The prophet sees — I. An Ideal King — a Righteous Branch, having this title, " The Lord is our righteousness." II. National deliverance, when the fruits of righteousness shall be reaped in security and peace. "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely."
I.
Righteousness Enthroned.
" Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch."
1. The same words are repeated further on. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel, and concern- ing the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David ; and he shall execute judgement and righteousness in the land." Of course, the prophet was well acquainted with the prediction of his distinguished predecessor, Isaiah : " There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." At a later period, the name by which these two prophets had described that illustrious Person who should arise in the line of David's descendants to sit upon David's throne became recognized as one of the appropriate titles of the Prince-Messiah. Zechariah
JEREMIAH xxiii. 5, 6 99
twice speaks of Him as " the Branch." '* Behold, I will bring forth my servant, the Branch " ; " Behold the man whose name is the Branch." The attribute of righteousness is also assigned to Him by Isaiah. "With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth." " Kighteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."
2. Not only was the Branch to arise, but He was to sit on the throne of David, endued with power from on high. Jerusalem had seen many branches of the royal tree cut off and wither ; this should be exalted and clothed with power ; He was to reign and prosper. His spiritual kingdom should know no end, should be subject to no reverse. The strength of Judah should not be cut off again as of late, when Josiah fell at the battle of Megiddo, a righteous prince slain by the uncircumcised ; but He should prosper, He should reign, not merely for His own good, as selfish rulers are wont to do, but for the good of His people. And who should they be ? Not only the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, but the people of the whole earth ; for all kingdoms, and nations, and languages should bow down before Him, and serve the Lord their Eedeemer. He should " execute judgement and justice in the land." He should not give cause to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, saying, Behold the people of Israel, the chosen people ; they all follow after iniquity, and their princes pervert justice. For " He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity."
3. The Branch was to have the significant designation " The Lord is our righteousness." In what sense are we to understand this name ? The name which is applied to the ideal king in chap, xxiii. is applied to the ideal city in chap, xxxiii. ; both alike are to be called by the same significant title, " Jehovah is our righteousness." There is something strange, to our ears, in a name thus formed ; but it is in analogy with Hebrew usage. It was the custom of the ancient Israelites to form proper names compounded with one or other of the sacred names more freely than we should do. Thus they gave their children such names as "Jehovah (or God) heareth," or " remembereth," or
ioo THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
"judgeth," or "Jehovah is a help," or "is opulence," or again, " Jehovah is perfect," or " exalted," or " great." And we find places named similarly. Thus we read of an altar called " Jehovah is my banner," and of another called " Jehovah is peace." Names thus formed were felt, no doubt, to be words of good omen ; or they were intended to mark what either was, or was hoped to be, a reality. The prophets, by an extension of this usage, not infre- quently employ the name as the mark of a character, to be given to a person or place because the idea which it expressed was really inherent in him or it. Thus Isaiah, speaking of the ideal Zion of the future, says : " Afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, the faithful city " — called so, namely, because the qualities of righteousness and faithfulness, so sadly lacking in the existing city, will be conspicuous in it. And Ezekiel, speaking of the restored Zion, says, in the last verse of his Book : " And the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there " ; he imagines, that is, a symbolical title, summing up in a brief and forcible manner the characteristic state or condition of the city.
The case is similar in Jeremiah. The city bears a name indicating the character of its inhabitants : God is the source and ground of their righteousness. Jerusalem is to become the home and abode of righteousness, through the gracious operation of her God. Here a similar name is given to the ideal king, or Messiah. He is the pledge and symbol to Israel that their righteousness was to have its source in God. Just as Isaiah, when Judah was sorely tried by external foes, had given his ideal king the symbolical name of " God is with us," as a guarantee that Divine help would be assured to them ; so Jeremiah, at a time when the character of the people had largely deteriorated, gives him the symbolical name of "The Lord is our righteousness," significant of the fact that the nation's righteousness can be assured only by God. The ideal ruler whom Jeremiah foresees will govern his nation with wisdom and success ; and under his gracious administration the Divinely imparted character of righteousness will be realized by the nation.