Jeremiah Delivered Hope

The Righteous Branch

God declared, “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 …. He will be called the LORD our Righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:5-6

The mighty royal line of David had been cut down.

Jehoiachin reigned only three months before he was deported to Babylon. His uncle Zedekiah ruled in Judah as Babylon’s puppet for eleven years, but he in no way represented the godly line of David (2 Kings 24:8-19).

The Babylonians had desecrated the temple. All its treasures and sacred items had been defiled and carried away (2 Kings 24:13). Many of royal lineage had been carted off to Babylon (Daniel 1:1-4). Others had been murdered (2 Kings 25:1-7). “Only the poorest people of the land were left” (2 Kings 24:14).

Israelites who still tried to follow the Mosaic Law must have wondered if God had dissolved the covenant of love he’d made with Israel at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:7-9). It seemed that way. And what had happened to the forever kingdom God had promised David? (2 Samuel 7:16). Only the stump of his family tree remained.

And yet, through Jeremiah, God declared that the covenant with David was still intact (23:5-7; 33:14-16). A greater king than David would sit on his throne. His name was Yahweh-Tsidkenu, the LORD our Righteousness. He’d reestablish safety, justice, and righteousness in Israel.

That message of hope must have thrilled Jeremiah and the faithful remnant who remained in Israel. That’s the kind of God we have. Always sending a ray of hope into a pitch-black prison.

What do you see around you? When I listen to a newscast or read a news magazine, the darkness of evil creeps near. When I hear of another loved one succumbing to an addiction or a godless lifestyle, evil’s shadow grows larger.

Then I read a passage such as Jeremiah 23:5-6, and I’m reminded of God’s power. He can dispel all darkness and bring new life out of a tree stump. And one day, he will establish his forever kingdom where everyone will live safely and the King of Kings will do what is just and right.

Jeremiah clung to that promise and others like it. How about you? When the darkness threatens to engulf you, what promise of hope do you cling to?

DIG DEEPER:

Read Jeremiah 33:14-26. What does God say would have to happen before he broke his promise to David? Why should that fill us with hope too?

One of my favorite promise passages in Jeremiah is 31:1-14. What promises does this passage contain? Which is most meaningful to you?

Read 1 Corinthians 1:30 and 2 Corinthians 5:21. Who alone is worthy to bear the title “The LORD our Righteousness”?

Denise K. Loock

This devotion is part of a series of the Book of Jeremiah.