Jeremiah 23:1-8 Righteous Branch
The destruction of the house of David is not permanent. God will rase up a Righteous Branch from the root of David. He will shepherd the people in truth.
I have an advent countdown calendar that I use to use with my children. It was The Jesse Tree. It took us daily from creation to Jesus’ birth. It spoke of the reason He came as well. He was, and still is, the Righteous Branch from the root of the tree of David that was cut down during the days of Jeremiah.
The leaders, or shepherds, of Judah were leading the people away from the Lord. God promised them that He would pay them back for their evil deeds. But His judgment went all the way down. ALL of Judah and Israel felt His hand of discipline. And they would learn a lesson they would not soon forget from this experience.
In ALL this, God STILL gave them hope. That hope was on the other side of correction but it was a certain hope. That hope would see them through their captivity and back into the land that He gave them. It would not be without its own trials but it would be complete. God promised to bring them back from ALL the lands where they were scattered. To rebuild what had been torn down. But build it MUCH better than the original. Also give them something more current to ‘hang their faith on’. An ‘exodus’ from the north instead of centuries ago from Egypt. An example that shows them that He is the same today as He was yesterday.
God NEVER leaves us without hope. There is ALWAYS a restoration after the pruning. A regrowth of good branches once the ‘dead’ ones are removed. Even after the most difficult season this world will ever face, there is HOPE. There will be another rebuilding. For He is the same tomorrow as He was yesterday AND today. There is always a journey to get to that hope; a lesson along the way. The lesson leads us to the hope. Refuse the lesson and you will never reach the hope on the other side of it. Submit to the lesson and let it change you so you can embrace the hope that waits. When we receive and learn from the little lessons, God doesn’t need to take us through a major one. Or at least not too many of them. Israel and Judah didn’t listen. They refused to learn from the little lessons and they were flattened by a big one, whether they wanted it or not.
Father God, THANK YOU for the lessons You have taken me through in my life. Thank You for making Your word and hope REAL to me because of those lessons. I don’t want to even think about where I would be today without those lessons. THANK YOU for the hope on the other side of each of those lessons. EACH lesson brought me closer to You and filled me with even more hope. I don’t know how many more are in my future but I KNOW You will walk with me and meet me on the other side with even more hope. Lead on Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, help me with my husband. I know his mind is changing. Help me have patience with him. Help my words be words of love and healing instead of frustration. Help him understand those words too and not take offense where none was intended. Be our Shepherd as we walk together into whatever lies ahead. Lead us together.
