2. Root word is 'Tsedek' which means  'righteousness'. It originally meant to be stiff or straight. The  Hebrew word can not be easily translated in English by one word. It is defined by the way God deals with mankind with the ideas of righteousness, justification and acquittal.
        It is used of the outward obligations and relationships between people. Especially seen in theBook of Leviticus where Jehovah reveals Himself as Jehovah M'kaddesh. This book reveals the standards of right and just relationships between people. As Jehovah-M'Kaddesh, God demands separation form sin and separation to Himself. As Jehovah-Tsidkenu, God demands just and right relationships among His people.
        It is also used in the people relationship w/ God. They were to have a a full weight or measure of    righteousness. Israel was commanded to walk in the paths of righteousness and we know they did  not do so. Job in Job 9:2 says 'How shall a man be righteous with God?'
        It is used hundreds of times in Scriptures as ; right, righteous, righteousness, just, justify, declare     innocent.

B. Historical Significance

READ: Jeremiah 23:1-6

     1. When Jeremiah gave this prophesy, the kingdom of Judah was about to fall. More than 100 years before the 10 tribes of Israel in the north had been taken captive, never to return. Apparently, Judah had not learned anything from their brothers and sisters in the north.

ACTION: Read Jeremiah 5:30-31   6:13-15,  3:8  2 Kings 23:26-27

     2. Jeremiah had predicted the captivity of Judah and counseled submission to the king of Babylon, who would be the instrument of judgment against Judah. But would this mean the end for Judah? The end for God's chosen people? Would it mean the defeat of God's own purpose and promise?

ACTION: Read 2 Sam. 7:16-17

      Had not God promised to establish David's kingdom and throne forever? YES!
      God would keep His promise but on the condition set forth in  1 Kings 2:4.

ACTION: Read 1 Kings 2:4

      That David's descendants walk before God in truth.

     3. Jeremiah not only predicted the captivity of Judah but also their return to the Land of promise and that Jehovah would raise up to David a 'Righteous Branch' a king who would reign, judge and do justice as well as  bring peace to His people. he will be called Jehovah-tsideknu.

    4. Flow of Names
        a. Jer. 32:33 The people turned their back to God.
        b.They despised His provision of redemption as Jehovah-Jireh.
        c. Isa. 1:6 God could not heal them as Jehovah-Rophe.
        d. W/O Jehovah-Nissi as their banner, they were being defeated in every battle. Refusing to sanctify themselves to
            Jehovah-M'Kaddesh, their sanctifier, they became corrupt and degenerate. Ezek. 8:10-11 tells us the Elders and
            priests in the Temple of God worshipping creeping things and abominable beasts.
        e. Forsaking Jehovah-Shalom, their peace, they were torn by internal dissension and violence and knew no peace.

     5. Connection w/ Judah's last king, Zedehiah

ACTION: Read Jer. 33:16

          This prophesy as well as the one in Jer. 33:16 was probably given during the reign of Judah's last king, Zedekiah. All of Israel's kings should have been representatives of Jehovah. It is interesting that this name of God is given in connection with the last of the kings, Zedekiah, whose name means 'the righteousness of Jehovah'. It would be thru this Righteous Branch that Judah would once again be redeemed, healed , cleansed, victorious at peace and made righteous. Because the nature of His kingdom would be spiritual rather than political and the chief characteristic will be righteousness which was to be  not of themselves but that of the King.

QUESTIONS:
      This is the historical context associated with the name Jehovah-tsidkenu. According to the text, who were the bad shepherds that the Lord was speaking about in Jer. 23?

      What happened to 'my flock' from the text?

      From the text, Jer. 23:1-6, what is God going to do for His flock?

C. Theological Significance
    1. God is righteous

QUESTION: How can God do this?

ACTION: Read Psalm 129:4

          HE is righteous. He is a Tsadik 'a righteous one' As an El-Tsadik (Isa. 45:21) there is none who compare w/ Him. Righteous and right is He (Deut. 32:4) His righteousness is everlasting.  (Ps. 119:142, 144) Righteousness and justice are the very foundation of His throne (Ps. 89:14; Ps. 97:2) In all His dealings He is righteous.

