Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Pre-exilic Prophets 5 (5)
Pray Psalm 147.1.
Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
Sing Psalm 147.1.
(St. Anne: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past)
Praise God, for it is good to sing loud praises to the LORD!
With joy our songs of praise we bring to God and to His Word.
Read Jeremiah 23.1-8; meditate on verses 5, 6.
Preparation
1. What did the LORD promise to raise up for His people?
2. What would He do?
Meditation
Zedekiah’s fate—carried away captive to Babylon—left the people of God without an heir apparent to the throne; no king would take the throne of David when the people returned from Babylon. The throne would be vacant for more than 500 years.
But God had not forgotten His promise. He would send “a Branch of righteousness,” a descendant of David (v. 5), to rule as King in judgment and righteousness, just as He had promised (Ps. 132). The coming King will bring with Him true shepherds—not like the priests, prophets, and rulers the people had known in Jeremiah’s day—and they will shepherd the people of God so that they “shall be fruitful and increase” (vv. 3, 4). God will return the remnant of His people to their land, and there He will bring the true Kingdom of David to light; and all the earth will know blessing when the King, Whose Name is “The LORD Our Righteousness,” comes to rule (vv. 5, 6).
In those days, there will be no more scattering of God’s people to strange lands. Instead, the King and His shepherds will gather God’s people “from all the countries where” He had driven and dispersed them, and they shall be one flock, one people, and one Kingdom in the salvation of the Lord (v. 6; cf. Jn. 10.16).
It’s not hard to see where Jeremiah is pointing here. In the short term, a return from Babylon under the governorship of Zerubbabel (a descendant of David) is indicated. But the ultimate hope of God’s people and of their salvation is in the coming King, our Lord Jesus Christ. He rules a Kingdom of judgment and righteousness which reaches to the ends of the earth and is administered by loving shepherds. His is a fruitful and prosperous Kingdom, where the good will and covenant promises of God abound.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Today’s Church is still a remnant. It is not yet the “Joy of the whole earth” (Ps. 48.2).
We should be, but we haven’t quite lived up to our potential in Christ.
But one day it will happen, God says, that “‘I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,’ says the LORD” (Jer. 23.3, 4).
What a glorious day that will be!
“In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped” (Is. 4.2).
Who will accomplish this for His Church, His Kingdom, His people?
Jesus the Branch of Righteousness,
Jesus the King,
Jesus the reigning and prosperous Ruler,
Jesus the Prosecutor of judgment,
Jesus the Administrator of righteousness and holiness,
Jesus the LORD Our Righteousness,
He is the One Who will translate us into joy (Jer. 23.5, 6).
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him
and given Him the Name which is above every Name,
that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2.9-11).
A word to the Church from Curtis Mayfield (1965) seems appropriate:
People get ready, there’s a train a-comin’
You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin’
Don’t need no ticket, you just thank the LORD.
But people, we do need to get ready. We need to prepare our hearts to meet the Lord.
Jesus has come the first time, and He will come again as The Deliverer, The LORD our Righteousness—
The One Who said, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14.6). And “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (Jn. 15.10).
No baggage needed: just faith, obedience, and thankfulness to the LORD GOD for His grace and mercy.
“Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (Rom. 11.5).
Reflection
1. How should we prepare for the coming judgment of the LORD Our Righteousness?
2. Should coming judgment be part of our Gospel presentation? Explain.
3. What can we do to know more of the joy of the Lord in our daily lives?
God calls here their attention to the Messiah; as though he had said no hope of salvation could be entertained except through the Mediator who had been promised to them, and that therefore they were not sufficiently wise except they turned their minds to him. John Calvin), Commentary on Jeremiah 23.5
Pray Psalm 147.2, 3, 19, 20.
Pray that the Lord Jesus will empower you for building His Church and bringing in those He has chosen for Himself. Call on Him to guide all your steps today as you work your Personal Mission Field for His glory and according to His Word.
Sing Psalm 147.2, 3, 19, 20).
(St. Anne: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past)
The LORD builds up His Church and He His people gathers in.
The broken hearts He tenderly repairs and heals their sin.
His Word He to His Church bestows—His promises and Law.
No other nation God thus knows: Praise Him with songs of awe!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Read Moore (from the book, Revived!); from Crosfigell, “He Knows What He’s Doing”, on the work of the Holy Spirit; and “Grow in Jesus” from our ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church.” And new in our bookstore, Let God Be True and Enjoying God, both free to download and share.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
