“The days are coming”, declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord Our Righteousness’.” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

Many scholars believe that chapter 23 is the most important in the Book of Jeremiah as it contains elements of the whole of his teaching. It begins with strong words to the political leaders of the nation and then turns the spotlight on the religious leaders. Both these groups are condemned for their corruption and mismanagement of the nation.

Which is worse for the health and prosperity of a nation: corrupt political leaders, or corrupt religious leaders? Corrupt politicians produce ungodly laws that lead to injustice and oppression and bring suffering upon the people. But corrupt religious leaders lead to the suppression of truth and without truth, the foundations of the nation crumble.

The psalmist poses the question, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3) Surely the answer is that the righteous should be blowing a trumpet of warning to the nation, raising awareness of the danger and calling for change. This is precisely what Jeremiah did, although it caused him immense personal suffering – mockery, flogging, imprisonment and death threats.

False and Corrupt Leaders

In this chapter Jeremiah’s harshest criticism is directed at the priests and prophets whom he says “commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no-one turns from his wickedness” (Jer 23:14). He pleads with people not to listen to the prophets: “They fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord” (Jer 23:16).

The false prophets invented visions, telling the people that God would protect Jerusalem from the Babylonians so there was no need for repentance and a change of their ways. This was a dangerous lie that would lead to national disaster, but the priests were equally at fault for not ensuring that the words of the prophets were based upon truth – the revelation given by God in the Torah. The priests and scribes mishandled the word of God by giving their own interpretations that led to the suppression of truth.

The false prophets invented visions and the priests and scribes mishandled the word of God.

A Truly Righteous King

An important part of the message of chapter 23 is the declaration in verses 5 and 6 which we have quoted at the beginning of this study. It is based upon the words of Isaiah 11:1-2: “A shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse; from its roots a branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him…”

There is a special reason why Jeremiah quoted this Messianic prophecy in the middle of his strong words against the rulers of the nation, both secular and religious. The prophecy speaks of the Messianic leader coming from the family of King David, who was a righteous king. Everyone listening to Jeremiah would have known that what he was really saying was a strong criticism of Zedekiah, who was a weak and corrupt king even though his name meant ‘The Lord my Righteousness’.

By contrast, the Messianic King would truly be a righteous king. Isaiah’s original prophecy declared that the Spirit of the Lord God would be upon him – a spirit of wisdom and understanding. The prophecy had strong relevance to the message that Jeremiah had declared in Jerusalem for the past 30 years – warning that the Babylonians would take many people into exile in Babylon leaving only a stump of the house of Israel. But below that stump there were roots from which a branch would come: the Messianic King from the house of righteous King David.

A Stump in the Land

This prophecy has traditionally been used by Christians in the season of Advent as pointing to the coming of Jesus. It has particular relevance because the word ‘branch’ in Hebrew (netzer, from the root natzer, to shine or blossom) also gives us the word ‘Nazarene’, which is the term often applied to Jesus who was from Nazareth in the Galilee.

For Jeremiah, the particular relevance of this prophecy was his firm belief that the people taken into exile in Babylon would be a faithful remnant through whom God would preserve the faith of Israel. He was convinced that God would bring them back to the Promised Land, to rebuild the ancient city of Jerusalem and the towns and villages of Judah which Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed:

‘So then, the days are coming’, declares the Lord, ‘when people will no longer say, “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,” but they will say, “As surely as the Lord lives who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of the countries where he had banished them.” Then they will live in their own land.’ (Jer 23:7-8)

The faithful remnant would be purified from the pollution of idolatry, no longer running after false gods or being driven by false prophecy and false teaching. And the day would come when God would fulfil his promise to send a righteous king who would arise out of the stump that was left in the land devastated by the Babylonians. From the root of Jesse, the father of King David, there would come a leader who would have godly wisdom and understanding, exercising a leadership based upon truth and a right relationship with God.

The day would come when God would fulfil his promise to send a righteous king who would arise out of the stump that was left in the land devastated by the Babylonians.

Hope for the Future

This was Jeremiah’s hope for the future. No doubt he would have rejoiced with the shepherds at the birth of the baby Jesus and with John the Baptist who recognised Jesus as the one upon whom the Spirit of God descended like a dove.

Jeremiah would have rejoiced to hear Jesus say “I am the way, the truth and the life” and to hear John refer to Jesus as “The Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). This would confirm his own prophecy: “This is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord Our Righteousness’.”

This article is part of a series on the life and ministry of the Prophet Jeremiah. Click here to read previous instalments.