Bible Study – GOD is --- (6) Our Righteousness – April 15, 2018

This is our sixth and final lesson in our series entitled “GOD is ---. “

Our focus scripture is Jeremiah 33:3-8, 14-16.

Because GOD is righteous, HE will ultimately make all things right.

GOD knows what is in the future. GOD makes history according to HIS plan and purpose for mankind. In GOD’S plan, Salvation will come to mankind for all who will place their faith in HIS only Son, JESUS. GOD used the physical and visible to reveal what faith in JESUS will mean to those who acknowledge HIM as their Savior and make HIM the LORD of their lives. Let’s explore!

Background – Jeremiah 32:1-44:

GOD spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah to King Zedekiah. The king did not like Jeremiah’s message so he had Jeremiah locked up in the king’s 

courtyard jail:

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 

2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah. 

3 Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 

4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. 

5 He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’ ” 

Prophets have to speak GOD’S Word even when it is not what others may not want to hear. But there is hope in the midst of turmoil. As a positive sign that Jerusalem will be rebuilt after its destruction, Jeremiah bought a piece of land to confirm that Jerusalem would be completely restored and thrive after utter destruction:

6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the LORD came to me: 

7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’ 

8 “Then, just as the LORD had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’ “I knew that this was the word of the LORD; 

9 so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. 

10 I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 

11 I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 

12 and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard. 

13 “In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 

14 ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 

15 For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’ 

16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD: 

17 “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. 

18 You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, 

19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.

Jeremiah reminded the Israelites of their heritage as GOD’S chosen people and how HE revealed Himself to them through mighty acts. But there is also a reminder that when their forefathers entered the Promised Land they did not do as GOD had instructed them to do. They fell into the worship of the gods in the Promised Land and forsook the One True GOD of the Israelites, YAHWEH. Jerusalem would be destroyed because of their unfaithfulness to GOD but the good news is that it would be restored:

20 You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. 

21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. 

22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. 

23 They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them. 

24 “See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. 

Often we have to look back at the times GOD has been with us in the dark times in our lives to give us hope and encourage us to face dark times which are coming. Do you recall Dr. Vance Havner saying “We must practice in the dark what we learn in the light.”

Jerusalem was a well-fortified city. The enemy built ramps to destroy its walls. As the enemy would destroy a portion of the wall, the Israelites would take materials from their homes, buildings and palace to plug the holes in the walls. Yet, their efforts were in vain because GOD’s plan was for Jerusalem to be destroyed. GOD assured Jeremiah that Jerusalem would be rebuilt. Sometimes GOD allows those HE loves to be attacked for them to rebuild on a solid foundation. False notions about HIM must come down in order for a solid firm relationship with HIM to be established. After many years of walking with my LORD this is still true in my life. It is not grievous but exciting when we see Spiritual truth and come closer to our LORD:

25 And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign LORD, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.’ ” 

26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 

27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? 

28 Therefore this is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. 

29 The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods. 

30 “The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the LORD. 

31From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight. 

32 The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done—they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 

33 They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. 

34 They set up their vile images in the house that bears my Name and defiled it. 

35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin. 

36 “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 

37 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 

38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 

39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 

40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 

41 I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. 

42 “This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them. 

43 Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 

44Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, declares the LORD.”

Has America abandoned GOD? GOD did not spare HIS chosen people from capture and their cities from being destroyed. We embrace many things and practices in America that become our gods and idols. Can our self-sufficiency as a nation become an idol? GOD is sovereign. We might have all the might a nation can muster but if we turn our backs on JESUS, GOD will show us who our strength resides in.

The Prophet Jeremiah was locked up in jail and GOD had given him HIS Word to pass on to the king and others.

Let’s read Jeremiah 33:3-5:

Israel's Restoration

1 While he was still confined in the guard's courtyard, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time: 

2 "The Lord who made the earth, the Lord who forms it to establish it, the Lord is His name, says this: 

3 Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and wondrous things you do not know. 

4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of Judah's kings, the ones torn down [for defense] against the siege ramps and the sword: 

5 The people coming to fight the Chaldeans will fill the houses with the corpses of [their own] men I strike down in My wrath and rage. I have hidden My face from this city because of all their evil.

Jeremiah was confined in a physical jail but GOD’S Word is never confined. Yes, GOD was going to allow destruction to come to Jerusalem but GOD did not abandon HIS chosen people. As GOD’S chosen people they could still call upon HIM and HE would respond. Not only would HE respond, HE would reveal HIS ultimate plan to them. Yes, their physical property would be utterly destroyed but this was part of GOD’S plan and purpose for HIS chosen people. Although painful, GOD had a redemptive plan that included all the people groups of the world. Just as Jerusalem would be destroyed physically, GOD would raise up an eternal Messiah though a branch of King David. Jerusalem’s destruction and resurrection would be a physical example of what sin does to the lives of all people and the rebuilding is an example of the restoration of these shattered lives when a person places his or her faith in JESUS.

