The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’ – Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NRSV)
This passage brings so much hope. It proclaims that the way things are, the troubles that we face, the issues at hand, the fearful uncertainty that has plagued us will not last forever. And this promise is not simply some religious waxing by a hopeful evangelist. Rather, this is God speaking.
God is proclaiming through the prophet Jeremiah that a “righteous branch” will be brought up from the line of King David. As these works are spoken there is nothing on the horizon that the people can see that would be a herald as to this coming. The people are still in exile. The Promised Land is still lost.
But here we see that God is not about sustaining the way things are. Rather, God is about fixing that which is broken and recreating what has been lost. Even the title of God which God will be called points to this: “Jehovah Tsidknu” – “The LORD is our Righteousness.”
So often when we talk about our country, our communities, our churches, even our lives, we only speak of the things that are wrong. We comment about the things that are broken that need to be fixed. We focus on the struggles and the lack we perceive. We complain about the weight of the load. And we speak as if the way things are is just the way it is going to be.
We forget that we have a God who refuses to allow the way things are to determine anything. When the world was a formless void, God spoke and light flooded the darkness. Creation began.
When God’s people were enslaved in Egypt, God spoke, sent Moses. God’s people were freed.
When we were lost in our sin, with no hope for recovery, God spoke, sent the Christ. Jesus is the “Word made flesh” (John 1:14).
Here, Jeremiah is proclaiming God speaking to a bunch of exiled, forgotten, people. Jeremiah is speaking telling them that “The days are surely coming…” This “way things are” is about to change.
Today, as we continue to wrestle with the issues around us, as our hearts are overloaded with political jargon, as uncertain times continue to be the regular routine, hear the word of the Lord spoken by the prophet. “The days are surely coming…”
The LORD is our Righteousness – Jehovah Tsidknu. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.
One Comment
Kerri Minor LaTorre
“God is proclaiming through the prophet Jeremiah that a “righteous branch” will be brought up from the line of King David. As these works are spoken there is nothing on the horizon that the people can see that would be a herald as to this coming. The people are still in exile. The Promised Land is still lost.” Me thinks God missed something in Trump if he Believes through Jeremiah Trump is capable of rising up a anything righteous thru the righteous branch of David.