Isaiah 4
The Branch of the Lord!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, December 18.
Have you ever lived in, or driven through, an area where the farmers burn their fields in preparation for the planting season? While it may feel like you are driving into a war zone, the reality is that the fire does not destroy the fields; instead, it prepares them by clearing the stubble from the land, killing the bacterial and fungal residues, and providing fertilizer for the crop. In the same way, God uses a refiner’s fire to prepare His people for even greater purposes. Isaiah 4:2-5 provides a prophetic snapshot of God’s glory in Israel’s judgment:
In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel. It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy – everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.
After the judgment of Jerusalem, a remnant would be preserved, and God’s glory will shine upon them and lead them. Israel is destined to be ruled by the Messiah, who is called, “the Branch of the LORD” in verse 2 (cf. Isaiah 11:1; 53:2; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Zechariah 3:8; 6:12). Amazingly, from what appeared to be dead, life burst forth. This is a foreshadowing of the resurrection of Jesus Christ – beauty from the ashes (Isaiah 61:3).
Seize the moment and trust God for His greater purposes in your circumstances today!
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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