In response to the question “Why is the Messiah Called ‘The Lord our Righteousness’ [Jer 23:5-6]?” Toviah Singer noted that:
There can be no doubt that Jeremiah 23:5-6 is discussing the
messianic age and the messiah in these passages. Why would the messiah be given
a divine name? Does this name, “The Lord our Righteousness,” indicate that the
messiah is to be worshiped as God? Does this famed messianic text lend support
to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity?
The answer is that there are unique people and places in the
world which enable man to perceive the presence of the Almighty. These
manifestations, which are not divine, are called “God” throughout the Tanach. While
there are many examples I can use to illustrate this point, one passage
especially stans out because the author, language and context are identical to
the verses you cited in Jeremiah 23:5-6. In Jeremiah 33:16, only ten chapters
later, the prophet declares that the city of Jerusalem will be called the
identical name as the messiah, “The Lord our Righteousness.” Let’s compare
these two sister passages side-by-side:
|
Jeremiah
23:5-6 |
Jeremiah
33:16 |
|
Behold, the
days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous shoot,
and he shall reign as king and prosper, and shall execute justice and
righteousness in the land. 6 In those 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” (יְהוָ֥ה׀ צִדְקֵֽנוּ). |
In those days
shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name
wherewith she will be called, “The Lord Our Righteousness” (יְהוָ֥ה׀ צִדְקֵֽנוּ). |
In Jeremiah 33:16, the prophet declares that the city of Jerusalem
will be called, “The Lord our Righteousness.” Does this prophecy mean that
Jerusalem is God? Are we to worship the city as a deity? In Isaiah 7:10, the
prophet is called “God.” All of these passages use the same ineffable name of
God, יהוה. There are many other examples of this linguistic pattern, which is
widespread throughout the Tanach.
In the Torah, the patriarch Jacob named an altar he erected “The
God of Israel.”
And he [Jacob] erected there an
altar, and called it the “God of Israel.” (וַיִּ֙קְרָא־ל֔וֹ אֵ֖ל אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל).
(Genesis
33:20)
When the Almighty instructed Moses to confront Pharaoh in
order to deliver the children of Israel from bondage, Moses was reluctant. He
considered himself unfit for this task because of his speech impediment. The
Almighty replied that Moses would be “a God” to Pharaoh, and his brother Aaron
would be his prophet.
And the Lord said unto Moses, “See,
I have made thee a God (אֱלֹהִים) to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be
thy prophet.”
(Exodus
7:1)
The Almighty clearly stated that Moses was given the mandate
to represent God in the outset of His instructions to the Lawgiver.
“Moreover, he [Aaron] shall speak
for you [Moses] to the people; and it shall come about that he shall be as a
mouth for you, and you shall be as God (אֱלֹהִים) to him.”
(Exodus
4:16)
As mentioned above, Isaiah is called “God” (יהוה) in his
now-famous seventh chapter, when the prophet informs King Ahaz that his
enemies, Syria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, will not succeed in the
Syro-Ephraimite War.
And the Lord (יהוה) spoke
again to Ahaz, saying…
(Isaiah
7:10)
Throughout the seventh chapter of Isaiah, however, God did
not have a conversation, with Ahaz, for he was unworthy of receiving prophecy.
Throughout these passages, Isaiah was communicating with the King. Yet, the
prophet is called the name “God” because throughout his encounter with the
king, he reflected the presence of God, just as Pharaoh perceived the presence
of God while in the company of Moses.
Judges – those who teach and adjudicate the Law of God – are
Called “God” throughout the Tanach. For example,
Then his master shall bring him
to the judges (אֱלֹהִים)…
(Exodus
21:6)
For any kind of lost thing which
another claims to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges
(אֱלֹהִים); and whoever the judges (אֱלֹהִים) condemn shall pay double to his
neighbor.
(Exodus
22:8)
What do these sacred names suggest? These entities upon
which God’s presence rests are a foil to reflect God’s holiness, and accordingly,
are called “God” in the Bible. The Messiah and Jerusalem are among them.
King David, the founder of Jerusalem, describes how the
spirit of God rests on His holy city:
1 A Song: a Psalm of
the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of
our God, His holy mountain. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen in
the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, God will establish her
forever.
(Psalm
48:1, 8)
That man may tell of the name of
the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem.
(Psalm
102:2)
Likewise, Isaiah foretells that the spirit of righteousness
will rest upon the messiah (Isaiah 11:203).
In the twenty-third chapter of Jeremiah, God warns that He
will purge false “shepherds” from the land in the messianic age, and replace
them with a leader from the House of David who will “perform judgment and
righteousness” (23:5). Accordingly, the messianic leader will be called “The
Lord Our Righteousness.”
In the thirty-third chapter of Jeremiah, God promises that “flocks
will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them” (33:13) and there
will be “safety and security” (33:16) in Jerusalem in the future messianic age.
Thus, the city of God will be called “The Lord Our Righteousness.”
Neither the messiah or Jerusalem are to be worshipped as
God. On the contrary, the messiah will fear God (Isaiah 11:2-3), and inspire
the nation to do the same. God does not fear Himself.
In the End of Days, both the city of David and the heir to
David’s throne will inspire the world to perceive the righteousness of our God.
(Tovia Singer, Let’s Get Biblical: Why Doesn’t Judaism Accept the Christian
Messiah? 2 vols. [Forest Hills, N.Y.: Outreach Judaism, 2014], 2:120-22)