Advent
Scripture Reading:
Jeremiah 33:14-16
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
The Hebrew word tsedaqah* is the root word translated righteous in the first instance in the above scripture and means honesty, justice, and merits related to government. In the second usage, the last word in the scripture means righteousness as vindicated, justification in controversy with enemies and troubles, deliverance, victory, prosperity as it relates to the Messianic king**.
There is a bit of the separation of temple and state in these usages. The lines of governance are somewhat murky in the history of Israel. Cultural norms, civil law, and God’s laws are comingled a little more readily in the Hebrew experience than in our world today. In the USA, persons of all faiths may vote their conscience, and thus civil laws may be impacted by religion. Although I fear our national god of wealth has more influence at the ballot box than the God of love, some choose to follow. Politicians do actively work to confound the issues for their gain. The Hyde amendment, when applied, does not allow federal money to be used to pay for abortions based solely on making an exception for those who identify abortion as a sin. I have wondered why there is not a Hyde Amendment outlawing the use of tax dollars to pay for executions. I know tons of people of faith who do not believe in the death penalty, including me. Also, I would much rather have my tax dollars pay to end the need for war, not pay for unjust wars.
The difficult question is how do we come to oneness on understanding the Lord’s righteousness related to dealing with enemies and troubles, deliverance from persecution, a victory of that which holds us back from serving God fully, and mainly what is prosperity as it relates to the Messianic king? Jeremiah longed for the Messiah, we call Christ, to show us the right way, the just way to live together in shalom. Therefore, Advent is an excellent time to reacquaint ourselves with the one named Jesus, who we know now as Jesus the Christ.
Prayer: Lord, bless us with a greater understanding of the one Jeremiah longed for as we once again wait for the arrival of the Christ child. Amen.
*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6666.htm
**https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6664.htm
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.