Mensa Otabil - Branch of David
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We are looking at prophecy number four, and this is a promise concerning the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Yes, He is born of a virgin, but He must belong to a certain line, and this prophecy speaks to the line that the Messiah will belong to: Jeremiah 23:5. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise to David a branch of righteousness; a king shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the Earth. This prophecy of Jeremiah points to the relationship between the coming Messiah and King David.
In His lifetime, Jesus was called the Son of David. That is because God had promised David that the Messiah would come from his lineage. Somewhere among his descendants, the Messiah would come. So, Jesus Christ is born from the tribe of Judah and from the lineage of David. The interesting thing about this prophecy is that God had promised David that his lineage would produce the Messiah, but over the years, his descendants disobeyed God, and for many years, they were cut off from the throne of Israel and from Judah. Different kinds of people ruled in Israel. As a matter of fact, at the time Jesus Christ came, someone had imposed himself on the throne of David, called Herod, who was not properly of any lineage. But the promise was to David that out of his lineage, God would produce a king.
God says that this person who would come will be a branch of righteousness. What God is saying is, I want you to imagine a tree that has grown; that tree is David. The tree is dead because the people have disobeyed God. But God says, «Watch what I’m going to do. Although this tree is dead, sometime in the future, I’m going to produce a branch out of this tree, and that branch will be the Messiah that I have promised.»
So, the Messiah is a branch of David. He is going to come from the line of David, but from a line that has been discontinued for a very long time. He will be a king, and He will reign, but not like David. David ruled over a physical kingdom; Jesus Christ rules over our hearts. He Himself said, «My kingdom is not of this world,» and He says that He will execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. David ruled only in Israel and Judah; Jesus Christ is not limited to Israel. He is the ruler of the entire world. Wherever people call upon Him, He becomes their Savior and their Redeemer. That’s the difference between the kingship of Jesus and the kingship of David.
So, what do we learn from this? We learn about God’s faithfulness—that God watches over His word to perform it. Although David has been dead for so many centuries, God watches over His word to perform it, and at the right time, He brought the branch out of the house of David. This tells us that when God makes a promise to you, He keeps His promises and watches over His word to perform it. Though we may not always be there to see what He is doing, He will always be there to perform it because He watches over His word. If God has given you a promise for you, for your children, or for your grandchildren, rest assured that the Lord will keep His promises because He is a faithful God. He did it for David, and He will do it for you.
So, today we can trust God to be faithful to us in all that He has promised us. Let’s pray together; say with me, «Heavenly Father, You are a faithful God. Thank You for fulfilling Your word to me. I receive all Your promises in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.» I’ll be with you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.