Jeremiah 23 Devotional

Righteousness Given a Name

“In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.”Jeremiah 23:6 (BSB)

God pronounces woe on the shepherds who scattered his flock and did not care for it (23:1-2). Then he promises to gather the remnant himself and give them shepherds who truly tend them (23:3-4). Beyond that, he will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. His name will be The LORD Our Righteousness (23:5-6).

After the failed kings of chapter 22, this is the answer. God will not only demand righteousness from a king; he will provide a King whose very name declares that righteousness comes from the LORD. Paul says that in Christ Jesus, God has given us righteousness, along with holiness and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). The false prophets in the rest of the chapter offer only their own dreams, straw next to the grain of God's word (23:25-28). You do not have to produce your own standing before God. In Christ it has a name, and it is a gift.

To think about: Where are you still trying to build your own standing before God, and what would it mean to rest in the righteousness Christ gives?