We come this morning to our eighth study in the book of the prophet Jeremiah, and I would direct your attention to chapter 23, verses 1 to 8. We're going to be looking at the whole passage, and we take as our theme the righteous branch. The righteous branch. We begin with the last two verses of the passage. The exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt was God's greatest act of salvation in the Old Testament. Egypt was the superpower of the age. God's people were helpless slaves. There was no possibility that they could ever be free. But they were set free. God set them free. He heard their cry. He came to them in mercy. And in a series of plagues and judgments, He broke the power of Egypt. He broke the will of Pharaoh. He took His people out. He opened up the Red Sea before them. And then He brought it back again. that the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh perished. This was God's mighty salvation of His people. And they always remembered it. And in every generation, they looked back on it. And they thanked God for it. It was what marked Him out above everything else. It actually became a proverb among God's people. People say, as surely as the Lord lives who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt. That was how he remembered. That was what he did. We've now reached the stage in the book of Jeremiah where hope has gone. Hope for Judah. Hope for the nation. We reach that stage in chapter 21. Previously, the prophet was urging the people to repent. And he said, if you repent, God may spare you. God may spare you the invasion. The catastrophe may be turned away. Turn to God. It's not yet too late. Now, it is too late. It is too late. God said, In chapter 19, verse 11, I will smash this nation and this city. The nation is doomed. Sentence has been pronounced. The Babylonians are going to come and they are going to destroy the city. And all that is left for the people, the best they can hope for in the immediate future, is that if they surrender to the Babylonians, they may save their lives. And that's what Jeremiah, very unpopularly, is going to be urging them to do. Give up. Don't fight. Don't resist. Surrender to the Babylonians. And it is at this profoundly dark, discouraging moment, when their doom has been pronounced, that a bright, shining, beautiful hope dawns. God speaks of a salvation. A salvation that will be infinitely greater than any salvation that there has ever been. A salvation which will so eclipse the exodus that even it will be forgotten. Look at verses 7 and 8. will no longer say, as surely as the Lord lives who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt. But they will say, as surely as the Lord lives who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north, that's Babylon, and out of all the countries where he had banished them. So here is a new salvation, a staggering deliverance greater than the greatest. And this salvation is going to be embodied in a person whom Jeremiah describes as the righteous branch. One of the clearest prophecies of Christ in the whole of this book. So I want to explore this new salvation with you under three headings, taking the three previous sections of the passage. Verses 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6. The passage falls neatly into these four sections. First of all, verses 1 and 2, why is new salvation needed? Why is new salvation needed? Quite simply, Because of human failure. Because men can't save themselves and haven't and won't. Look at how the passage begins. Woe to the shepherds. Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture, declares the Lord. When we see the word shepherd, we tend to think of pastor. Pastor is just the Latin for shepherd. And we read here about the shepherds of Israel. And we tend to think that this is the religious leaders. Now, they may be included, but that's not the primary meaning here. The word is a political word. Shepherd was used especially of kings, the national leaders. They were the shepherds of Israel. Their duty was to provide, to guide, to protect the people. And they've been let down by their shepherds, by their kings. If you've an opportunity this afternoon Read chapter 22, the previous chapter. It's entitled, Judgment Against Evil Kings. And there's a sad parade in that chapter of the three previous kings of Judah. Verses 10 to 12 of that chapter, Shalom, King Shalom, or Jehoahaz, as he was known. Verses 13-19, King Jehoiakim. And verses 24-30, King Coniah, or King Jehoiakim, as he was called. These kings were wretched. They were unworthy. They were really a disgrace to the name they bore. They weren't kings. They were plunderers. They were shepherds. who weren't shepherds, whose rule, says God, was the reverse of what it should be. Look at what he says in verse 2. This is what God says to the shepherds. You have scattered my flock and have driven them away. That's the exact opposite. Shepherds were meant to gather the flock and keep them together. But these shepherds have scattered the sheep and driven them away. God says, you have not bestowed care on them. And then he puns and he says, I myself will bestow punishment on you. The wolf is coming, the Babylonian wolf with his armies. The sheep are panic stricken. They need a shepherd. The shepherds are useless. They are concerned with their own wealth, their own pleasure, their own