Jehovah Tsidkenu means God our Righteousness. This name first appears in Jeremiah 23:5-6. At that time, God’s kingdom was full of sin and idolatry and ruled by one wicked king after another. Jeremiah prophesied the following, “For the time is coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King (Jesus) who rules with wisdom. He (Jesus) will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be His name: The Lord Is Our Righteousness. (Jehovah Tsidkenu).” God was promising the people not only a righteous King (Jesus), but also a way for mankind to obtain righteousness.
When the bible speaks of righteousness, it is describing God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word.
The scriptures portray God as righteous and His words and actions are in accordance with the purity of His nature. Psalm 119:142,144 tells us there is none who compares to Him: “Your (God’s) righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your (God’s) law is truth. The righteousness of Your (God’s) testimonies are everlasting.”
God’s laws, as given in the Bible, describe His character and establish the gauge by which He measures human righteousness. On our own, we can never live up to this standard. Romans 3:11-12 describes mankind, “There is none righteous [none that meets God’s standard], not even one. There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
Because God is so loving, and loves each one of us, He created a plan allowing us to become righteous. Through the work of Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord of Righteousness, Jesus, took our sin, our unrighteousness on Himself. Our sin (past, present, and future) exchanged for His righteousness and purity. What an exchange! When we become born again, we are now in right standing with God. We ARE a new creation (1 Corinthians 5:17). God no longer sees our righteousness, which is compared to filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Jesus exchanged those filthy rags for His robe of righteousness. Isaiah 61:10 declares, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels.”
Not only were we made righteous, Jesus also took our sins and destroyed the powers of darkness. Jehovah Tsidkenu is a name that brings hope to the hopeless, light into darkness, and life in place of death.
Father, we thank You for Your plan of salvation. We thank You that we are no longer who we were, but are now a new creation. We run to You, our Strength and our Righteousness.
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