14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
15 “‘In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it[a] will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’
The Snow is coming. Nothing creates a sense of expectation like hearing those fabled words from a professional meteorologist or from a friend that watches the Weather Channel. How much are we supposed to get? Do I have enough groceries? Will we have school? Do I have gas for the snow blower? Do we have to travel? The excitement and trepidation build in our hearts and minds as we prepare for the Lake Effect to interrupt our routines and normalcy. The concerns and the anxiety increase until the last snowflake has fallen, and the sun shines once again.
Just as it is with coming snow, so too is it with the coming days of God. We also have a sense of expectation hearing the Word of God and its promises of future action. ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.’ The promised action of God is coming, it is on the way, it is immanent, and we must prepare accordingly. The excitement builds in our hearts and minds as we prepare not for a Nor’easter, but for the visit of God. The status quo of our lives is disturbed and interrupted by the new thing that God is doing, the thing promised to Israel and Judah is almost here.
But what is that new thing that God promised and is almost here? In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David a Branch of righteousness. The new thing that God is doing and is almost here is the coming of a righteous King from the bloodline of David, the great King of the Hebrew people. The name of that coming righteous King from the bloodline of David, heir to his family’s throne and ruler of his people is Jesus of Nazareth.
But for us Americans and for us Gentiles, the new thing we should be expecting is that Jesus is not just King of Israel, but King of the entire world. He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. The King of Israel is in fact King of all creation; and his rule will not be one of tyranny and corruption, but He shall execute justice and rightness in the earth. No longer a leader or politician seeking to force policies and compliance but a giver of liberty and freedom. No longer a monarch or dictator seeking fortune on the backs of the masses of people, but a right ruler that lives to empower people to live the True life of loving God and each other. This is what is coming and what we need to be expecting.
Can we think of any more needed forces in our world at this time that the freedom and security that Jesus can provide over all creation? In those days Judah will be saved, And Jerusalem will dwell safely. In Jeremiah’s time of invasion, exile and corruption, the hope offered by the prophet was the balm for the people of the land. Freedom instead of occupation by the Babylonians. Safety instead of Monarchial incompetence. Do we not need the same? Freedom instead of slavery to sin, death, and the fallen world. Safety instead of pandemic anxieties, economic inflation, and nuclear intimidation. This is what God through Jeremiah offers us, a righteous King with a righteous Kingdom.
We are reminded during this Advent Season that Jesus is coming, to execute Justice and Rightness in all creation. This is the sunrise from heaven that break upon the darkness of our world: to illumine, to cleanse, to correct, and to give life. Remember these days are surely coming and expect them with Hope.
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