At Christmas we rarely discuss righteousness, but that is what Christmas is all about. God demonstrated righteousness fully in the baby wrapped in cloths lying in a cold manger. Jeremiah prophesied His reign. He wrote of a “righteous Branch” growing from David’s line (Jeremiah 33:15). This is who we celebrate this holiday.
With hearts full we decorate our tree and shop for the perfect gifts. We set out our nativity scenes, and we sing “Silent Night.” All these traditions are good, but they are only traditions if we don’t grow in our knowledge and understanding of Jesus’s life. So, let’s grow in our faith this Christmas. Let’s go beyond our usual readings of the Christmas story and study one of the most overlooked names of God, Jehovah Tsidkenu, the LORD is my Righteousness.
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
“‘In those days and at that time
Jeremiah 33:14-17
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.
In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’
Jehovah (Yahweh) Tsidkenu is a new name for me to study. A comment on YouTube sent me searching. (Thanks Katie!) Once I began studying it, I fell in love. I was also convicted of the power and importance of this name.
What is Righteousness?
To fully understand the God of Righteousness, we need to define righteousness. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “the quality of being morally right or justifiable.” The biblical definition according to Miriam-Webster is “acting in account with divine moral law: free from guilt or sin.” If we overlay these definitions upon the name Jehovah Tsidkenu, we understand this name to mean the covenant God (YHWH) who is morally right and perfect. Free from guilt or sin.
Don’t gloss over this quickly. Don’t let the familiarity of the morally perfect God cause you to quickly read the next paragraph. Take a few seconds to let it sink in.
He is perfect.
He is holy.
Pure goodness and love.
His heart hasn’t been tainted by pride, fear, or shame.
His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not like ours. He does not think like we do because His thoughts are perfectly, morally, pure and good all. the. way. through. And that is why we could not stand in His presence and live. Like pure oxygen, His pure goodness and love would consume us.
The Heart of Righteousness
When we think of righteousness, we automatically think of the outward sins like drinking, drug use, sexual immorality and the like. While the abstinence of these actions can reveal a changed heart made whole by the Holy Spirit who dwells inside the believer, the heart of righteousness goes deeper than our lack of unholy behavior because it involves how we treat other people. If we really want to know what righteousness is, rather than focusing on humans, our eyes must focus on the actions of the righteous God. Faithful. Kind. Loving. Sacrificial. Just. That is our Jehovah Tsidkenu who walked this earth with twelve scrawny disciples. He was fully God and fully man yet without sin. Jesus taught about the heart of righteousness in the Sermon on the Mount.
Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6: 1-4 ESV
Jesus linked giving to the poor with righteousness. He continued to teach on prayer, fasting, and not worrying. The opposite of worrying is trusting God to feed, clothe, and take care of your deficits. That is righteousness. He also told the people to store up “treasures in heaven” rather than treasures here on earth.
Jesus put hands and feet to righteousness both literally and figuratively. He taught it in a way our simple minds could understand. Yes, we are saved by grace. His blood justifies us as we kneel under the Cross trusting in His sacrifice for our sins. Yet, faith without works is dead, and righteous works can be found in Micah 6:8.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
Micah 6:8 NIV
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Act justly. Be fair. Walk humbly with God. Know your place. He is a good God who loves you. Listen to Him. Trust Him. And love mercy. Mercy requires two parties–one who holds the power to give it and the other desperate for the gift. In our language mercy is defined as “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.”
Mercy and Chesed
This definition for mercy is powerful, yet the Hebrew word under our English translation is even greater. That word is Chesed or Hesed. This ancient Hebrew word means so much more than not punishing someone. Chesed is not about punishment as much as it is about merciful acts of loving-kindness bound by a covenant. It’s usually given by someone who has greater power and ability. Extending chesed is a righteous act.
Neither mercy nor chesed are deserved. They are simply given because of the righteousness of the giver. God put skin on this word the night the Lamb of God was born in a shepherds field only five miles from the Temple where the sacrificial lambs were slain.
Christmas Bible Reading plan
This Christmas, come prepare your heart soaking in scriptures about Jehova Tsidkenu. Click on the image above for the free printable. I love how this name affects us. In His righteousness, He became our righteousness by becoming the way to holiness. The best place to be is at a place of awareness of our need and acceptance of this robe of righteousness He’s given us.
I delight greatly in the Lord;
Isaiah 61: 10
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
He places that robe of righteousness on us the moment we trust in Jesus. Oh, put it on if you haven’t. Close your eyes, picture yourself putting on this beautiful robe of kindness, humility, love, and grace. This robe connects your heart with His. He is Jehova Tsidkenu, the LORD is our Righteousness.
Prayer
Can I pray with you? Hold my hands.
“Jehova Tsidkenu, we love you. We praise you. Thank you for making the way for us to be righteous because of your righteousness. Help us accept this merciful gift and allow your righteousness–selfless love and grace, mercy and justice grow in us. As we live in the middle of the now and the not yet, not fully righteous here but completely righteous in Christ in the heavenlies, help us trust you. Take off the veil that shields our eyes from understanding what Jesus’s birth really did. Make this Christmas one of revelation and deeper relationship with you, the righteous Father-God. We love you. Amen.
Video Teaching
Special Links:
Video Based Teachings on the Names of God.
Collaboration with YouTube channel Notetaking With Katie. Katie has included my printable reading plans in this Bible.
Live Teachings on Instagram Faith Fridays, 9: AM ET @wordsbyandylee.
Free printable of the reading plan on Jehova Tsidkenu.
Loved this timely message. It’s not a coincidence that I woke up this morning thinking thoughts I should not have been thinking and praying: “My thoughts are not pure. Lord forgive me. I need to get up and pray.” Then I read your article about how pure God is and how we need to put on his righteous robe. ❤️ G
Wow! I love that Gina. Thanks so much for sharing! God is so kind to us. XO