Blog - Words of Encouragement
“God’s Promised King ”
Categories: Garden Ridge Church of Christ, JesusGod’s Promised King
by Joshua Cleveland
In Jeremiah 23, YHWH speaks to His prophet of the coming judgment on the “shepherds of Israel” for their sinful living, and refusal to speak the truth of His word to Israel. What becomes a long rebuke of the prophets begins with a very clear promise of God’s love for His people, and His faithfulness to His covenant with King David: “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’” (Jer. 23:5-6 NASB)
What this prophecy teaches us about God’s promised, “righteous Branch,” is that he will reign as a wise, just, and righteous king, it will be in His day that Judah is saved, and He will allow Israel to dwell securely. These three great promises were not made to Israel because they were worthy of such a king. Far from it! In fact, God through Jeremiah consistently rebuked Judah for their rebellious, sinful living and spoke of coming judgment. So, why was God going to do these things for Judah and Israel? Because of King David and His covenant with him.
Note that God says He will raise up, “for David a righteous Branch,” so it was not because of Judah that God would send the Branch, but for David. This is because of God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13. The Branch, the righteous king, would be the fulfillment of God’s promise to establish David’s throne forever. How would God fulfill this promise to David of an eternal throne?
Ultimately, it was in Jesus of Nazareth that God fulfilled His promise to David, Judah, and Israel. Peter preached in Acts 2 that Jesus was attested to by God’s power (Acts 2:22-24), that David also prophesied about Jesus (Acts 2:25-35), and then he declared that Jesus the righteous king had been crucified by His own people (Acts 2:36). All of this happened so that through the death of the Righteous One, God might exalt Him to His eternal throne in heaven (Eph. 1:3-14, 18-23), and thereby fulfill His promise to David of an eternal kingdom. One where all of God’s people, Jew and Gentile alike, can dwell in the righteousness, justice, wisdom, and salvation of the righteous Branch, Jesus the Christ. Jeremiah 23:5-6 was not just a reminder of God’s covenant with David, it was a message for God’s people of His loyal love, His covenant-keeping, and of His grace that would forgive sins and remember them no more. These two verses should be a source of hope and joy for the saved resulting in the offering of praise to God and His Righteous King.
