The Lord is our Righteousness (1st Sunday of Advent)

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In Jeremiah 30-33, we have what is often referred to the “Book of Consolation,” which is so-called because its optimistic tone contrasts sharply with the gloomy mood of the rest of Jeremiah. While most of the book focuses on Judah’s sin and God’s judgment for their sin, this section focuses on God’s promise to heal and restore His people. Contained here are the most significant prophecies of the coming Messiah.

The prophecy in this passage of a righteous branch is a reiteration of God’s promise to David to raise up descendants who will sit on his throne forever. Although God will discipline them if they go astray, He will never renege on this promise (2 Samuel 7). Many of David’s descendants did indeed go astray, yet God in His grace allowed the dynasty to continue.

Here, God declares that He will raise up a descendant for David who will perfectly embody God’s justice and righteousness. He is called a branch that will spring up like a shoot from David’s line, which is recurring image of the coming Messiah (see also Jeremiah 23:5). He referred to as “The Lord, our Righteousness” (Yahweh Tzidkenu)–perhaps a hint of the Messiah’s divine nature, and will bring about Israel’s salvation (a promise which is reiterated in the NT, cf. Romans 11:23-26).

This Messianic prophecy points us forward to the coming of Christ. We see in His first coming that He would come to save His people from their sins, just as the Angel Gabriel declared (Matthew 1:21). This salvation was accomplished at the Cross, and will be fully realized at His second coming, when all injustice is put to an end, and those who wait upon Him will live in perfect peace. Until then, we walk by faith in the expectation that our present tribulations are transitory, and will make way for something greater.

J. Luis Dizon