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Day Six of Advent

Scripture

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and He shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

— Jeremiah 33:14-16

Devotional

It also explains why the promise of future righteousness brings comfort to our hearts. We need to observe, however, that the nature of this righteousness is much broader than mere human justice. Because of sin, man stands condemned before God, alienated from His blessings. This alienation from God is the primary effect of sin. The injustice on the human level is one of the secondary effects of sin. What the Lord is promising then, is that, because of the righteous Branch, His people no longer will stand condemned before Him and will live securely. Horizontal righteousness will be there because vertical righteousness preceded it.

Who is this righteous Branch? The answer is revealed by God. Man’s predicament caused by sin was so severe that the Son of God, the righteous Branch, had to become man in order to fulfill the righteous demands of the law on behalf of His people. It was through Jesus Christ that God manifested Himself to “be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). For while God’s love calls for forgiveness of sins, God’s holiness demands justice. There can be no forgiveness of sins without satisfying God’s righteousness. Even for God. That is why righteousness required the payment of the price. That is why Jesus, the Eternal Son of God became man.

He is our righteous Branch. He is “the Lord is our righteousness.” What a magnificent way of expressing the alien character of the believer’s righteousness. It does come from the Lord. And yet, it is also ours.

Prayer

Righteous Father, who did not forsake me in the misery of my sin, but instead sent your Beloved Son, accept my thanks for exchanging His righteousness for my own unrighteousness. May Christ’s righteousness be evident in me everyday, even more so, as I live to glorify Your name. Amen.