forgiven but they are remembered no more: “I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more.  Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:17-18).  One day He will come again in His glory to receive us unto Himself forever.  Praise be to God!

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” – Matthew 5:9 (KJV).

“Salom!” is a Hebrew greeting that has several meanings, the most important of which is to wish personal well-being, prosperity, bodily health and peace to the one greeted.  Jesus taught us that peacemakers are blessed and are called the children of God, for God is the Master Peacemaker.  And peacemaking was exemplified in the life and ministry of Jesus.  Where there was hatred and strife, He taught how to pursue a better way.  A peacemaker is not static, hoping that peace will come.  Instead he is actively working to bring reconciliation where there is hatred and enmity.

Those who work for peace are sharing in Christ’s ministry of bringing reconciliation out of trouble.  2 Corinthians 5:18-19 teaches us that being a peacemaker is part of our Christian way of life:  “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”  Paul’s teaching on Jesus and the Christian as peacemakers is further clarified in Ephesians 2:14:  “For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility.”  And in Colossians 1:19-20 the importance of peace and how it was generated is expressed thusly:  “For in Him (Jesus) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himslef all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.”

Saint Francis lived and worked in the 13^th century.  He left behind an often-quoted prayer that has been set to lofty music.  The words of his prayer formulate the idea in the seventh Beatitude:

“Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love:

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”