Scripture

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” Jeremiah 23:5

Reflections

In the ancient Near East, kings were referred to as “shepherds”.  As one scholar put it, they were responsible “for the maintenance of justice and order in the community, a responsibility that often seemed to get lost in the shuffle of military endeavors, political maneuvering, and economic aggrandizement.”  They were more committed to maintaining their own power and prosperity than to caring for the common people, especially the marginalized.

As much as that may sound like a statement from the political left, note the description of an ideal king in Psalm 72, “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.  May he judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice.  ...  May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.”

We live in a world filled with rulers more concerned about their own interests than the interests of their people, rulers who use government as a means to their own self-serving ends.  As discouraging as this may seem, we still have hope.  We see the words of Jeremiah coming to fruition in the one we know as Jesus.  He is our promised king, far better than any other ruler we would come to know here on earth.

Prayer

Lord God, thank you for the promises of a better day with Christ Jesus as our King.  Fill me with hope as I anticipate the day when he will rule in his fullness in his eternal kingdom.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Full Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6