Mensa Otabil - A Branch of Righteousness

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As you know, this week we are looking at the prophecies leading to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. We go to the Book of Jeremiah, chapter 23, and verse 5: "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."

This prophecy of Jeremiah points to the relationship between the coming Messiah and David, the king of Israel. God had called David a man after His heart. He was a flawed human being; he had problems, but he was a man who was passionate about God and the things of God. The Lord had promised that his line would become the line of the Messiah, but over the years, the line of David was not producing good kings. For a long time, no king came from the line of David, so the line of David then was seen as a dried-up branch, and there was nothing good coming from there. But then God spoke to Jeremiah and said, "I will visit the House of David again in the future, and out of the House of David, I will raise this new leader that I am bringing about."

So, God's promise to the House of David was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that shows you the nature of God. Even when the branch of David was dried up, even when it seemed like what He said about David would not come to pass, He still affirmed His faithfulness to David and the promise He made to him, that of his line would come the Messiah, the Redeemer. Of course, when you look at the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ, both from Mary, His mother, and His foster father, Joseph, the lines trace back to David, the king of Israel, both from the tribe of Judah. So on both sides, in both the natural and the spiritual, Jesus Christ was qualified to become the Redeemer of Israel.

The interesting thing is that at the time Jesus was born, the king of Israel was a man named Herod, an imposter who had imposed himself on the people of Israel. He was nowhere near the tribe of Judah or the lineage of David; he was actually a foreigner, not a true Jew, but he had been made the king of Israel. People expected that he would be the one who would be the Messiah. Remember, the wise men went to him and asked, "Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?"

So although someone had imposed himself on the throne, God still knew how to appoint the right person. There is a lot we can learn about the nature of God and His faithfulness for our own lives. There are times when God gives us a promise or says He will do something for us, and it may seem like it's not going to happen-the root is dried up, the branch is dried up-but God is still faithful to His word. He did it for Israel, He did it through Jesus Christ, and He will do it for you. Even if a Herod has seized what is yours and imposed himself over what is rightfully yours, God knows how to bypass Herod and lead to where you are. Never doubt God's faithfulness to you as His child.

If you walk in His ways and live according to His principles, never be in doubt about God's faithfulness to His people when they all serve Him in righteousness. In this prophecy, we see that although David had been dead for many years, God still remained faithful to him and the promise made to him. May the Lord be faithful to you, and may He honor His word in your life.

Let's pray. Say with me, "Heavenly Father, you are a faithful God. Your promises endure for all generations. In Jesus' name, amen and amen."