The Branch
7/21/26 Bible Thought (Jeremiah 22-23)
Main Idea: While all human rulers will fail and disappoint, the Branch will not.
A Look at the Text:
Today’s text chronologically takes a step backwards but continues thematically along the same lines that we saw yesterday. Once again, the Lord was sending Jeremiah the prophet to confront the royalty of Jerusalem for their failures.
In one chapter alone, the Scripture recounts the words of the Lord through Jeremiah against the last three Judean kings prior to King Zedekiah: Shallum (Jehoahaz), Jehoiakim, and Coniah (Jehoiachin).
These kings are the chronological connection between the high point of Josiah’s reign and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar under Zedekiah.
With these messages, we get a behind-the-scenes picture of what was going on in Judah at that time. The kings practiced injustice (Jer. 22:13-17). The prophets and priests shared their own messages and not Yahweh’s (Jer. 23:9-40). All in all, the leadership of God’s people utterly failed them.
Yet the people needn’t despair.
There would be one who was coming, a descendant of David known as the Branch (Jer. 23:5). He would not only reign as king, but He would reign in righteousness and execute justice:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares 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. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’” (Jer. 23:5-6).
Though exile was sure to come in short order, that wouldn’t be the end of the story.
A second exodus was to come.
Bringing it Home:
The Bible consistently reveals a truth we are already familiar with: people will disappoint us. This is especially true when it comes to those in leadership.
In Jeremiah’s day, both the religious leadership and the political leadership consistently failed the people of God. The prophets shared their own ideas, not God’s messages. Even more, those who were responsible for enforcing justice caused injustice to prevail.
Yet there was one coming in whom they could hope. One who would not disappoint. They heard of Him as the Branch; we know Him by name—Jesus Christ.
He alone is the only One who will never fail us. He is the Ruler whom the people of God needed. Truly, every ruler of the divided kingdom sent a consistent message that there was a need for another, a better one yet to come.
If we place our hope in Him, we can rest assured He will never fail us. He will never disappoint by falling into sin or abusing His position. Though the King of Glory, He is also the Good Shepherd who willingly laid down His life for the sheep.
The shepherds in Judah during Jeremiah’s time destroyed and scattered the sheep (Jer. 23:1), but this Shepherd willingly submitted Himself to destruction out of love for His sheep.
Though every human institution fails us, in this King we can hope.
Challenge:
Have I ever mistakenly attributed the faults of God’s leaders to God Himself?
Josiah, I really appreciated this reflection. Your contrast between the failed shepherds of Judah and Jesus, the righteous Branch and Good Shepherd, was powerful. It's so easy to become discouraged when human leaders disappoint us, whether in government, the church, or other areas of life. But Jeremiah reminds us that our ultimate hope was never meant to rest in people. Jesus truly is "the Lord our Righteousness," the King who leads with perfect justice, compassion, and love. Your closing question was especially convicting because it challenged me to examine whether I've ever allowed someone's failures to cloud my view of God's perfect character. Thank you for pointing our eyes back to the only King who will never fail us.