The Lord is Our Righteousness (KidQuest December 4)

We pray that you had a great Thanksgiving with your family! We have so much to be thankful for!  Now its time to transition into the Christmas season.

In KidQuest, that means we take a break from our chronological study of the Bible to learn about Christ's birth.  As you gear up for Christmas this year, please use this and future posts to help talk about Jesus in your home.

Believe it or not, Jesus was prophesied in the Old Testament. This week in KidQuest, we will look at Jeremiah's prophecies about the coming of Jesus. Also make sure you check your inbox later this week as I send out the December Children's Ministry E-Newsletter.

God gave Jeremiah a prophecy, saying, “‘The days are coming … when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness’” (Jeremiah 23:5–6).

In Jeremiah 23:1, Jeremiah denounced the leaders of Judah for the evil way they had ruled God’s people. He said they had been “‘shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep,’” instead of ruling them justly and righteously as God would. Then, he spoke the words of the above prophecy—foretelling of the king of God’s choosing in contrast to the kings who had sat as impostors upon the throne.

Through Jeremiah, God reminded His people that no matter how dark things had become, He would restore the legitimate order of the Davidic kingship and bring a king who would rule justly and bring peace. By sending His Son, God brought a King from the Davidic family line—the righteous branch, the rightful heir to David’s throne. He brought the Good Shepherd who cares for the flock. And most amazingly, He brought a King who not only rules His people righteously, but also puts His righteousness into His people’s account!

Jesus, the Lord, our righteousness, did for His people what no earthly king or the people could do themselves. Jesus took their sins and declared them righteous before God (Romans 3:21–5:11).