“The
days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when
I will raise up for 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 Righteous Savior.” Jeremiah 23:5-6
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 Righteous Savior.” Jeremiah 23:5-6
The
branch is a reference to a family tree.
In 2 Samuel 7:12-16, David heard from God that someone from his family
line would be on the throne…forever.
While many kings from his family line sat on the throne, that all ended
with Zedekiah in 597 BC, right around the time of this prophecy by Jeremiah.
That’s
why this prophecy was so important to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. They believed the prophecy David received was
coming to end and also a false prophecy because the throne would be empty. But an eternal king was coming.
Almost
600 years later, Jesus would ride into Jerusalem and receive a king’s welcome, the people shouting “Hosanna in the highest.” They
wanted Him to sit on a literal throne, but Jesus sat on an eternal throne.
This
prophecy came at the right time, preparing the hearts of the people for the
“right” branch of the family line – Jesus born through Mary, in the line of
David.