Let’s read Jeremiah 33:6-8:

We need to consider the time span:

Jeremiah was called by GOD to be HIS prophet about 627 B.C. Jeremiah served GOD for 40 years. In 597 B.C. Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians and remained under their control until Judah’s King Jehoiachin and thousands of the Jews living in Judah were exiled to Babylon. The Prophet Ezekiel was exiled to Babylon. Then around 588 B.C. the Jews remaining in Judah rebelled again which prompted the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar to surround Jerusalem and deliver defeat after 18 months of battle. The walls of Jerusalem were destroyed and the bodies of those killed piled up in its streets. This was about 586 B.C. Then about 538 B.C. the exiled Jews were allowed to return to Israel. GOD says what HE means and means what HE says. We often overlook the span of time. GOD promised Jerusalem would be restored but that would not happen overnight. Our next verses are GOD’S promise of restoration. In HIS wisdom, GOD spared a remnant of HIS chosen to fulfill HIS covenant promise. 

6 Yet I will certainly bring health and healing to it and will indeed heal them. I will let them experience the abundance of peace and truth. 

7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and of Israel and will rebuild them as in former times. 

8 I will purify them from all the wrongs they have committed against Me, and I will forgive all the wrongs they have committed against Me, rebelling against Me. 

9 This city will bear on My behalf a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear of all the good I will do for them. They will tremble with awe because of all the good and all the peace I will bring about for them. 

10 "This is what the Lord says: In this place which you say is a ruin, without man or beast-that is, in Judah's cities and Jerusalem's streets that are a desolation without man, without inhabitant, and without beast-there will be heard again

11 a sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the bride, and the voice of those saying, Praise the Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good; His faithful love endures forever as they bring thank offerings to the temple of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as in former times, says the Lord. 

12 "This is what the Lord of Hosts says: In this desolate place-without man or beast-and in all its cities there will once more be a grazing land where shepherds may rest flocks. 

13 The flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them in the cities of the hill country, the cities of the Judean foothills, the cities of the Negev, the land of Benjamin-the cities surrounding Jerusalem and Judah's cities, says the Lord.

Sin destroys the life of every sinner but GOD restores that life when he or she places his or her faith in JESUS. When JESUS forgives us for our sins and JESUS comes into our lives there is joy but this is also when the real work of restoration begins. A life restored through faith in JESUS brings unspeakable joy through an intimate, loving, personal relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS and the miracle of rebirth into GOD’S family. It is a daily walk with JESUS. As a Christian, we are grafted into the One true vine, JESUS. Through this intimate relationship Christians experience Spiritual growth and produce Spiritual fruit. GOD has a plan and a purpose for each Christian. GOD had a plan and purpose for King David. King David was not perfect but GOD used him. We are all sinners saved by GOD’S Grace. The shed blood of JESUS makes Christians pure in GOD’S sight. Christians are to confess their sins to remain a healthy branch in the vine and fellowship with GOD through JESUS.

Let’s read Jeremiah 33:14-16:

God's Covenant with David

14 "Look, the days are coming"-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"when I will fulfill the good promises that I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 

15 In those days and at that time I will cause a Branch of righteousness to sprout up for David, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land. 

16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is what she will be named: The Lord Is Our Righteousness. 

Truly the LORD is our righteousness through faith in JESUS as we consider 2 Corinthians 5:20:

21 He (GOD) made the One (JESUS) who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

King Cyrus of Persia issued an edict allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple in 515 B.C. and they began to rebuild their homes and the wall around Jerusalem around 445 B.C.

In Jeremiah 23:5-6 we read: 5 "The days are coming"-[this is] the Lord's declaration-"when I will raise up a righteous Branch of David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. 

6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. This is what He will be named: The Lord Is Our Righteousness. 

The days are still coming when JESUS returns to earth for a second time. In the meantime we, as Christians, are to obediently work while there is still light and the harvest for souls is available.

GOD has a plan and HIS plan is always fulfilled. HE has a plan for your life but HE will never override your will. Please do not be stubborn. Turn over your life and will to JESUS for you to be used as HE desires.

Ephesians 2:4-10

4 But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, 

5 made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved! 

6 He also raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus, 

7 so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace in [His] kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift- 

9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 

10 For we are His creation-created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

When JESUS gave HIS life upon the cross, so did all who place their faith in HIM. When JESUS was buried so were all who place their faith in HIM. When JESUS was resurrected so were all who place their faith in HIM. When JESUS ascended so did all who will place their faith in HIM. As a Christian, we are citizens of Heaven and children of GOD in HIS Kingdom but reside upon earth to be HIS ambassadors and be obedient to HIS will and purpose for our lives. One day every one of us will leave our earth suits and reside eternally with JESUS and GOD. Have you asked JESUS to forgive you for your sins and asked JESUS to come into your life? If not, why not this moment. HE waits for you. If you have asked JESUS into your life but have not been living for HIM, confess it and ask HIM to forgive you and to restore you. GOD never leaves you or forsakes you. We leave HIM. HE waits for us to come to HIM. GOD made us with the freedom to choose. Choose wisely!

1 Peter 5:6-8:

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, 

7 casting all your care upon Him, because He cares about you.

8 Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 

Blessings!!!