The Names of God (part 2)

This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).

Today we continue looking at the names of God found in the Old Testament.

In Judges chapter 6, God is revealed by the name Yahweh-shalom, the Lord is our peace. The Israelites were suffering raids from hostile foreigners. God chose Gideon to organize a team of warriors to stop the attacks. But when Gideon realized that he was in the presence of God, he was terrified—He knew that he was a sinner and that God punishes sin with death. But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die." So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. If you humble yourself before God, He will treat you with gentleness.

In the very familiar 23rd Psalm, God is called Yahweh-raah, the Lord our shepherd. The Bible often compares us to sheep—animals who wander into danger with hardly a thought, and cannot defend themselves from savage predators. The predator we must fear is Satan; Peter says, Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). We need a shepherd, someone who leads us to good pastures and defends us from all evil. The Lord is our shepherd.

In Jeremiah chapter 23, God is spoken of as Yahweh-tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. Jeremiah was a prophet at the time when Babylon conquered Jerusalem and deported the leaders, the wealthy, and the educated. God had allowed Jerusalem to fall because most of the people had turned away from the Lord and devoted themselves to lives of sin. But Jeremiah offered hope in this time of tragedy; God would restore His people through a special man, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land…This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. Of course, Jeremiah was speaking about Jesus, the Holy One through whom we are made righteous and acceptable to God. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. When guilt over sin weighs you down, remember that Jesus can forgive anything, and wants to share His righteousness with you.

Next time, we will continue our look at the many names of God that are found in the Bible.