Thou hast given a life of righteousness for our life of
Christ,' presents to her from His heavenly throne. 'Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it,' He says to her.
Why, then, should the Church be poor, so long as her Head is rich? Why should any saint be empty, so long as Christ is full? Why should any of earth's rebellious ones refuse to come and partake of this divine fulness of the Spirit, so freely held out to the needy sons of men? Here are some of the unsearchable riches of the Christ set before us. They come down on us abundantly, overflowing out of His fulness, and we have but to let them be poured into our lap.
7. Thou art Jehovah-Zidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness (Jer. 23:6)
Thou hast given a life of righteousness for our life of unrighteousness; a life of obedience for our life of disobedience. Thy perfection covers our imperfection in every part: Thou art our righteousness; Thou art the righteousness of God for us; Thou art made unto us righteousness; Thou, who knewest no sin, wast made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Thee. We put Thee on,—Thee, the righteous One; Thou art 'the best robe,' the robe which the Father hath provided for us; Thou art the 'garment of salvation,' and the 'robe of righteousness' (Isa. 61:10); so that, when arrayed in these, it is said to each of us, 'Thou art perfect through the comeliness which I have put upon thee' (Ezek. 16:14).
Messiah then, in the divine purpose, was to be the righteousness of God' for us. Not only does He make us righteous by His power, but He is our righteousness,—the righteousness which God has provided, —the righteousness of incarnate Godhead. 'Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord' (Isa. 54:17).
The righteousness of God, simply as God, was not enough for us; nay, was not suitable: the righteousness of man, as man, was wholly insufficient. But the righteousness of Him who was both God and man, who had all divine and all human righteousness, was just what