THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Have you ever known or do you know someone of whom it could (can) be said, “His (Her) word is his (her) bond” – meaning that whatever that person says he (she) will do, he (she) will do to the best of his (her) ability?
Yes, we all have known folks who were true to their word. Hopefully others can say of you and me that we are known for our integrity – which, in my way of thinking, is defined as doing what needs to be done whenever it needs to be done for as long as it needs to be done - to the best of one’s ability.
The caveat to the best of one’s ability must always be added to one’s sincere intent inasmuch as none of us has the power to control external factors such as weather, traffic, tragedy, sickness, health or any number of other variables that might affect progress toward an intended goal. Never, however, should any of these variables be used to excuse laziness, procrastination, insincerity, dishonesty or deception!
Q: Think about those who just might exercise some measure of influence over how you perceive a problematic situation . . . Think about the extent to which you believe one of these influencers (not at all --- somewhat --- beyond a shadow of a doubt).
Q: Of all “the people you listen to”, who would you rate “most trustworthy” and who would you rate “least trustworthy”> (M = Most) (L = Least)
___spouse ___best friend ___family member ___politician ___minister ___tv newsman ___talk show host ___
editorial writer ___bus driver ___hair stylist (barber) ___ food server ___grocery clerk ___doctor ___nurse
___caregiver ___attorney ___Facebook friend ___ other
There’s no doubt in my mind that your consideration of these influencers of your thinking required on your part a bit of caution, or hesitation, or at least a pause before you were willing to rate any one of them “most” or “least” trustworthy – the reason being that no one can be counted on to be perfect all the time – inasmuch as the Bible plainly tells us, “there is none righteous, no, not one.”
“Disappointed” is a word we’ve used to describe how we felt about that which was: told to us as if it were truth only to learn later that it was not so . . . promised by someone we trusted only to come to the end of the promised time frame with the promise unfulfilled.
Thus, as a general rule, experience has taught us the wisdom of taking the pronouncements or promises made to us with --- “a grain of salt” . . . caution . . . consideration of the source. Our Bible study today makes the point that our only perfectly reliable source is the LORD our God.
With so many diverse voices being heard by us on a daily basis, who can we - as a nation . . . a family . . . an age group . . . a community . . . individuals - believe especially in times of crisis?
Truth be told, with all that is going on in this old world of good versus evil, a Christian’s main concern ought to be what the Lord has to say about the eventual outcome of the battle that is raging for the right against the wrong.
To inquirers in counseling sessions about “why bad things happen to good people”, and vice versa, my response was, “Life is not always fair, but God is.”
With that troubling paradox prevalent in the thinking of God’s people long ago, Jeremiah burst onto the scene with unsettling pronouncements coupled with comforting promises that were revealed to him from the Lord God concerning what must happen before God makes things right.
Eventually, when the timing is right in God’s sight, after all the prophetic pronouncements of judgments have occurred, God’s promises will be fulfilled.
God’s fulfillment of His promises can be trusted because of who God is . . . what He has done . . . what He will do – Jeremiah 33:3-16 . . .
Jeremiah was in prison when God spoke to him. King Zedekiah the last king of Judah had ordered Jeremiah imprisoned because he did not like his message about the pending destruction of Judah and his (Zedekiah’s) capture, captivity and execution by Nebuchadnezzar the ruler of Babylon. Long story short, it all happened the way Jeremiah prophesied it would in 587 B.C. Judah was no more. Jerusalem was totally destroyed. Jews existed only in captivity.
A dark cloud hung over the heads of God’s people due to harsh judgment (brought upon themselves): Because of their rebellious attitude toward the LORD God, iniquitous thinking (self-serving mindset that twists, bends, distorts, and creates confusion regarding standards of righteousness established by Lord God) precipitated evil doing - not only in high places but in society in general.
True to His word of warning, God allowed Judah’s judgment to occur at the hands of their enemies. Against this backdrop of destruction, devastation, desolation, God told Jeremiah “a great and incomprehensible thing” that most of us would have a hard time believing (in the words of the plaque on the wall in my tax accountant’s office): “Not to spoil your ending, but everything’s going to be okay.” A little word study:
Look at the first word in verse 6 – “Yet”! “Nevertheless”! “Behold”!
GOD IS ABOUT TO TURN A NEGATIVE INTO A POSITIVE! Again!
Why does the Lord God keep doing that . . . ?
Look at the last word of verse 16 – “Righteousness”.
How do we know that the Lord our God will make all things right? We know because:
“The Lord is Our Righteousness”! The Lord our God will make things right because He is righteous. What He said He would do, He did. What He says He will do, He will. Yes, there will be healing, peace giving, restoring, rebuilding, forgiving, purifying, making things right.
The Jews indeed have returned to Jerusalem twice as a nation since the time of the prophets. BUT, the city has not yet been typified by righteousness under the reign of the Messiah. We Christians believe this prophecy will be fulfilled when Jesus returns – variations in our belief having to do mostly with the “when” and “where”.
Most of us agree with the concept prophesied by Isaiah (60:11-22) of a restored and righteous Jerusalem . . . with the foretelling of its name by Ezekiel: “The name of the City from that day on will be ‘The LORD Is There’” (Ezek. 48:35) . . . with John’s vision in the Revelation that tells of “the holy city, the new Jerusalem”.
What we can say for certain and know that what we are saying is without variation is this declaration from the Lord to Jeremiah (33:14): “Look, the days are coming when I (the Lord thy God) will fulfill the good news that I have spoken . . .”
Until then, we go on singing . . . telling the good news . . . trusting Him who is our righteousness . . . caring for the dying . . . lifting up the fallen . . . going the second mile . . . doing unto others as we would have others do unto us . . . praying . . . forgiving . . . loving . . . thanking the Lord God that He is the Righteous One to whom we can go in time of need and receive grace and mercy. Amen.
