“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,

    “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
    and do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
    and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.” Jeremiah 23:5-6

“‘In those days and at that time
    I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
    he will do what is just and right in the land. Jeremiah 33:15

            The branch is a reference to a family tree.  In 2 Samuel 7:12-16, David heard from God that someone from his family line will be on the throne…forever.  While many kings from his family line sat on the throne, that all ended with Zedekiah in 597 BC, right around the time of this prophecy of Jeremiah.

            That’s why this prophecy was so important to the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  They believed the prophecy David received was coming to end and also a false prophecy because the throne would be empty.  But an eternal king was coming.

            Almost 600 years later, Jesus would ride into Jerusalem and receive a king’s welcome, people shouting “Hosanna in the highest.”  They wanted Him to sit on a literal throne, but Jesus sat on an eternal throne.

            This prophecy came at the right time, preparing the hearts of the people for the “right” branch of the family line – Jesus born through Mary, in the line of David.