comfort. They don't care for their sheep. They're too confident in their own political schemes and alliances. The last three kings have been totally useless. And there's no sign that Zedekiah, and we'll come to him in a moment, who at present is reigning, there's no sign that he's any better. There's no hope in these leaders. There's no hope in these kings. They're never going to save their people. So God is going to have to act Himself. Why is new salvation needed? These first two verses tell us that it's because of human failure, because of the failure of the human kings, the false shepherds. And this condemnation of the last kings of Judah is applicable to most rulers in history. There have been few good kings. There have been few wise, just rulers. And certainly it's applicable to the rulers of our own time. I wonder, have we ever had a more wretched, corrupt, morally bankrupt government than we are saddled with at the present. Have we ever had a government that has done more harm, that has promoted more evil, that has created more damage to the social and cultural fabric of our society? Have we ever had a Prime Minister so vain and vacuous and empty and selfish and greedy? Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep. There's nothing now to hold our citizens together. The sheep are scattered. Multiculturalism. Pluralism. a culture of complaint and rights. And our nation is actually disintegrating before our eyes. God says of the shepherds, they have not bestowed care on them, on the people. Our leaders are interested in their own power, their own prestige, their own prosperity. You see now, the politicians of the Labour Party, and they're spending most of their time jockeying for position when this Prime Minister eventually goes. Who will be the new Prime Minister? Who will be the Deputy Prime Minister? And they're making speeches, and they're trimming their policies, and they're following public opinion. They're positioning themselves. They're not thinking about the country. They're thinking about their careers. And are the other parties any better? As you look at Mingys Campbell and David Cameron, are you hearing the voice of principle? Courage? Do not put your trust in princes, says the psalmist, in mortal men who cannot save. And we're not going to take time on it, but God says to these shepherds, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done. And that's a solemn truth for every politician and every leader. God is patient. God is slow to anger. And our rulers in our lifetime in the past decade have done great, great evil. And millions have been murdered. And young people have been robbed of a decent education, of any standards to live by. And our culture and our people have been degraded. I will bestow punishment on you. for the evil you have done. For help, we must look elsewhere. And that brings us to our second point, verses 3-4. How will the new salvation be brought about? How will the new salvation be brought about? And God makes it clear that it won't come by human activity. New alliances, new policies, fresh leaders, That won't solve the crisis. Men have failed. So God is going to deliver the people himself. The Hebrew at the beginning of verse 3 is very strong. I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them. No matter where they go, no matter how far, The Lord keeps track of His people. He knows where they are and He will restore them. I myself. It will be His doing. It will be through His own power from first to last. God is going to reach down. He's going to gather His lost people. He's going to bring them together. He's going to bring them home. We sing that, don't we? God doth build up Jerusalem. And he it is alone that the dispersed, the scattered of Israel doth gather into one. I myself will gather my flock." Imagine yourself a godly citizen of Jerusalem in Jeremiah's day. And the Babylonians are coming. And all is despair and darkness and destruction. And in that darkness you hear the promise of God I'm going to gather my people. He says it's only a remnant. The remnant of my people. Many will be lost. Few will survive. But still, there's hope after judgment. I will gather my people. And they won't come back to a second-rate existence. God says, I will bring them back to their pasture. Note that word, pasture. It's loaded with meaning. He doesn't just say land. Pasture is more than land. Pasture is a place of beauty, and greenness, and richness, and security, and provision. Pasture. That had meaning to people in a desert land in the Near East. Pasture. They weren't just coming back to a wilderness. They weren't being brought back to a barren place. They were being brought back to pasture. The day was coming when they would look at each other and put their arms around each other and sing, My soul He doth restore again. He makes me down to lie in pasture's green. I will bring them back to their pasture And look at what else he says, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. Does that remind you of anything? Any echoes? This is creation language. Isn't this what God said when He made Adam and Eve at the beginning, perfect and unfallen, Genesis 1.28? Be fruitful and increase in number. And now is it where the curse of the fall is going to be removed. And when God says, when I bring my people back, they're going to do what I originally committed to them. They're going