In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. …Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Isaiah 4:2-3, 5.6
The Branch –
- the KING making righteous judgments! … “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.”
- the SERVANT who removes sin! … “‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch…I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.”
- the MAN who will build the temple, a majestic ruler! … Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he[b] will be a priest on his throne.
- the DESCENDANT of God! … “In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.
The Branch points to the blessing that one day Jesus will bring to His people. God will cause His land to be spiritually fruitful again through this Branch!
In that day – the day of the Branch – His rule and reign – there will be safety and peace. In verse 5, the cloud and smoke remind us of God’s protection when Israel was escaping from Egypt (Ex. 13:20–22). It also reminds us of God’s presence, guidance in the wilderness wanderings (Num. 9:15–23). The cloud and smoke were also symbols of God’s presence in the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34–38). God will dwell with His people providing both shelter and refuge!
Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Charles Wesley, 1740
Christ, the true, the only light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise,
triumph o’er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high, be near;
Daystar, in my heart appear.
Dark and cheerless is the morn
unaccompanied by thee;
joyless is the day’s return,
till thy mercy’s beams I see;
till they inward light impart,
cheer my eyes and warm my heart.
Visit then this soul of mine;
pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
fill me, Radiancy divine,
scatter all my unbelief;
more and more thyself display,
shining to the perfect day.
As you pray today thank God for the tender shoot from Jesse’s lineage – Jesus, the Christ child. Thank Him that He bears fruit in your life! Ask God, like the hymn writer says, to fill you, to scatter all unbelief, and to be on display in your life!
