In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. - Jeremiah 33:15-16a
How safe do you feel? If you examine the polls, the answer seems to be “Not very”. Fear dominates the lives of so many. Fear of economic collapse. Fear of ever-increasing polarization. Fear of violence. Fear of loss. People live in a state of agitation and anxiety because they don’t feel safe.
I imagine that the prophet Jeremiah experienced similar sentiments. God commissioned him to speak words of judgment against God’s own people for their sin and rebellion. As part of that judgment, it was promised that a vast majority of the nation would go into exile. And on top of that, horror of horrors, the grand temple that Solomon built, the very symbol of God’s presence with his people, would be destroyed. Not only did Jeremiah prophesy these events, he also lived through them. No wonder he is known as the weeping prophet!
Yet in the midst of these prophetic declarations and their fulfillment, God did not leave his people without some good news, some hope. In Jeremiah 33, that hope is focused on a righteous branch who will be of the line of David. This served as a reminder that God would be faithful to His promises to David. For God swore to David that one of his descendants would rule and reign. So even though all seemed unsafe at the moment, this judgment of exile was not God’s last word or dealing with His people.
When this branch comes, his rule will be marked by justice and righteousness. This was in direct contrast to many of the kings of Judah and Israel. Often, the summary of their reigns declared the wickedness they did before the Lord. In the midst of a land rampant with injustice and unrighteousness at the highest level, how could anyone feel safe? Yet, the just and righteous rule of the Branch would lead to salvation and safety, the only context in which God’s people could experience true freedom.
We know this Branch as Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. While it may not always feel like it, we are safe and secure in him. True, in these last days between his first and second coming, what is happening around us is often characterized by chaos and unrighteousness. We are not immune from suffering or even from death for following Jesus. And we may need to confess that the reason we feel unsafe is that we are placing our trust in someone or something other than Jesus. But ultimately we are safe in His hands (John 10:28).
Saints, in this Advent season, we have to acknowledge that there are many things happening around us that are not good and make the immediate future seem uncertain. God does not ask us to live in denial of suffering or the reality of evil. Judah really was taken into a long exile in Babylon. The temple really was razed. But we know that in Christ Jesus, nothing can separate us from our heavenly Father (Romans 8:35-39). And so as we wait, we wait with quiet confidence in the righteous Branch of David, the only one who can provide true and eternal safety and security.
