The Waiting: An Advent Reflection on Jeremiah 33:14–16

“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.’”

—   Jeremiah 33:14–16 (ESV)

Many years ago, my wife and I were on our way home from vacation, driving through a long and lonely stretch of road between Beaumont and Waco, Texas. At that time, we only had our oldest daughter, who was still very young, but on that stretch of road she was all we could handle. For four hours she screamed, seeking to wrest herself free from her baby seat. She couldn’t sleep, we couldn’t bribe her with food, and rest stops just frustrated her more because they meant she would have to get back in the car one more time. We were all trapped in that minivan on that lonely road. There was only one thing we could all agree on—we felt like we were in exile and could not wait to get home.

Waiting is hard, isn’t it? Nobody likes to wait. Yet, when we are confident of our destination, we can somehow press through the pain of what can feel like endless waiting. 

This is the message Jeremiah has for us in this particular passage. Though Israel was in exile, trapped according to God’s sovereign purpose, a future restoration awaited them. If they would but hope in this promised future, it would enable them to press through the difficulty of their wait in Babylon.

This passage is applicable to all of us who have ever found ourselves stuck in our own kinds of waiting rooms, feeling trapped and in exile. It’s especially applicable during this season of Advent, which begins the church year and is focused on the theme of waiting.

What does Jeremiah have to say to us in this season of Advent? Let’s take a look.

Consider What is Promised

We have to consider first of all what God has promised his people. When we do that we see that:

Exile is Not the Last Word

Though Israel had been sent into exile by God himself as judgment for their departure from the Lord, exile would not be their final destination. According to what Jeremiah says in verse 14, God’s prior promise of blessing to Israel and Judah would be fulfilled. 

Surely, this promise  echoes God’s covenantal promise throughout the Old Testament.  We hear it clearly in Leviticus 26:12, “I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

Though God had judged his people, he had not abandoned them. God’s prior word of promise still had priority over the terrible judgment of exile!

But that isn’t all Jeremiah tells us. He also says that:

A New Word is Spoken

Verses 15–16 tell us how God will fulfill his promise to save and restore his exiled people.

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.’”

Many readers will recognize that these verses are among the many in Jeremiah that refer to God’s promise to send the Messiah. The long-awaited Messiah was he who would restore the Davidic kingship. In Jeremiah’s words, this Messiah would be a righteous Branch that arises from the apparent deadness of the nation of Israel. New life would spring from the fallen dynasty. Under Messiah’s rule, God’s promises of righteousness and justice will be fulfilled.

In other words, the confidence Jeremiah has for Israel’s salvation is not on account of Israel, but God himself. God is the sovereign and loving father of this wayward nation.  Surely salvation will come to those who wait for him.

The New Testament clearly identifies Jesus Christ with the righteous Branch. Paul, in Romans 22:16, for example, quotes the prophet Isaiah when he says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” And in Revelation 22:16, John the apostle gives us Jesus’s own words through his apocalyptic vision: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 

Advent, and especially Christmas, are celebrations of God’s fulfillment of his promise made to Israel to bring forth the Branch of righteousness from the fallen nation. And of course, he is that one who brings righteousness and justice, not only to Israel but to all nations. Peter reminds us in his speech on Pentecost in Acts 2 that the promise is for “everyone who believes.” In Jesus Christ, the new Jerusalem has come and it is called, “The Lord is our righteousness!”

Through Jesus Christ, God’s righteous demands were met. Sin was not swept under the rug but dealt with in all its horror. However, because Jesus suffered as our mediator or substitute, his righteousness avails for all who put their faith in him.

Consider What is Still Promised!

So far, so good. The Old Testament promises are wonderful, and looking back we can see how Jesus Christ has fulfilled them. At the same time, though, we can understand the confusion of those who first met Jesus Christ, the Messiah. After all, he did not come as a conquering King, but as a suffering servant. His kingship was not focused on an earthly, nationalistic reign that would restore the Davidic dynasty to political might. Rather, his kingship was characterized by sacrificial service—and by his suffering on the cross—which defeated the even more significant foes that God’s people did not fully recognize: sin, death, and the devil.  

What we also know, though—from Scripture and from our own experience—is that the fullness of the salvation Jesus brings is not yet here. Though the work of the cross is finished, the full blessing of that work remains future. The Bible tells us we will not experience its fullness until Jesus returns. Theologians refer to this future blessing as the “not-yet” aspect of our salvation.  All that God promises is true and will indeed come to pass, but it has not yet been completely fulfilled.

