The rule of the righteous Branch
(Jeremiah 23:5) that the Lord will raise up will lead to Judah being saved.
The Hebrew word tiwwasa is translated here as saved
and has a broad range of meaning. It gives the sense here of a ruler who will bring about a time when Judah is set free from all the troubles that have plagued the nation, internally and externally, and Israel will dwell securely.
Northern Israel is included, pointing to the unification of north and south1 This promise of safety in the land had always been part of the Lord’s covenant commitment to his people (Deuteronomy 33:28; Jeremiah 33:16).2
The throne name given to this promised king is The Lord is our righteousness.
This name speaks of all that the Lord will do for his people through his king. He will act rightly towards his people, fulfilling all his covenant promises. He will establish a kingdom of righteousness, despite the fact that these words are spoken to people who experience the Lord’s judgment in exile because of their unrighteousness. Neither the failure of the people, nor the Lord’s judgment of them, will have the final say in the Lord’s purposes. Through his righteous king, he will act mercifully to establish his covenant promises.3
There is a strong contrast being drawn with the kings of Judah, represented here by Zedekiah. The Hebrew for The Lord is our righteousness
is Yahweh sidgenu. This is a play on Zedekiah’s name which is sidqi-yahu which means My righteousness is the Lord.
The kings have failed to bring about the Lord’s righteousness and so now a new king is coming who will be the righteousness of the Lord4 Jeremiah, along with the Lord’s other prophets, looks forward to the restoration of a Davidic kingdom that is eternal and marked by righteousness, safety, and blessing. This promise was partially fulfilled with the return from exile, but it still looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, the righteous Branch.
That Messiah has come in the person of Jesus Christ and this new age of righteousness has been inaugurated, but the full blessing described here by Jeremiah will only come about in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1–4). It is also a kingdom that goes beyond just Israel, and extends to people from every nation.
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.’