Monday after Ad te levavi, The First Sunday in Advent
Posted on November 29, 2021 by under
Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14-18 (NKJV)
33:14 ‘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:
15 ‘In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David a Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
16 ‘In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called:
‘THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS’
17 “For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’”
Devotion
In his desire to comfort Israel at the destruction of Jerusalem, the Prophet Jeremiah announces that God is going to perform that “good thing” (Hebrew: “good word”) which He had promised. That good word is none other than the Gospel, the good news. The Lord is going to fulfill His promise to send the Messiah. Jeremiah calls the Messiah “a Branch of righteousness,” because Jesus will impute His righteousness to believers. He will credit his righteousness to our account. Our works do not count for our righteousness. “THE LORD (is) OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Neither the outward “good” works of unbelievers, nor the genuine good works of believers, proceeding from faith, make us righteous. Only Jesus’ righteousness saves us, so that we dwell in safety.
Verses 17 and 18 describe the coming of the Messiah as the restoration of the Monarchy and the Priesthood. You can understand why some Jews thought there might be two different people. When those days do come, Jesus does Jeremiah’s prophecy one better. He is both king, priest, and prophet! Jesus, the righteous and good Word, is all of those, plus He is the divine Son of God. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Prayer: Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins, and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
