Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Lord, Our Righteousness

“The days are coming," declares the LORD, "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. In his 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. " - Jeremiah 23:5-6

I have noticed that we tend to put individuals on pedestals. We flock around them to hear their words of wisdom and learn from their actions. We watch and trust that they have our best interests in mind when they make decisions. We allow ourselves to become wrapped up in their lives and influenced by their choices; good or bad. This is very much like the Israelites in the days of Jeremiah. They were trusting in their leadership rather than on God. This had taken them from great power under King David to nearly ruins through the unjust and unrighteous behavior of the Kings and rulers of the time.

In this prophecy we see God taking the leadership of Israel into His own hands. Through the voice of Jeremiah he strengthens His promise of a Messiah coming from the seed of David. The Messiah will come in the future as a righteous branch from David's line. A branch starts as a humble bud from the original and grows over time to become strong, sturdy and resilient. It is also over time that fruit will begin to blossom and seeds will be spread widely.

Recognize the scope of God's declaration is for all people, not just the Israelites. His appointed King will be just and righteous to all mankind. Declaring safety to Israel provided reassurance to His people that He was their protector, comforter and provider. The final statement of this prophecy though, secures their understanding that the Messiah would be God incarnate. For only God himself could provide justice and righteousness. So, for God to state that His Messiah would be the Lord Our Righteousness; He is stating to the people, of that time, that the Messiah would indeed be God himself.

This was also confirmed in Isaiah 7:14; "the virgin will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us)." As you celebrate Christmas, do not let this origin slip from your mind. The Messiah was brought forth from God directly to bring righteousness to all man-kind.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2011
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