The verses of interest are 14-17, but this is so good that I simply want to let you read the passage, followed by Insightful Comments.
The Word of the Lord
1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying,
2 Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD [is] his name;
3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
4 For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;
5 They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but [it is] to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city.
6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.
7 And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.
8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.
9 And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.
10 Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say [shall be] desolate without man and without beast, [even] in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast,
11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD [is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever: [and] of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.
12 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing [their] flocks to lie down.
13 In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth [them], saith the LORD.
14 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.
17 For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;
18 Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.
Insightful Comments
3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Amen and amen. This is my prayer a lot these days.
It is easy to see that verses 1-13 speak of the return from Babylon. Yet I suspect they foreshadow a greater return and restoration. Beginning with verse 14 we surely have that greater restoration, one that has not yet occurred.
I will perform that good thing which I have promised. God has not forgotten his promises to Israel.
the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David. The Branch is the Messiah. (see Interesting Note at the End)
Messiah’s kingdom is characterized by judgment and righteousness, salvation and safety. I believe this is his reign on the earth.
David shall never want (lack) a man to sit upon the throne. A son of David has not sat on the throne since their captivity to Babylon. Christ is the next one to sit on the throne, and the last, Of his kingdom there shall be no end.
And this is the name wherewith she shall be called, the LORD our righteousness – in chapter 23 it was the Branch whose name was called YHWH tsidkenu, here it is Jerusalem that is called YHWH tsidkenu. Is Jerusalem the Messiah? No. In chapter 23 the righteous Branch shall be called YHWH tsidkenu, the LORD our righteousness, because He is Himself our righteousness, he justifies us by imputing His own righteousness to us. Here in 33 Jerusalem is called by this name because His righteousness is her glory, in YHWH I have righteousness (Isa 45:24) is her confession.
These are the days of Messiah, when we shall say, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Interesting Note at the End
The Hebrew word for Branch occurs twelve times in the Old Testament; five of those times (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah) it is translated branch. It is interesting that in Jeremiah and Zechariah the Septuagint (also called LXX; Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses the word Άνατολην (Anatolēn) for Branch. It doesn’t mean branch, it means dawn or rising.
The Septuagint ends chapter 33 at v 13, so there is no mention of the Branch in this chapter. There is also no translation of YHWH tsidkenu in ch 33 because this verse is missing. In 23:6 YHWH tsidkenu is rendered, and this is his name which the Lord shall call him, Josedek. I have no idea what that might mean but it would explain why the LORD our righteousness is never mentioned in the NT.
But back to the word the Septuagint uses for Branch, Άνατολην (Anatolēn; dawn or rising). Jeremiah 23:5 in the LXX, reads, Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will raise up for David a righteous dawn… That’s interesting enough on its own, but what is really neat is Luke 1:78 uses this very word, and seems to me to be a clear reference to this prophecy:
Luke 1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (aνατολη) from on high hath visited us
Amen.
Next: Hath God cast away his people?
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