The world often feels wayward, confused, and steeped in evil. People rejoice in unrighteousness, yet their misery reveals the emptiness it leaves behind. In the midst of such darkness, Christmas reminds us that Emmanuel has come and is coming again. He came to save and will return to judge, to forgive and to make every crooked path straight. The prophecy of Jeremiah 23:1-8 gives a stunning promise for a nation scattered by failed leadership: God Himself will raise up a righteous King whose name is “The LORD Our Righteousness.”
Recognize the Failure of Earthly Shepherds (Jeremiah 23:1-4)
“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the LORD” (v. 1). God pronounces solemn judgment on the leaders of Judah, kings, priests, and prophets alike, who used their positions for personal gain, political advantage, and moral compromise. Instead of feeding the flock, they drove the sheep away violently and never visited them in their need. The result was a shepherdless nation, spiritually diseased and morally shattered.
eremiah ministered through the reign of Josiah, the last godly king, and then watched the rapid decline under Jehoiakim and the weak, fearful Zedekiah. The same pattern repeats today. Statistics on divorce, abuse, and broken families testify that people remain scattered and destroyed when leaders fail. Every human shepherd, whether political, religious, or familial, will eventually disappoint us. Even the best intentions of good men are tainted by sin. Christians must not become more passionate about elections, parties, or personalities than about Jesus Christ Himself. Human voices can be appreciated, but only one voice is infallible: the voice of God in His Word.
Yet God is greater than failed leadership. He declares, “I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds: and they shall be fruitful and increase” (v. 3). He promises to raise up shepherds who truly feed the flock so that the sheep “shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing” (v. 4). These promises find their ultimate fulfilment in Jesus, the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).
Trust the Righteous King God Has Provided (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth” (v. 5). Out of a dynasty that looked cut down and dead, God would cause new life to spring. This Branch is Jesus, the King of the line of David, yet infinitely greater than David.
While Zedekiah (“The LORD is my righteousness”) sat on the throne living the opposite of his name, God promised One who would perfectly embody it. “And this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (v. 6). Jehovah Tsidkenu is not merely righteous Himself; He becomes righteousness for His people. As Paul later wrote, Christ Jesus “is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). On the cross, the sinless Son was made sin for us “that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
No amount of self-effort, religious ritual, or moral improvement can make a person righteous before a holy God. Only by trusting Christ’s finished work on Calvary is His perfect righteousness credited to our account. The King whose name is The LORD Our Righteousness freely offers that gift to everyone who will receive Him.
Celebrate the Greater Rescue Brought by the Messiah (Jeremiah 23:7-8)
Israel’s greatest redemption story had always been the exodus from Egypt. Yet Jeremiah declares that a day is coming when people will no longer swear by the LORD who brought Israel out of Egypt, “But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land” (vv. 7-8).
This prophecy looked first to the return from Babylonian exile, but its fullest meaning points to the far greater exodus accomplished by Christ. He delivers us not merely from Pharaoh or Babylon, but from sin, death, hell, and the wrath of God. Christmas leads to Calvary, Calvary to the empty tomb, and the empty tomb to the coming reign of the King who will rule the earth in perfect righteousness.
The rescue Jesus offers dwarfs every earthly deliverance. The 33 Chilean miners rescued in 2010 declared they had been dead and were now alive again; how much more those raised from spiritual death to eternal life in Christ! No financial crisis, broken marriage, or national upheaval compares to the soul’s need to be rescued from sin. Only Jesus provides that rescue.
Conclusion
Human shepherds will always fail us. Politicians disappoint, pastors stumble, parents fall short, and even our own hearts deceive us. But God’s answer is not a better system or a more inspiring leader; His answer is a Person: Jesus Christ, the righteous Branch, the Good Shepherd, the King whose name is The LORD Our Righteousness.
If you have never trusted Him, come to Him today. Exchange your sin for His righteousness. If you belong to Him, fix your hope fully on the One who never fails. The world is scattered and starving for righteousness, but the King has come, and He is coming again. Until that day, let us live as rescued people who celebrate the greater exodus and proclaim the only name that saves.