While all of this may sound theologically sophisticated and hard to understand, in actuality it is quite simple. Like Israel in exile, we are still waiting on God to finish fulfilling his promises! Unlike Israel, we have already received some of the promise, but the rest remains to come. So, like them, we are stuck in the waiting room—and, this brings us full circle back to what Advent is all about.

Consider the Purpose of Advent

What is the purpose of Advent? Advent is not the religious equivalent to the big retail stores getting decorated to ply their wares and get us “in the mood” for the holidays. Advent is neither sentimental nor utilitarian. No, the purpose of Advent is to point us to that message of hope that enables us to press through the difficulty of the waiting room. Advent reminds all Christians that our journey begins by waiting on the appearing of Christ, our Savior.

The word “advent” simply means “arrival.” Its focus is on the ceremonial entrance or return of a ruler to a city. In this case, the king, of course, is Jesus Christ. In the season of Advent, we remember Israel’s long wait for the coming of the Messiah. But we also join them in their waiting because we too await the return of our King. On that day when he arrives, all that he has promised will be fulfilled forevermore.

Why is Waiting Critical to Advent? 

Our culture is not very good at waiting. We see very little purpose in it. Instead, we are a culture that desires instant gratification. We invented the microwave oven, fast food, and online streaming services to give us what we want to watch when we want to watch it. Today, you don’t need to wait a whole week or a whole year to see the next episode or season of your favorite TV program; you can binge-watch the whole thing over a single weekend.

We get so wrapped up in our instant gratification that we often forget the message this “instant” culture is spreading. It tells us we can have anything we want, right now, on our own terms, if we put in the effort to get it. And for Christians, the temptation is that we can unintentionally begin to apply that way of thinking to our salvation as well. But there are a couple of things seriously wrong with that:

1. Unless we learn to wait, we will always believe that salvation itself is something I can accomplish for myself—with more effort, more money, more technology, more power, etc. This truth should make us reflect on what we actually do and what we actually seek to gain from the things we do at Christmas time. From the gift-giving to the gathering of families for a feast, have we realized that only Jesus can bring us Christmas? Gifts, gatherings, sentimentality, or familiar rituals can’t bring us salvation. Only Jesus can do that. The question is: Are we waiting for him? Are we looking to him alone?

2. Unless we stop long enough to actually experience the wait, we will never gain perspective on the real brokenness of this world that so desperately needs Jesus Christ. When life is running along unhindered, we don’t have to think about others or even the choices we make for ourselves. Life is easy and it’s on our own terms. However, when life hits the equivalent of a traffic jam in rush hour, we have to stop. When we stop, we can evaluate ourselves, but also the needs of others. 

In some ways, Advent is like experiencing a traffic jam on the busiest highway in town that forces you take a detour through the neediest parts of the city. As you drive through, you see people and needs you never knew were there. And you never would have learned about them unless you had slowed down and taken a look around.

I remember another time when I entered a waiting room unexpectedly. It was during the birth of our first daughter—the same one I mentioned earlier. Before the baby was born, my wife had chosen to use a CNM and a birth center for delivery, which was located next to the hospital in Waco. After my wife had been in labor for many hours and was in the final moments, the nurse realized that the baby had turned in the womb; she was breech. Immediately, these moments of joy turned dangerous. My wife had to be rushed across the street to the hospital for an emergency C-section. I remember watching as they wheeled her through the door to surgery and wondering if everything was going to turn out okay. At that point, I was all alone in the waiting room. 

In the waiting room, you feel powerless. You know how little you can do. In the waiting room, you feel the brokenness of the world and you learn how desperately you and others need hope.

Of course, those moments of danger departed, and the joy of a healthy baby girl was soon ours, but the lessons of the waiting room have stayed with me.

What “waiting rooms” have you entered in your life? What “waiting rooms” are you visiting right now? Maybe you’re waiting on a troubled relationship with a spouse or a child or a parent. Maybe you’re waiting on the uncertainty of a job or an unstable financial situation. Maybe you’re waiting to see if the future goals you want so badly are even reachable.

Whatever it is for you, I urge you—I urge us all—to bring Advent into the waiting rooms of our lives. Why? Because Advent is not just about remembering the Savior who came, but also about being reacquainted with the Savior we continually need. Christmas too is about more than remembering Jesus; it is about waiting for Jesus.

Like Israel before us, we patiently wait for God to fulfill what he has said he will do—and what only he can do. And that is ultimately Christ-centered, because that fulfillment centers on Christ the King, and the salvation found only in him.