Anticipating Christ’s coming is a great part of the life of the chosen
people throughout history. And although we should consider our preparations,
the real focus should be on what God does. Especially during Advent, we often
hear this in our Old Testament lessons.
In
Jeremiah 33:14-15 (ESV), we are reminded, “Behold, the
days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I
made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In
those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up
for David….”
Jeremiah
speaks about God’s promises of old and the continued longings of His people for
redemption. A new leader, “a righteous Branch” (Jer. 33:15), would come from
the house of the great king David. He would bring justice, righteousness, and
security, and be called “The Lord our righteousness” (Jer. 33:16).
Through Him, both royal rule and priestly worship would continue forever.
Over
the centuries, the Israelites kept hoping for the fulfillment of these promises.
Often they failed individually and communally. They faced many difficulties,
but God’s promises to them and their hopes in Him lived on. Indeed, ever so
slowly, their understandings were refined. Prophets such as Jeremiah pointed God's people to higher and deeper implications of redemption. For no mere earthly king or
priest could really fulfill their hopes.
Only
a unique leader of deep spiritual and moral power directly from God could satisfy the
longings of Israel. Only a leader like Jesus Christ, Son of God could truly
fulfill the prophecies. Only He could deliver people from bondage to sin and
offer eternal life with God.
As
we recall these ancient longings and their culmination in the Messiah Jesus, we
should acknowledge that God’s people still have longings. Of course, Christ has
fulfilled the greatest prophecies. He has accomplished the great acts of
redemption through His Incarnation, Suffering, Death, and Resurrection. But
in this life, we are still on a journey toward greater fulfillment. We have not arrived. We are not
personally righteous. Jesus Christ is “the Lord our righteousness.” And the
righteous rule of Christ needs to become stronger in all our lives. We must keep
looking for new personal applications of His redeeming and sanctifying grace.
Jeremiah speaks to our situation in the world,
especially as we begin Advent. Humanity in general and we in particular need
true hope. And true hope can only be based on God’s promises. True hope is not
found in human abilities, accomplishments, or righteousness. The hope for
ancient Israel and for modern people of all nations can only be found in the
Lord our righteousness, Jesus the Messiah. May that hope guide us through this season in our
meditations and in our actions!
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