Part of the Old Testament figurative language that refers to the Messiah’s coming is the word “branch.” Several prophets refer to the coming Messiah as “a branch.” In Jeremiah 33:15 we read, “…in those days i will cause a righteous branch to spring up.” Isaiah 11:1 says, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Jeremiah 33:15 also, speaking for God says, “Behold, the days are coming, declares 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 dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”
Let me get “Grammatical.” There is a difference between “a” branch and “the” branch. The indefinite article “a” leaves the identity up for grabs. It could be anyone. But the definite article “the” identifies the one and only of a kind. That’s why Ohio State insists on being “The Ohio State.” A branch will be raised up and that branch will be the messiah. Zechariah, a not frequently quoted Old Testament prophet, says in 6:12, “And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Earlier in Zechariah 3:8, the prophet is speaking to the High Priest at the time whose name is “Joshua.” That’s the Hebrew for of Jesus. He says, “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.”
Let’s look at what the Bible means in these passages where it speaks of “Righteousness.” When we read the first part of the Jeremiah 33 quote we see that the branch will “execute justice and righteousness.” I’d argue that from many other passages in both the Old and New Testament that the “branch,” the messiah, Jesus is the only fully just and fully righteous. We can find a personal righteousness not in our own efforts but in Him alone. That’s the why Jeremiah closes this short passage with telling us the name by which the Messiah will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” You know that it was when Martin Luther saw Romans 1:17 in a different way that the reformation began! This passage speaks to us of the “power” of the Gospel is in this phrase: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Luther realized that God was the subject of “righteousness.” It was “HIS” righteousness that saves, not his own, and it’s not our own. Jesus is the complete righteousness of God. Why are still struggling to demonstrate our own righteousness instead of focusing our attention on Jesus and His righteousness. Religious people in Jesus day didn’t get that. Paul tells us in Romans 10:3-4 “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” We say we get that! But why do we live like we don’t?