“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Jerusalem had been conquered. The temple lay in ruins. The people of Judah were held captive in Babylon. God sent the prophet Jeremiah to proclaim a message of hope for His chosen people amid their despair. These were dark days indeed. However, “the days are coming," declared Jeremiah, when Yahweh will raise up a righteous branch who will restore His kingdom. This forward-looking promise meant a time when justice and righteousness would mark His rule. The One who was coming would save Judah and cause Jerusalem to live in safety. What wonderful words of hope for those who were living in bondage.

The message of Jeremiah continues to resonate with captive sinners who long for a day when a leader will rule justly, and His people will live in security. While the oppression we face may be different from what Judah faced in Babylon, we are still captives to bonds of our own making. We have turned away from Yahweh and His teaching and chased after enticements that so easily enslave us. The justice that we deserve is God’s eternal punishment. However, like Judah before us, the promise to which we can cling is that Yahweh is our righteousness.

Therefore, we wait with Jeremiah for the day when Jesus, the righteous branch, will return to save us so that we may dwell safely in the new Jerusalem. We wait for this day when we will live securely in the eternal city where the gates are never shut because there is no night. We wait each day for the day when all the things that have to do with the old order, the bondage of sin, will be broken asunder and Yahweh will usher in His eternal kingdom. So, we wait...because the Lord is our righteousness.

Prayer – Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Fraternally in Christ,

President Lee Hagan