Branch of the LORD

In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent
and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped.
Isaiah 4:2

Prophecy scholar I am not. It’s hard to sort through all the pieces and get them in their proper places. It could be compared to finding a bunch of little animal bones in a field and then taking them home to discover what they are. For me, analyzing and interpreting prophecy is just that kind of challenge, although I would much prefer re-articulating a mouse skeleton any day of the week.

That having been said, I’ve had to search out and study the Old Testament prophets looking for titles of Christ. Many times, it is not immediately apparent if the name is Messianic or refers to God the Father. The Branch of the LORD, however, is one of the very easy ones. It is like it has a neon sign beside it saying, “This is the Messiah.”

Isaiah prophesied at a time when the nation of Judah was in decline. The Assyrian empire had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and laid waste most of the land around Jerusalem. The prophet looked forward to a day when the land would flourish again, when God’s anointed would come.

Just as a branch grows out of a tree, the Branch of the LORD is just an extension of God that comes out of Him and produces fruit on the earth. The title is a very strong affirmation of the deity of the Messiah and was given to bring hope and faith to God’s people in a time of desperation.

In Jesus’ teaching of the true vine, believers are compared to branches that draw strength and sustenance from Christ Himself. When examining a tree, it’s observed that a branch forks and divides and then forks and divides again. Young Christians receive spiritual nourishment from more mature disciples, who serve as channels of grace from the Savior, who is the Branch of the LORD.

 March 12