to be fruitful and increase in number. It's not only creation language, it's covenant language. God said to Abraham in Genesis 17, 6, I will make you very fruitful." So now it seems as if all hope is gone. God says, no, no. I'm going to bring you back. And I'm going to bring you to pasture. And when you reach the pasture, you will be all that I created you to be. And you'll be all that I commanded you to be. full salvation. He will even provide new rulers, caring rulers for them. Look at what he says, I will place shepherds over them who will tend them. And they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing. Men, good men, strong men, caring men, men like Ezra and Nehemiah and Zerubbabel who will bring these people back and look after them properly and build the walls and restore the worship of God and protect them, keep them safe and happy and blessed. How encouraging this is for those facing exile in Babylon. There is a future. And it's bright in the mercy and power of God. And my friends, we can pray and we should pray and work for caring Christian rulers on this earth. That's part of the common anter vision of the kingship of Christ that nations will acknowledge Jesus And rulers will kiss the Son and serve Him. That is part of our vision. We must never lose it. Yet, we must recognize, we must be realistic and recognize that that prospect may be elusive in a fallen world. And you and I may not live to see it, but we have the Church And we have that now. And the church is, if you like, a pilot plant of the coming kingdom. A colony of heaven. And in the church, we can have pasture. And we can live securely and happily. And we can enjoy God's blessing. And we can be fruitful and increase in number. And we can be cared for by shepherds, by pastors who will tend them. When God can save us, they will no longer be afraid. They will no longer be terrified, nor will any be missing. Here's an idyllic picture of life in the body of Christ. This is how the salvation is brought about. This is the Lord's doing. He builds his church. This is our hope in dark times. But we still haven't really explained how it all happens. How can a holy God do this? How can a righteous God bless wicked sinners? For that, we need to look thirdly And lastly, to the question, through whom will the new salvation come? Why is the new salvation needed? How will the new salvation be brought about? And then in verses 5 and 6, through whom will the new salvation come? The NIV leaves out a very important word at the beginning of verse 5. In fact, it leaves it out also in verse 7, and I think in verse 2. The word is behold. Behold. It shouldn't be left out. No reason to leave it out. It's an important word. God has put it in. It's saying to us, pay attention. Pay attention. Here's something new. Here's something startling. Here is something certain. It's a flashing warning light. God says, here is something I want you to focus on. Behold, the days are coming. This is messianic language. It's often used that way in the Old Testament. The days are coming. Something is going to happen. And what is going to happen? The line of David is not finished. God hasn't given up on the Davidic kingship, the Davidic dynasty. It seems so. These kings are all descendants of David. They're rotten. God's going to throw them away. Send them into exile. You think, well, that's the end of the Davidic kingship. But God keeps His covenant promise. And He says, I will raise up to David. To David. That's what He said. There will always be a descendant of David on the throne. He hasn't broken that. He hasn't gone away from that promise. There will be a descendant of David on the throne. That's why it's important. in the New Testament that Jesus is identified as the Son of David over and over again. I will raise up to David a righteous branch. This word branch literally means something that sprouts from a root which seems dead. There is another Hebrew word which is translated shoot. It is the same sort of idea. A branch or a shoot, something that sprouts, something that springs up. There's a little dried up root in the ground. You say that root is dead. But suddenly you see something growing and there's new life. You remember Isaiah 53? He shall grow up before him like a tender plant and like a root, a shoot out of dry ground. The same idea here. from this corrupt, rotten dynasty will come a new ruler. A new ruler. A king. Oh, well, we've had kings. We know all about kings. But God sent a king who will reign wisely and justly. I'm sorry, who will reign wisely and do what is right and just in the land. What a contrast. Here's a real king. Here's a king who will be everything that a king should be. A perfect king. An ideal king. What will his reign accomplish? What will his reign accomplish? Look at the text. