Judah's shepherd-kings have scattered the flock, and God announces both a firing and a hiring: I myself will gather the remnant, and I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely.

When leaders fail, God does not abandon the flock. He steps in personally. That promise has a name, and you know it.

Jehoiakim built his palace with unpaid labor and got a donkey's funeral. The Branch builds His reign on justice and righteousness and wears a staggering name: The LORD Our Righteous Savior. Judah's leadership crisis was answered not with a better administration but with an incarnation.

Every leadership disappointment you have lived, church, family, nation, points the same direction. Under-shepherds fail; the Shepherd does not. And His government is oddly participatory: He brings to fruition your every desire for goodness. Serve under the Branch this week, and let His name cover yours.