Start with Scripture:
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OBSERVE:
The Prophet Jeremiah writes in a time of crisis and disaster, when the Babylonians conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem. No surprise, then, that he is often called “the Weeping Prophet.”
That background makes this passage all the more poignant. Though the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and Judah to Babylon in 587 B.C., Jeremiah is reminding the Jews of the promises of God despite the terrible circumstances.
He reminds them of the promise of God that David would have an enduring dynasty in Judah:
Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16).
Jeremiah uses the same metaphor that Isaiah 11:1 and Zechariah 6:12 use to describe the Messianic descendant of David:
….I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David….
The imagery is suggestive of the branches that grow from the side of a tree or stump in the Spring of the year, during the time of renewal.
This Davidic Messiah will rule as an ideal leader:
….and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
Even more significantly, this Messiah will save his people in Judah and Jerusalem. The name of this Branch will be called
“The Lord is our righteousness.”
This title has definite Messianic connotations that point to a role exceeding a mere human king.
APPLY:
For Christians, this passage has long been viewed as a messianic prophecy about the first coming of Christ, with a nod to the second coming. This promise is about hope and not doom and gloom.
The designation of Jesus as the righteous branch means that he is a descendant of David, fulfilling the ancient prophecy about the Davidic dynasty. But his mission is not only to Judah and Jerusalem, but to all of us.
St. Augustine once said that
The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed;
the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
John Wesley has a sermon entitled “The Lord Our Righteousness” in which he points out that the Righteousness that saves us comes from Christ alone. This Righteousness pardons our sins and gives us power over sin.
Paul speaks for us all when he speaks of salvation
….that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith (Philippians 3:9).
RESPOND:
This prophecy speaks to us and for us in this Advent season. The promises of God are for us! Jesus is our righteousness.
Lord, I have no righteousness of my own. I am completely dependent on your grace and your righteousness. Thank you for this undeserved gift! Amen.
PHOTOS: "Jeremiah 33:14" by Sapphire Dream Photography is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.
SOAR Lectionary Bible Study 
Thank you for the post. For more on John Wesley, I would like to invite you to the website for the book series, The Asbury Triptych Series. The trilogy based on the life of Francis Asbury, the young protégé of John Wesley and George Whitefield, opens with the book, Black Country. The opening novel in this three-book series details the amazing movement of Wesley and Whitefield in England and Ireland. The book also richly brings to life the life-changing effect on a Great Britain sadly in need of deliverance from addiction to gin and illiteracy. Black Country also details the Wesleyan movement’s effect on the future leader of Christianity in the American colonies, Francis Asbury. The website for the book series is http://www.francisasburytriptych.com. Again, thank you, for the post.
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