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Hello! Once again, we’re nearing the end of another study. We’ve spent six weeks with the Holy Spirit in Jeremiah 33, and I’m glad we could work through this prophecy about YHWH Tsidqenu. I hope you’ve been able to dig a little with me and that the Spirit has revealed amazing treasure for your efforts.

Last Week’s Work

My work this past week included reading through the cross-references for verse 16, a review of a few other versions of that verse, and a check of several available commentaries on it.

CROSS-REFERENCES

The first cross-reference I considered was Jeremiah 23:5-6, which reads almost the same as Jeremiah 33:15-16. This week, I felt the Spirit’s urge to better understand the geographical and other significance of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. I discovered Judah was the region where the “southern” kingdom of Israelites lived, who were mostly descendants of Joseph [aka Israel]’s fourth son, Judah. The “northern” region was referred to as Israel, control of which fell to Assyria in about 720 BC (more than a century before Jeremiah’s prophecies were recorded). Judah (and the city of Jerusalem within it) were all that remained of the original areas conquered by Joshua and the Israelites after Moses’ death in the wilderness.

From other cross-refs, I saw that the LORD saves Israel, and this salvation is also available for the whole world. Also, centuries later, Paul wrote that all Israel will be saved by a Deliverer who will come from Zion, which can refer to either Mount Zion in Jerusalem, or Israel’s “homeland.”

As to the phrase YHWH Tsidqenu (LORD our righteousness), the cross-references showed me:

• No one, not even Paul the Apostle, could save himself by obeying the law. The righteousness that leads to salvation can only be acquired through faith in Christ.
• Righteousness and strength are only in the Lord;
• Christ Jesus became righteousness for Christians. In fact, God enabled all of us to become righteous through Jesus’s sacrifice.

OTHER TRANSLATIONS

As I compared the ESV with four other translations, the Spirit called my attention to the last phrase, The LORD is our righteousness. Only the NLT version uses the same wording. The Amplified Bible renders the phrase the LORD Our Righteousness (Justice); the NIV calls Him The LORD Our Righteous Savior; and the Good News Translation uses The LORD Our Salvation.

I’m impressed at the relationship between salvation, safety (security), and righteousness that these names suggest. I’m also reminded that righteousness, salvation, and safety do not arise from our actions or decisions. All those gifts originate in and through the LORD. Even at our very best, we can never be righteous enough to connect on God’s level. We needed some way to remove the stain of disobedience: and Jesus Christ made that way. When we come to the Father with Jesus, we are cleansed by His blood and our unrighteousness is removed.

COMMENTARY

The commentaries I reviewed seemed to agree that the righteous Branch in v15 refers to Jesus Christ who was born into David’s family. I personally think that, in one way, His death on the cross fulfilled the prediction of justice and righteousness being executed in the land. I know it doesn’t seem “just” that Jesus died for sins He did not commit, but Old Testament law required blood for righteousness to be restored. And not just any blood. It had to be the blood of a perfect lamb. There’s only ever been one perfectly sinless human on this earth, and that was Jesus Christ.

I also believe a day is coming when Jesus will return and execute justice and righteousness over all the earth, fulfilling again the prophecy in v15. Could it be that verse 16 will also be fulfilled at that time? The phrase In those days certainly seems to make that a possibility. And I, for one, cannot wait to see those days, because I know the kingdom I’m going to: it’s the Jerusalem v16 identifies as The LORD is our righteousness! Wow! I didn’t see that coming, did you?! I love how the Holy Spirit just takes ahold of my studies and leads me where He will!

Dig-In Challenges

This coming week, let’s wrap up our study of Jeremiah 33:14-26 and align with what we’ve discovered here:

1. PRAY: Use mine from week 2, or your own.
2. ALIGN: Review your study notes (or what I’ve posted since week 2) and consider what you’ve learned in this study.
3. ALIGN: Then, think about how the Spirit has convicted you through this study. In other words, where has He shown you misalignment between what we’ve discovered and how you practice your faith?
4. ALIGN: Next, look to God’s Word for guidance to correct that misalignment. For me, this is often a verse from the study text or from one of the cross-references.
5. ALIGN: And finally, reflect on how you can practice thoughts or actions that align more closely with what you’ve discovered here.
   To make this stick, I commit for at least three weeks to change my thoughts by focusing daily on my correction verse(s), and/or actions by stopping or starting an activity as the Spirit leads.

I know the Lord will bless our efforts to understand and apply His Word!