Jeremiah 30:21

"And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me; for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord."—Jer. xxx. 21.

— Jeremiah 30:21

When the patriarch Jacob was dying, he pronounced, under the spirit of prophecy, that "the sceptre should not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come," Gen. xlix. 10. And here in the prospect of the Babylonish captivity, now on the eve of its arrival, the prophet is commissioned by the Lord to tell the church, that notwithstandidg all present appearances, no foreigners should judge or rule over them; but one should proceed from the midst of them, to be their governor, even David their king, whom I (saith Jehovah, verse 9.) will raise up unto them. One like unto themselves, such as our Jesus was, like unto his brethren. Sweet confirmation of our faith! And that no doubt might arise concerning the justness of the application, the Lord by another prophet (Micah v. 2.) mentioned the place of his birth, and marked at the same time, the features of his eternal power and Godbead. "But thou, Bethlehem-Epbratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." But we must not stop here in our views of this precious scripture. He that is to come forth from among his brethren as their governor, Jehovah engageth for him, that be will cause him to approach unto him. Blessed thought! No son or daughter of Adam could ever have drawn nigh to God, but for this gracious interposition. The holiness of the divine nature, the holiness of the divine law, and the enmity of the heart of man by sin, totally precluded it. None but he who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens, could have engaged his heart to this service. And indeed he graciously undertook it, and as completely accomplished it. Jesus was peculiarly suited for this vast undertaking. For as God he was one with the Father, to whom he approached; and as man, he was the person for whom, and by whom the reconciliation was to be accomplished; and as both God and Man in one Person, he could (as Job calls it) be a proper Day's-man, to act between both parties, and restore to God his glory, and to man his happiness. And what a blessed addition to these delightful things respecting Jesus, is it to see, that God the Fathers hand was with Jesus in all! "I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me." Pause, my soul over this blessed scripture, and behold in all the vast work of thy Redeemer's salvation, the name and authority of God thy Father confirming it. And wilt thou not then, in all thy approaches to God in Christ, have respect to this sovereign act of Jehovah? Is it indeed God the Father who hath given his dear Son, called him, appointed him, solemnly introduced him into his high priest's office, by an oath, and in all his offices as Mediator, caused him to draw near in the accomplishment of redemption: and wilt thou not in an thy approaches, look unto Jesus as the Father hath respect unto him? Oh! for grace, in all the lively exercises of it, to draw nigh to the footstool of the mercy-seat, and unceasingly to remind God our Father of his own gracious appointment and acceptance of the church in the person of his dear Son. Yea! holy Father, I would say, in every act of worship, love, and praise, "Behold, O God, our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed!"