Jeremiah 23 - A Glimpse of Jesus In the Distance

LINK: Jeremiah 23

BACKGROUND

The Message of the Righteous Branch

While the unrighteous kings were like shepherds who destroyed and scattered their flocks, God would regather them by raising up another King who would be a righteous Branch (Isaiah 4:2, 11:1)) and a descendant of David. We all know who that is:

JESUS!

He will reign wisely and do justice and righteousness and be called, "The LORD our righteousness." This is a play on the Hebrew words where Zedekiah's name means "my righteousness is Yahweh."

Christ offered Himself as Israel's Messiah at the First Advent. The final fulfillment of this prophecy will come at his Second Advent when Judah and Israel will be delivered, reunited, and live in safety (Romans 11:26; Ezekiel 37:15-28).

The rest of Jeremiah 23 deals with a rebuke of the godless (yet "religious") false prophets who were "pseudo-seers" who opposed Jeremiah's declaration of doom and offered a promise of peace instead. God would bring everlasting disgrace and shame on them for this.

REFLECTION

I have been telling you for the last few days that JESUS IS COMING. The beginning of Jeremiah 23 fills me with hope after so much judgment. Yes, we need to hear of the judgment, but it is so nice to hear the hope of Jesus today!

APPLICATION

Worship Jesus, the righteous Branch today. He is coming in our reading very soon!  I cannot wait to really SOAK in the life of Jesus in the Gospels when we start our study of the New Testament! You will have the exciting option of reading through the four gospels separately or reading through the life of Jesus chronologically in the Gospel Harmony Book Club. 

I want Jesus to come alive to you next year like never before!! Stay tuned! By the end, I hope He comes out of our pores because we have soaked so deeply in His living water!

Speaking of Jesus coming out of our pores, I know you are not a king and will not be reigning on a throne any time soon, but who has God placed in your care? The leaders of Judah were not good shepherds of their people. Evaluate your leadership in light of the righteous reign of Jesus! Who can you overflow the life of Jesus into?

Have you thought about discipling a young believer? Here is what I wrote in the Isaiah 54 post about discipling:

God wants to use you in the lives of spiritual sons and daughters (as well as our earthly sons and daughters). Who will you invest in today? How will you invest?

Here are a few books to help you understand the importance of discipleship:

The Master Plan of Evangelism (a classic and a favorite)
Transforming Discipleship (research on what helps people grow)
Discipleship Essentials (a workbook by the author of Transforming Discipleship)

2023 Update: This is a newer book that would be a great discipling tool. I am coaching someone who is using it right now, and she loves it.

The Reservoir

2023 Update: After this picture from 2012, we had four more training groups, and now we are in a community with many who are still in town. One of them just wrote me on Mother's Day: 

"Happy happy Mother's Day Carol!! I hope you feel so celebrated today not only because you're an awesome mom to two boys but a spiritual mom to many. Thank you for your persistence, commitment, and love you share with so many!! Love you!"

I do more spiritual direction now (see my website at Body and Soul Companion), but I told a group of new directors recently that my direction will always be flavored with my discipleship bent. I think I would add other books to that list that help people change from the inside out rather than just "doing" discipleship. 

Have you thought about becoming a spiritual director? See the explanation on the "services" page of my website. I will be training directors next year. Leave a message on my contact page if you are interested. 

PRAYER

We praise You for the righteous Branch. Jesus, reign in our heart today. We ask this in Your name. Amen.