Jehovah Tsidkenu, Our Righteousness
God is the Only One who will exchange our faith for His Righteousness. We cannot be righteous on our own, so He becomes Our Righteousness.
And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. (Jeremiah 23:6)
Giving your life to a dream can be hugely rewarding. I have known many people who have sacrificed comfort and status and wealth in order to accomplish great things. It’s the whole “hustle culture” that has seemed to have taken root in our society, especially among small business owners.
But no matter how much you pour into a business or a dream, it never fully pays you back for everything you’ve invested into it. Maybe financially you’ll be profitable, but how can you be reimbursed for your mental, emotional, or physical health? Does your health have a dollar sign attached to it?
In my experience, the only calling that gives you more than you invest is following Jesus. That’s because God always provides what He requires from us.
No matter how hard we work, how disciplined we live, and how perfect we try to be, we can’t be good enough to deserve salvation. There’s just no way for an imperfect created being to reach the level of perfect righteousness, and that’s what is needed in order to be saved.
You can never earn enough to deserve it. You can never be a good enough person. You can never sacrifice enough.
Righteousness, the kind that is required for eternal salvation, can only be bestowed on you by Someone who already is righteous. It can only be given as a gift, not earned.
Any pursuit in your life will take more from you than you give it. Any false god or popular idol will drain you of your resources and leave you bitter, lonely, and lost. God is the Only One who will exchange our faith for His Righteousness.
That’s what this name, Jehovah Tsidkenu, means: Because we cannot be righteous on our own, He becomes Our Righteousness.
If you want to be saved, if you need salvation (and we all do), the only way to get it is to be righteous. And the only way to be righteous is to have God’s righteousness transferred to you through faith in Jesus Christ.
Questions for Reflection
Why do you think people try to earn salvation through doing good deeds or performing good works?
Why do you think all human efforts to achieve righteousness fail?
Why is it important to believe that only God is truly righteous?
Weekly Memory Verse