    2. Man is not righteous

ACTION: Read Job 15:14; Psalm 14:3; Romans 3:20; 3:23

      In contrast to Jehovah's perfect righteousness man is w/o any form of righteousness.

     3. God can not overlook our lack of righteousness.

ACTION: Read Ex. 34:6-7;  23:7;  Ezek. 18:4

      A perfectly righteous God can not overlook the lack of righteousness in mankind. The sinner is seen as guilty in the sight of God. The soul that sins, shall die.

QUESTION: How then can we be acquitted of our unrighteousness and become righteous before God?

     4. God provides us with His righteousness.

ACTION: Read Isa. 45:24-25;  54:17

        Even in the OT we see the seeds of the promised of imputed righteousness in Isaiah who tells of  a Servant who would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. This servant would be called 'my righteous servant. This could not be a man because we have already seen that we are not righteous. He must be perfect righteousness. He is the servant in Isa. 53 and of Isa. 49:7  'the Holy One'. The righteous branch of David, the King in Jer. 23:5 is Jehovah-Tsidkenu Himself in the person of Jesus the Christ.

     5. Jesus, Our Jehovah-Tsidkenu. Thru His person, character and work as the suffering, righteous servant, Jesus was worthy to be our righteous substitute. The descendant of David by Mary would grow up to be 'the root out of a dry ground (Isa. 53:2) and the Lord would cause the sin of all to fall on Him. (Isa. 53:6)

QUESTION: Is the forgiveness of sin enough for salvation?

ACTION: Read Matt. 5:20

QUESTION: What else is required for salvation?
                        How can our righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees when 'all our righteousness is a filthy rags'
                            (Isa. 64:6)
                        How can we, then, be made righteous?

ACTION: Read 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:22

    Impute Righteousness

QUESTION: What does Impute mean?

DEFINITION: Impute: latin: To reckon, to charge to one's account. Greek: Logizomai. (Philemon 18)

       We fell and became sinners by the imputation of Adam's sin to us, w/o anything we had done personally. It is only by the imputation of Christ's righteousness, apart from anything done by us that  we are justified to eternal life. (Rom. 5:12-19;
1 Cor. 15:21-22) This is the only real grounds for acceptance and acquittal by God for our sin, and unrighteousness, Christ Jesus our righteousness. Rom. 4:25 'He was delivered for our sins and raised again for our justification.'

D. Personal Application

ACTION: Respond to this statement.

     'Man must have perfect righteousness, a perfect obedience to the law and to God's will or God will not and cannot accept Him into eternal life.'

     1. Since this will never happen on our own, God sent His Son to be 'our righteousness' . The  righteousness of God is given to us as a free gift thru faith in the finished work of JC on the cross of  Calvary.

     2. Israel's error was to seek to righteousness on it's own and chose not to submit to the righteousness of  God. This is the great argument in Romans 3, 5 as well as in Phil. 3:9

     3. Practically speaking, the giving or imputing of God's righteousness to His believing children sets our  feet on the path of personal righteousness. that is what sanctification is all about. We become what we  already are...righteous. Positional righteousness before God in JC and practical righteousness as we  daily are obedient in thought word and deed to the will of God thru the enabling power of the HS. There must be no contradiction between our standing in Christ and our state in the world.

     4. Jehovah-tsidkenu reveals to us the method and measure or our acceptance before God, cleansed in the  blood of the Lamb, clothed with the white robe of the righteousness of Him who is Jehovah-Tsidkenu.

     5. We can live in constant dependence upon the righteousness of God for our acceptance before God. We  need never doubt our position before Him, as Believer, even when we sin, we are still accepted by God  because it is not our righteousness (good deeds) that God sees, but the righteousness of JC.

     6. Spurgeon 'In the teeth of all thy sins, believe that He is thy righteousness still. Thy good works do not improve His righteousness. Thy bad deeds do not sully it. This is a robe which thy best deeds cannot  mend and thy worst deeds cannot mar. Thou standouts in Him, not in thyself.'

     7. Because He is The Lord our Righteousness we are sons of God, we are reconciled to God, we have  access to God and we shall enter into heavens eternal glory accepted of God.