Scripture

But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and the glory of all who survive in Israel.

Observation

After the punishment, the destruction and the degradation of Israel comes the restoration. There will be so few men left alive that seven women will fight for each man.

But then the branch of the Lord, the remnant, will be beautiful and glorious. The land will be cleansed so that it is again fruitful.

The people will be holy. The Lord will wash the filth from Zion with the hot breath of Judgement. then He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and fire by night over all the land. It will protect them from the heat and the storms.

Application

The branch of the Lord refers to the remnant of the people of Israel. They are going to go through a disastrous time of discipline in which the Lord will strip away the corruption of Israel. What is left will be holy and beautiful, a people dedicated to the Lord.

The branch of the Lord also remind us of another promise in Isaiah; that a branch will grow from the stump of Jesse. This time of the year, we tend to think of Jesus as being that branch. Jesus is the one who is beautiful and glorious. He is the one who makes the land fruitful.

We can see in this also a reference to the church. Israel had not been faithful to the lord. Israel rejected the Messiah. So the church became a branch that brings pride and glory to the Lord. We are the branch, grafted in, as Paul describes it in Romans. We are the holy remnant, the people of the Lord.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for grafting me into your chosen people. I did not deserve this, but I am now a part of the holy priesthood of God, through the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.