Main news for 18 August 2024

King James Version (en)

King James Version (en)

Jeremiah, Chapter 23, verse 5

⁵ Christ shall rule and save them

⁵Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Read more:Jeremiah, Chapter 23

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23 Woe against wicked pastors, the scattered flock shall be gathered, Christ shall rule and save them, Jer 23:1-8.
Against false prophets, Jer 23:9-32.
And mockers of the true, Jer 23:33-40.

23:5 Behold - Even the Jewish doctors, as well as the Christian interpreters, understand this as a prophecy of the Messiah who is called the branch, Isa 4:2 Jer 23, Isa 53:2, .And here, he is called the righteous branch, not only because himself was righteous, but because he maketh his people righteous.Shall execute - Protecting the innocent, and defending his people throughout the world, judging the prince of the world, and by his spirit governing his people.

NOTES

The rebukes continue, but once again amid severe warnings we see a ray of hope. The people still have only to go into exile and a new slavery, yet words of prophecy are already sounding about the coming return from captivity - about the fact that...

In the prophetic books the Messiah is often called a "sprout" or a "shoot." Jeremiah calls Him this as well. What does this title mean? At first glance it can seem that this epithet does not fit very well for the righteous king as the pre-exilic prophets saw the Messiah. After all, a sprout is something weak, barely breaking through the earth, something that can easily be damaged, intentionally or by accident...

In the prophetic books the Messiah is often called a "sprout" or a "shoot." Jeremiah calls Him this as well. What does this title mean? At first glance it can seem that this epithet does not fit very well for the righteous king as the pre-exilic prophets saw the Messiah. After all, a sprout is something weak, barely breaking through the earth, something that can easily be damaged, intentionally or by accident. But it is precisely with young shoots that the possibility of renewing and rejuvenating a garden or vineyard is connected. In a vineyard, for example, old branches have to be pruned periodically in order to give young shoots the opportunity to grow.

If this is not done regularly, at some point one can be left without a harvest. It is no wonder that the prophet connects the future of the people precisely with young shoots, and their return from Babylon to the land of their fathers with the Messiah, who will become the embodiment of the people's spiritual renewal (vv. 5-6). Jeremiah understood perfectly what many of his contemporaries refused to understand. At that time, after some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem had already been deported to Babylon, many thought that everything happening was merely a small historical misunderstanding. These people were sure that it would soon end and everything would again be as before.

They did not believe that Jerusalem, the city of a great tradition, the only city on earth where the Temple of the one true God stood, could be destroyed. It seemed to them that God would never allow such a thing. Therefore they were ready even for an anti-Babylonian uprising, in order to bring nearer the day of complete liberation from the power of Babylonia. But these people did not understand the main thing: without spiritual renewal the people have no future.

In place of the former people a new one had to appear, just as young shoots appear on a vine in place of old, cut-off branches. Jeremiah spoke of the spiritual renewal of the people and of movement forward, into the future. The majority of his contemporaries wanted, on the contrary, to return to the past. They dreamed not of spiritual renewal, but of a restoration of the past, which seemed ideal to them. But God decided otherwise.

He had no need for restoration. But the spiritual renewal of His people was absolutely necessary. All later Jewish history confirmed the prophet's rightness. But the matter is not only the spiritual condition of the people. The matter is also that without its spiritual renewal the Messiah would have had no one to come to. The history of the people had to continue for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom. And God continued it, carrying out His plan for the salvation of the world.

For us living after that the Birth became a fait accompli, it is important to feel the expectation of Christ's coming, with which several generations of people lived. Among other things, we have to remember that the life of these people very little distinguished itself from ours, except the techniques which were different...

For us living after that the Birth became a fait accompli, it is important to feel the expectation of Christ's coming, with which several generations of people lived. Among other things, we have to remember that the life of these people very little distinguished itself from ours, except the techniques which were different. But ancients were tortured by the same moral problems, were frightened by the same things that frighten us, and they also worked with difficulty in order to gain by the sweat of their face the bread of affliction. That is why the salvation that God promised to His people and the whole world with Christ’s coming is also necessary for us today, just as to the prophet Jeremiah at the end of the 7th century before. J.C.

Jeremiah delivers to us God's word, in which he accentuates some important things. In the first place, Christ is David’s descendant; He will be a righteous Branch. The problem is that Jeremiah pronounces this prediction to the successors of king Josiah, extremely unattractive people from moral point of view, and even from the political point of view. A little bit before that God said to Jeremiah that because of the sins of its members, the dynasty of David will soon end and will never reign. Only the Messiah, the descendant of one of the lines of this dynasty, will be the Righteous Branch, but His righteousness is of divine origin.

Secondly, in the counterweight of the earth power of the David’s, Christ will be a king acting wisely. Jeremiah speaks about this, when the rulers of his country, seems as if compete with each other in foulness. The earth power generally rarely distinguishes itself with a wise care concerning the welfare of people, and we know this not worst than ancient Israelis... That is why is so important the opposition proposed by the prophet of the wisdom of Christ-King, Which will lead people to life.

Finally, the prophet underlines that the coming of Christ will bring to the world "judgment and justice". Christ says Himself that He brought into the world light, in which became visible all the deeds of men - and in this consists the justice. And it is not less important for us that the Light of Christ lights for all His followers the way to life, and judgment and justice become the reality of the life of concrete people.

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