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. Isn't that wonderful? You see the two names? Judah and Israel. Now they're separated. Israel has been taken into exile. The nation has been divided into two parts. Our children learn that. Israel and Judah. And the northern kingdoms away. But God said, I'm going to bring all the scattered people back together again. Israel and Judah together. They will be reunited. These words saved and safety speak of salvation, security, well-being. Now, they're going to be taken into captivity. They're going to be invaded. But then, they will be experiencing peace and joy and fulfillment. So a king is coming from David's line and in his reign the people will be brought together and will be safe and peaceful and happy. But there's even something more wonderful to come. This is the name by which he will be called. The Lord, our righteousness. Jehovah Tzidkenu. Sidkenu in Hebrew means our righteousness. Now, it's hard to say how much Jeremiah understood of what he was prophesying. It's hard to say. We can't really say. How much did Jeremiah understand of this name, the Lord, our righteousness? I very much doubt if he understood all that we understand by it. He certainly meant that this king would be the embodiment of righteousness, the personification of righteousness. And what's fascinating is there's a play on words here. The reigning king of Judah at this time is called Zedekiah. And Zedekiah means righteous is the Lord. Righteous is the Lord. This is the reverse of Zedekiah. The Lord is righteous. You see what he's doing? He's punning here. You've got a rotten king. You've got a bad king. Zedekiah, righteous is the Lord. That's his name. Now this king is going to be the reverse. He's going to be the polar opposite. He's going to be everything that Zedekiah isn't. He's going to be the mirror of weak, foolish Zedekiah. And that certainly is part of His name. That's why He's named what He is. Not righteous is the Lord, but the Lord is our righteousness. He's the opposite of their present bad King. But in the light of the New Testament, we can go much further. Here is His name, the Lord, our righteousness. Your righteousness. My righteousness. Not just that He is righteous. Not just the righteousness which He possesses in Himself, but the righteousness which He gives to us, His people, so that it becomes ours and so that the Lord Himself is our righteousness. that your righteousness is this King, this Lord, this righteous branch. So John Calvin can say, this passage cannot be explained of any but Christ only. We are unrighteous. There is no hope for us. But as Paul says in Romans 3, but now A righteousness from God has been made known. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. He takes our sin upon Himself and He gives His righteousness to us. What Luther called the sweet exchange. You give me your wicked sin, I'll give you my divine holiness. That's the best deal you'll ever be offered. So that when God looks at us, He sees Jesus. That's what it means to be in Christ. That's what it means to be a Christian. Don't we sing it in Psalm 84? See God our shield. Look in the face of thine anointed dear. When God looks at you and me, he sees his Son. That's why we're forgiven. That's why we're going to heaven. That's why God loves us. That's why God will never leave us. That's why he's going to look after us. We're in Jesus. He's the Lord, our righteousness. And that's why you and I could ask to be forgiven. And that's why you and I can go into the presence of God and know that He loves us. He loves you this morning, dear Christ. When He looks at you, in a sense, He doesn't see you. He sees His Son. And all the love that He feels for His Son, He feels for you. Christ Jesus, says Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1.30, has become for us Our righteousness. And note precisely, every phrase of Scripture is valuable. This is the name by which he will be called. Scripture doesn't say this will be his name. It says people are going to call on this name. This is the language of trust, of pleading, of faith, of coming and depending and seeking salvation from. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. So we read here of calling on His name. We are to call on this King. We are to call on His name. We are to look to Him, to trust in Him, to seek from Him deliverance and His righteousness. is to be our plea and our hope and our rejoicing. This then is the message of Jeremiah to a despairing, hopeless people then and now. This is the message to the men and women around us who do not know Christ. Look to Jesus, the righteous King who gives righteousness to us. Here is the answer to our sin. The Lord our righteousness. Here is the answer to our inner despair. The Lord is our righteousness. Here is the answer to our fears. The Lord is our righteousness. Nothing in ourselves. No hope in ourselves. All in Him. Robert Murray McShane, one of the godliest of the young ministers of the revival in Scotland, a man who died pitifully young, wrote a famous poem, Jehovah Sid Canu, The Lord Our Righteousness. Let me quote just several verses from it. McShane is speaking of himself. I once was a stranger to grace and to God. I knew not my danger. and felt not my load. Though friends spoke in rapture of Christ on the tree, Jehovah Tzidkenu meant nothing to me. When free grace awoke me by light from on high, then legal fears shook me. I trembled to die. No refuge, no safety in self, could I see? Jehovah Tzedkenu, my Savior, must be. Jehovah Tzedkenu, my treasure and boast. Jehovah Tzedkenu, I ne'er can be lost. In thee I shall conquer by flood and by field. My cable, my anchor, my breastplate and shield. Even treading the valley, the shadow of death, this watchword shall rally my faltering breath. For while from life's fever my God sets me free, Jehovah Tzidkenu my death song shall be." This is the name by which he will be called the Lord, our righteousness. Amen.