34 | To the Jew First
When a person has worked hard to earn a good reputation, we
might say, “He has really made a name for himself.” The ancients
would often take it a step further and attribute great religious
or even prophetic significance to one’s name.1 Understanding
this helps us grasp the significance of not only the names of
individuals within Scripture, but especially the many names and
titles attributed to God and the Messiah throughout the Bible.
The text in Jeremiah 23 is a prime example. The broader context
of Jeremiah’s prophecy has him warning of Jerusalem’s coming
destruction at the hands of Babylon and specifically rebuking
David’s descendants, Judah’s failed kings. The lack of godly
leadership, leading to national sin, had created a void and left
Judah and Jerusalem susceptible to the impending judgment.
Amazingly, in the midst of the bleak and dire warnings, God
gave a promise of hope. He would raise up a unique individual
to fill Israel’s leadership void. From the names attributed to Him,
we learn of His two-fold identity. As the “righteous Branch”
descended from David, He would be Israel’s long-awaited,
righteous human King (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Not only that, this King
would bear the holy name of God, “The Lord our righteousness.”
This is the only place in the Old Testament where the full name
of the Lord (the Tetragrammaton) is used for a human being,
and it is utterly profound. This passage speaks to both the
humanity and the deity of the coming King. There has been only
one person in history who has embodied this identity and bore
these names—Jesus of Nazareth. Indeed, He is the promised Son
of David,2 and the Lord our righteousness.3
Written by Robert Walter. Originally published in the December 2017
issue of The Chosen People magazine.
1 See Genesis 29:32-30:24 and the naming of Jacob’s sons, for example.
2See Matthew 1:1, 20; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9, 15.
3See John 1:1, 14, 18; 14:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15-23; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31.
3C4h o |s eCnh Priesotmplaes M Tihnriosturgiehs J. ecwhoisshe nEpyesople.com