“For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face” (Psalm 11:7).
Psalm 11
F or 3,500 years, the Hebrew nation sacrificed only unblemished lambs on the day of Passover celebration. Is it any wonder that when the Lamb was being sacrificed for the sins of all mankind, He too would be found “not guilty” and worthy of the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation?
In Exodus 12:5, God speaks to Moses as he prepares for the last of the ten plagues that would convince the pharaoh of Egypt to set God’s people free from 400 years of bondage. God’s instructions are well known throughout all Judaism and the Christian faith. For God to grant mercy to a Hebrew household from an overnight plague that would kill all the firstborn throughout Egypt, each participating Hebrew family would need to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and place its blood on the doorposts of the home as a sign that the family had faith in His command to Moses. This Passover night was celebrated by the Hebrew nation each year from that day forward.
The day of Jesus’ crucifixion some 3,500 years later was the day before Passover, when the sacrificial lambs were being examined by the high priest. It was no coincidence that as the lambs were being proclaimed “unblemished” by the high priest, the one true sacrificial Lamb was being examined by Pontius Pilate. It was then, after examining Jesus, that Pilate publicly proclaimed in John 19:4, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.”
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- Jeremiah 23:6 – “In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our Righteousness’Define righteousness as it relates to God. Give at least three synonyms for righteousness as each one describes His attributes.
- Proverbs 12:28 – “In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.”How does the righteousness of God make the path for His lambs to follow exceedingly clear?
How does the righteousness of God inspire you to cling closely to His side? - 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”How is the righteousness of God imputed to a believer (i.e., our sin exchanged for His righteousness; His righteousness for our sin)?
- Romans 4:3 – “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’”What role does our faith play in receiving the gift of God’s righteousness?
- Romans 1:17 – “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’”How does faith enable us to walk in the righteousness of God?
John 13:15 – “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”
From today’s scripture, how does THE Shepherd inspire you to shepherd your flock?
“For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face” (Psalm 11:7).
Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication
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