“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, ”
That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper, And execute
judgment and righteousness in the earth.”
Jeremiah 23:5
Branches are supposed to produce fruit, but crabapples are a big disappointment for someone longing for a Red Delicious. However, horticulture has solved this problem with various grafting techniques. Hearty crabapple root stock is used to support various branches from commercial apple varieties that by themselves don’t flourish well in certain environments. The top and bottom of the tree have different DNA, but the quality of fruit is what people care about.
David was a man after God’s own heart who did His will (1 Samuel 13:14), so God promised that the Messiah would come through him. Yet, most of the descendants that came from the “root of David” missed the mark concerning holiness. Even David, who wrote beautiful psalms of praise to God, turned out to be a murderer, deceiver, and adulterer.
The anointed of the Lord had to be not only a descendant of David but also a Branch of Righteousness that would bring back holiness to the Davidic dynasty. Since Mary, the mother of Christ, was of David’s bloodline, connection with the root was established. Being conceived of the Holy Spirit without a human father, the Righteous branch was grafted into the character of the Savior. All the promises given both to the Jewish people and to the Christian church have certainly been fulfilled. The Lord Jesus is not only David’s kin; He is God’s Branch of Righteousness.
February 19
