In the light of the failure of the kings of Judah to maintain justice, Jeremiah prophesied the coming of a righteous Davidic king who would do what is just and right. The name he is given here gives us a hint as to who he is: “Yahweh our righteousness.” (Whenever you see ‘LORD’ in capitals in the English text it is a translation of the sacred divine name, ‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jehovah’.) There would not be a Davidic king ruling over Judah again after Zedekiah until the time of Christ. Jesus came, in fulfilment of this prophecy, to establish a kingdom of righteousness. Jesus himself literally became ‘our righteousness’ by taking away our sins in his atoning death on the cross and crediting his righteousness to our account. As a result, we will be judged, not by our deeds, but by his righteousness. What is notable in this prophecy is the emphasis on Jesus as one who establishes a kingdom where justice will reign (in contrast to the last four Judean kings who exploited the poor rather than helping them). It highlights the centrality of the cause of justice to the agenda of Jesus Christ in the world today. As we saw in Isaiah 61 the central mission of ‘the servant of Yahweh’ is to preach good news to poor. God is in the business of lifting up those in any sort of poverty, whether it be physical, psychological or spiritual. If we are to be about his business, we must put this high on our agenda. What part are you playing in this mission?
Think about what part you can play in God’s mission.
Read Jeremiah 23:1-8
