Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NIV) 5“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.
1 Kings 2:1-4 (NIV) 1When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. 2“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
As David comes to the end of his life he reflects on how he lived and on God’s faithfulness to him. He then charges his son, Solomon, to avoid his mistakes and continue in the covenant God gave to him and for his sons. However, personal testimony shows us that no matter how hard we try, no matter how close attention we pay to our way, we can never truly walk before our Holy and Righteous God with all of our heart and all of our soul. In fact, it didn’t take Solomon too long before he accumulated foreign wives and started building temples to and worshipping their false idols. The Bible is a testimony to the fact that humanity cannot keep all of God’s statutes, commandments, rules, and Law.
But this is the Good News! Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promised to give the Righteous Branch from the kingly line of David who would keep all of God’s laws and commandments for us. This better law keeper will execute justice and righteousness, because He will be perfectly just and righteous. Jesus is the better Law Keeper who lived the perfect life we cannot live and then died for our unrighteous law breaking; satisfying the holy justice of God against sin. Jesus rose from the grave, defeating the power of sin and offering His perfect and righteous life to those who trust in His work on the cross for them. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5 that, “For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin (Jesus taking our sins on the cross), so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God (Jesus’ perfect life replacing our sinful account). What great news for us today!
Memory Verse: Hebrews 4:15-16 (NIV)
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.